Fellow Stories
True gap year stories from Fellows abroad!
Check out the latest blogs from Global Citizen Year Fellows in Brazil, Ecuador, and India!
Category
Class Year
Country
For my Daddy Jim…
Bailey Bullock
2014-12-09
A few days ago, I lost one of the most special people in my life; my grandfather, my Daddy Jim. I have always been told of the sorrow one feels when they lose one that is so dear to them, and until December 6th, I had been fortunate enough to not have had to experience...
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The Price We Pay To Feel
Hannah Phalen
2014-12-03
“And you find some way to survive… and you find out you don’t have to be happy at all to be happy you’re alive. Day after day, give me clouds and rain and gray. Give me pain if that’s what’s real- it’s the price we pay to feel.”* A focus of what we have learned...
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Baby Steps
Briana Merrigan
2014-11-24
“Dios le pague,” I say as I’m handed a steaming plate of rice and pig skin. This roughly translates to “God pays you,” and is a less cold-hearted version of “gracias.” Had I known this sooner, I would never have said “gracias” so often. Whoops. But I’m learning. I started here as an infant, barely...
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We Live in the Flicker
Lindsay Saligman
2014-11-24
Today, my host mom woke up at five in the morning to get on the first bus into town in order to buy food. She wasn’t buying food for my family, but rather, for a group of twelve tourists that was coming for a tour. Santa Rita doesn’t get many tourists, but about a year...
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Photo Blog 1
Yui Lee
2014-11-24
These are pictures of my first couple months in Ecuador featuring Fellows, families, and Ecuadorian nature. The banner is from a road trip I took with my family and their families to Puyo in the Pastaza province. 2. The view of Mt. Chimborazo from the rooftop of my house. 3. One of my workplaces: the...
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Everything’s Gone Green
Kamilah Udomsap
2014-11-21
As I brainstorm how to start this second blog, I am flooded with thoughts of simple measure: I am living. A popular response to “cómo estás?” (how are you) is “estoy aquí”, literally translating to “I am here.” There is this mindset here that has become truly sacred to me, and it follows something like...
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My Host Brother, the Metaphor
Lindsay Saligman
2014-11-21
My youngest host brother is six years old. His name is Edy. On September 20th, when I arrived in Napo, Edy came with my host parents to pick me up from Tena, the capital of Napo, and bring me to Santa Rita. While my host parents introduced themselves smiling, Edy clung to my host dad’s...
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Never Make Friends with the Pigs: 21 Things I’ve Learned from Living in Ecuador
Kali Nelson
2014-11-21
It is the slowest pace of life, EVER…”Ecuatime” is real, people! Life has never been more intriguing. A different way to love. The completely selfless love that my host family, and English students, and everyone has. The love that cannot be put into words but only felt, the love that warms rooms (which is more...
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An Average 24 Hours
Rachel Swartz
2014-11-21
Wake up at 5:30AM. 5:30AM-6:15AM: Generally spent washing clothes in Rio Napo. 6:15AM-7:00AM: Breakfast. Usually a combination of rice, eggs, bread, plantain, and of course, guayusa.* 7:05AM-3:30PM: Off to work at Sinchi Warm. There is no such thing as an average day at Sinchi Warmi. Potential activities include: Organizing our artisanship displays. Jungle Walks! Learning about indigenous practices with...
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Familia
Eustacia Meyer
2014-11-21
I have been living with my family for nearly two months now. I still can’t get over it, two months and this still feels like a dream. The biggest success in my life here has to be my family. I have gotten so close to many members in the family and love to just sit...
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Festivities of Cuenca
Aliya Habib
2014-11-21
Fridays nights are usually spent in the yogurt room outside the house. Two huge vats await my host mom and other women, ready to turn plain yogurt into delicious concoctions. This Friday night was a little more special because in two days, it would be the Independence Day of Cuenca and we were in full...
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The Most Important Choice
Bennett Quintard
2014-11-21
A few weeks ago I started my apprenticeship at an organic finca (farm) about 20 minutes outside of my community of El Juncal. Below are my first two experiences at my new job: Experience 1: Due to my decision to stay up late the night before, I was running on six hours of sleep as...
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