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
Beyond the beauty of the ordinary
Erin Lang
2010-11-11
My head was dripping with sweat from the dry heat that I couldn’t escape. My stomach had knots; my limbs, restless yet fatigued from the wear and tear of the social and physical maladies my body could not overcome…I replayed the event in my head exactly as it happened, trying to figure out what had...
Read MoreBiidéo
Naomi Wright
2010-11-11
Have you ever watched the stars rise? The sunrise, sunsets, oh! Everybody’s watched them. But the stars? A mournfully beautiful practice. And so ancient! Those That Came Before stared at these same stars; the points of light might be dead for all I know, burnt to the blackness of sky, their memory-light still hurtling, hurtling: a...
Read MoreCompletely
Emily Hess
2010-11-11
As I fumbled along the strings of the guitar, I only remember praying. I prayed that I would have the strength to sing in front of these people, I prayed that I would remember which chords came before which, I prayed, especially, that I would convey the message to my peers just how much this...
Read MoreView From the Roof
Michaela Kobsa Mark
2010-11-02
Senegal- a country with a 97% Muslim nation. Prayers are five times a day- pre-dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and dark. The Calls to Prayer sound from mosques all over Dakar, and they are so frequent that sometimes I don’t notice that there is one going on- until the silence resounds. I’m leaving Dakar for Joal-Fadiouth...
Read MoreKaleidoscope
Madeleine Balchan
2010-11-02
Suma yaaye, my host mother, is diabetic. She was hospitalized for not following her diet. Our house, usually bustling with visitors and laughter, became very solemn. Then my older sister Adya got malaria. Suddenly my sister Ami, who’s 19 like me, had the work of three women to do. I walked around like an elephant...
Read MoreLeaves on the Family Tree
Gus Ruchman
2010-11-01
For the fourth time this year, I am leaving my family. At the end of May, in a whirlpool of handshakes and diplomas, I parted ways with my extended high school family of teachers, mentors, fellow graduates, and yes, even freshmen. In mid-September I shared one final hug with my parents at La Guardia airport,...
Read MoreChange in Routine
Naomi Wright
2010-10-29
I wanted to write a little summation of my time here in the big city, especially because it’s likely my access to the internet will be quite limited for the next month. I’ve spent the last few hours trying to mock up an outline, but my mind-voice keeps giggle-whispering, I leave Dakar in four days…...
Read MoreAttaya
Jake Filderman
2010-10-29
There is a corner store that sells shoes, although store may be a generous word. The ‘store’ is simply a bunch of shoes laid out on the sidewalk and an awning, but for all intents and purposes it’s a shoe store. Every day when I pass this store, there is a small crowd of people...
Read MoreSeeds of Doubt (and Peace)
Gus Ruchman
2010-10-28
I woke up buzzing. For several days I had been sniffling as I struggled to fight off a cold, but yesterday I opened my eyes and felt wholly refreshed and bold under the visage of adrenaline. I ran downstairs to remind my mother, “j’ai besoin d’aller à l’ecole—tey ci suba nun dinanu dem biro corp...
Read MoreCommon Ground
Kedisha Samuels
2010-10-27
There is something extremely unique about children that cannot really be explained. It might be the innocence of their youth, their short attention spans, or how insensitive they can be to even the most serious things that grabs my attention. There is no judgment with them because they just simply live and be free. And...
Read MoreYogurt
Clara Sekowski
2010-10-26
The thing I remember most about my first day in Senegal was that I had to sneeze the entire time. Alright. So. Rewind to me walking up to my new home, leaving a trail of sweat, friends, and three Senegalese men who are dragging my bags behind me. They open the front door to my...
Read MoreCompost and Redemption
Justin Moore
2010-10-26
When I learned that I was going to be working with an organization called Dynamiques Femmes (Dynamic Women) with a city wide effort to promote composting and recycling (I thought) only amongst women, I had two thoughts: My first: “YOU MEAN I WON’T BE WORKING ON A FARM?” My second: “why do only women need...
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