Fellow Stories
True gap year stories from Fellows abroad!
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The Longest Days, Chapter 2: “Waiting For Godot”
Gus Ruchman
2011-02-23
Previously: I prepared to travel to Touba, the center of Mauridism, in order to provide free medical support for the millions of people making pilgrimage, taking heed of the many warnings against a variety of dangers I might face there. I stood on the brink of the unknown: Friday, 2 days until Magal: I was...
Read MoreCrème Glace
Michaela Kobsa Mark
2011-02-23
I came to Senegal ready to be open to it and love it. And in coming with this attitude, I have come across such pristine and simple beauty. I am enthralled by the liquid ruby crème glace making, the geometric shapes of the grains of rice that I sift my hands through, the way the...
Read MoreMaam Awa
Madeleine Balchan
2011-02-22
The wrinkles on her face rearrange themselves into a smile as Maam Awa, my 90+-year-old grandmother, extends her hand to greet me. She repeats my last name, Diaw, and I say her’s, Sec. “Did you pass your day in peace?” she asks. “Peace only.” I respond. “Where are the people who live at your house?”...
Read MoreSounds from a Senegalese Church
Michaela Kobsa Mark
2011-02-21
The Joal choir meets two to three times a week to sing with the tam tams and electric guitar. I used to be part of the choir, however as it conflicts with the time I have to be at my apprenticeship I had to give it up. However, I can always enjoy the lovely music...
Read MoreSnowballs
Madeleine Balchan
2011-02-18
This is my first winter without snow. I remember the first time I ever made a snowman. I scooped snow into my mittens and tried to form a ball, but the powder just crumbled apart and fell as I separated my hands. I watched in jealous frustration as my older brothers rolled their rapidly expanding...
Read MoreYou Say You Want a Revolution
Naomi Wright
2011-02-18
In recent weeks, I’ve watched as people my age took to the streets of Cairo to uphold the idea of liberty. It’s made me wonder, would the youth of America take such radical action in the face of similar injustice— would they even notice the injustice in the first place? I come from a generation...
Read MoreThe Longest Days, Chapter 1: “Great Expectations”
Gus Ruchman
2011-02-16
The Magal 2011 was perhaps my most thrilling, exhausting, and challenging experience in Senegal yet. At the end of January I traveled to Touba, the central holy city of Mauridism, where every year millions of pilgrims (Wikipedia says 1-2 million, but I was told 5+ million) celebrate the return of the founder of the Islamic sect to...
Read MoreFire Department Rescues Cat From Tree
Madeleine Balchan
2011-02-16
With no moon tonight it’s almost pitch black outside. Absa, my host dad’s second wife, asks to borrow my cell phone. They need a light. “Foo jem?” “Where are you going?” I ask. “Jocko genar.” “Getting the chickens…” Okay, so I’m not positive about the verb but I KNOW genar means chicken. “Newal” Absa beckons...
Read MoreFacts of Life
Tess Langan
2011-02-16
This piece was featured in the Verona-Cedar Grove Times on April 28, 2011. Read the article here. “DAKAR, Senegal — Thousands of children in Senegal are forced to beg on the streets under the pretext that they are receiving religious instruction, Human Rights Watch said in a report Thursday that urged the government to crack down...
Read MoreTool Gabane
Johannes Raatz
2011-02-16
Maybe it was a mirage in the desert. It did look enchantingly perfect: dozens of young, strong women filing through the gate soon after the other Léona fellows and I had arrived at the community garden plot. They were there to water onions and eggplants. The field belongs to the Federation de Jeune Filles, a...
Read MoreShow and Tell
Gus Ruchman
2011-02-11
[slidepress gallery=’gus-ruchman-photo-essay-4′] Note: Move your mouse over the photo to see the title and caption!
Read MorePerspectives
Madeleine Balchan
2011-02-10
I write in my journal “leaving a place, and then returning, can give such great perspective.”
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