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
Country
Diwali
Valencia Meredith
2016-11-18
DIWALI FESTIVAL Two weeks ago, India’s Diwali celebration came to an end. During this 5 day Festival of Lights, India is in a craze. People are buying new clothes (or wearing their old, but really nice outfits), lighting firecrackers, placing candles around their home, creating Rangoli, making amazing snacks and cleaning their houses. Diwali is...
Read MoreLife in India
Andres Medina
2016-11-17
There is so much to say about what I have experienced and I'm finding it difficult to put into words. I've learned so much about different cultural norms, laws, customs and every day things. Out of all the things that I've learned the one thing that never fails me is a smile. A simple smile...
Read MoreIndian Perspectives on the U.S. Presidential Election
Sebastian Paine
2016-11-09
Before you read, it should be noted that: This was, by no stretch of the imagination, a scientific endeavor. The image of Indian opinion that this piece paints is representative only of those few I spoke to in my family, not the common views in India as a whole. This is also not meant to...
Read MoreElection Day
Luke Sallmen
2016-11-08
As I wake up today (late as usual), in India's ninth largest city, nothing seems out of the ordinary. Buses and trucks roar past. Horns honk. Time passes slowly. Nothing is written on Indian calendars under Tuesday, 8 November to separate it from the other 365 days of this year. But for me, it is...
Read MoreJust Nap through the Explosions
Isaiah Lewis
2016-10-29
Mortar Attack! What’s happening? Gas leak? Is Pakistan invading? At about 4:15am last night I awoke to the sound of explosions crashing around me near and far. I sleepily rushed to my window to see my friends and family gleefully setting off fireworks in the street next to me. I could hear the distant explosions...
Read MoreMy Favourite Adventure
Agustina Romero
2016-10-26
It’s definitely true that living in India is an adventure. However, sometimes, it’s not an adventure in the conventional way. Many people see adventures as endless hikes on amazing mountains (checked) or trying how much spice the human body can hold (very little in my case) or getting to know a new language by being...
Read MoreHidden in Plain Sight
Kayla Sherald
2016-10-25
With a mild 2 months and 17 days having come and gone from the moments that I’d taken some serious time and effort to construct and thoroughly think about the 8 months I would eventually be finding myself embarking upon; on this 25th of October, I find myself once again alarmed at how much has...
Read MoreMemorable Moments
Luke Sallmen
2016-10-09
Since I'm unable to come up with a singular theme to describe my time in India thus far, I'd like to share some of the most memorable events I've experienced: The day I realized buses could hold more people than I thought was possible: I've never tolerated an elbow embedded in my ribcage for so...
Read MoreMy First Impression of Pune
Holly Jacobson
2016-10-08
My first impression of Pune was trying to cross a street. I had been on the bus for over two hours with the rest of the fellows and team leaders, and I could not wait to step off into my new home for the next seven months. The anticipation had been building up slowly, ever...
Read MoreMy First Impression of Pune was Crossing a Street
Holly Jacobson
2016-10-08
My first impression of Pune was trying to cross a street. I had been on the bus for over two hours with the rest of the fellows and team leaders, and I could not wait to step off into my new home for the next seven months. The anticipation had been building up slowly, ever...
Read MoreHome
Isaiah Lewis
2016-09-28
I'm truly home. I've left the safety of Panchgani and finally come to my home of 7 months, Pune. I live in the center of the old city, at the heart of the metropolis with an 81 year old ex-forest ranger, a 25 year old classical Indian dancer, and a 19 year old internationally ranked...
Read MoreBy the end of April
Natalia Plancarte
2016-09-20
By the end of April I will be able to speak Hindi without feeling embarrassed about my accent. I will be another daughter and sister. By the end of April I will have another place to call my home.I will learn to appreciate my teachers who have done everything for me because I will have...
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