Fellow Stories
True gap year stories from Fellows abroad!
Check out the latest blogs from Global Citizen Year Fellows in Brazil, Ecuador, and India!
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Class Year
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Fragility, Scarcity, Purpose, Love.
Joana Mouzinho
2018-09-30
Fragility, Scarcity, Purpose, Love. It has been hard for me to write. It has been hard for me to gather my thoughts, to put into words what is best remain untold; what is too great to be explained. I guess this a great way of starting this blog. I want to make myself clear: My...
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The Dangers of The First Impression
Leonie Tollefson
2018-09-27
Namaste, I’m in India! I’ve been in Pune for about a month now, and it has truly been an incredible experience so far, and I still have 7 months to go! As many of you know, I am taking part in a gap year immersion program called Global Citizen Year. It involves living with a...
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3 Weeks In: A Poem
Khalil Laltoo
2018-09-26
Dig for the Roots What is it about this land? I saw a dragon born of evening clouds bow its great head as it lost its way in the pink smoke of the bat streaked sky It is what remains of the natural here, stretches its wings over lands lost to cement and the well-manicured...
Read MoreHow to eat a pomegranate 1
Emiliana Reinoso
2018-09-10
Monday 10th, September and time flies- I feel like I had left home yesterday, however, the calendar says something different. (Should I believe on the calendar?) The first stop, before India, was in San Francisco. There we had something called Global Launch. It's basically a week to meet other fellows and the GYC team, introduce...
Read MoreReady to Fly
Luciana Ribeiro da Silva
2018-09-10
(wrote this as I was boarding to California for the Global Launch, but didn’t have connection to post) As I'm in one more airport, ready to fly, waiting for another connecting flight that will take me to the next chapter of the never-ending adventure my life seems to be, I can finally slow down for a...
Read MoreThe Queen of Throwing Myself into Situations in Which I Do Not Belong
Alyssa Shteyn
2018-09-04
I’m on the plane from St. Louis to Oakland. My mom is asleep with a Kindle in her lap, the matte screen still displaying a romance novel. I challenge myself to read the Russian words on the screen, and curse myself every time my steady reading pace slows. I swear to myself I won't forget...
Read MoreGlobal Citizen Year gap year: a lifelong mentor
Momar Mboup
2018-09-03
This year, I will be taking a gap year instead of enrolling in a university. Before I start, I will briefly define what Global Citizen Year is. GCY is an 8 month long immersive program that offers the opportunity for young students to immerse themselves into a new culture, learn a new language, volunteering in...
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My Why
Jaime Givens
2018-09-03
All of you know that I have decided to take a bridge year in lieu of my first year of college and that I will be in Hyderabad, India where I will be working for a social impact organization known as Teach for India. However, one aspect of my bridge year that you may...
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Channeling my Inner Sponge
Ashley Trejo
2018-08-26
I find myself repeating the phrase of an optimistic yellow sponge from my youth. Well, “youth” may be a bit of a stretch since the silly show can still be found playing on my screens. Nevertheless, “I’m Ready” has been the statement on my mind since mid-May. ...
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Goodbye Seattle…
Andrew Chen
2018-08-26
I’m sitting in SeaTac waiting for my flight, but I still can’t believe I’m about to head off to Stanford for Global Launch. I had a lot of fun with my friends and family here in Seattle this summer, and I’m going to miss all of them very dearly. Leaving everyone you’re comfortable with is...
Read MoreEncounters: Books Inc.
Khalil Laltoo
2018-08-26
Almost a year ago, I was standing on line at Books Inc. on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley, when I witnessed a fascinating interaction unfold in front of me. A woman had just bought an Indian cookbook and was about to leave the register, when the elderly man in front of me in line said to her...
Read MoreSomething different
Jemina Auge
2018-08-26
Ahead of me, my best friend shuffled along her Bed Bath & Beyond shopping cart, piling it high with all of the notebooks and plush rugs and closet organizers necessary for her college move-in day. And sure enough, whenever I stole a glance around, similar carts containing similar products could be found in every aisle,...
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