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
Great Expectations
Ananda Day
2009-11-10
Everywhere I go I meet people along with their expectations. With one exception, I am always greeted with the French “Ca Va” instead of the ritual “Assalam Alekum”. I have no qualms with being viewed French, as most toubabs here are. Where my uneasiness comes in is how along with the Ca Va comes the...
Read MoreBaby Steps
Ananda Day
2009-11-10
I sat watching baby Muhammad run (or waddle depending on your definition) across the courtyard and realized that while we are definitely opposites in almost every aspect, (I do no wake him up at ridiculous times in the morning each and every day); at this moment we are more alike than we ever will be....
Read MoreSant wa? The importance of names in Senegal
Gaya Morris
2009-11-08
Its pretty likely that upon arrival as a guest or even a visitor in a Senegalese home, you will be given a new name. The head of the household, usually the most elderly woman, will probably name you after someone very dear to her, or even herself. In Dakar I was Astou, Astou deux to ...
Read MoreSebikotan Neexna
Gaya Morris
2009-11-08
Earlier today as I sat on a stool just outside the entrance to the kitchen, here in my new home in Sebikotane, sifting rice, I thought back on our arrival yesterday that already felt so long ago. Sifting rice is a good thinking activity. You let the sand-like white grains run through your fingers as you scan...
Read Morecan’t keep from changing, my brain’s bending
Victoria Tran-Trinh
2009-11-07
As a female here in Senegal, I am often asked if I know how to cook. This is just one of several questions that are posed to me on a daily basis which require in my answer “Aux Etats-Unis, je suis vegetarienne.” People are quick to accept my explanation of why I eat meat while...
Read Moremy heart’s aflame, my body’s strained (but God, I like it)
Victoria Tran-Trinh
2009-11-02
Yesterday was the day of days – the Senegal fellows’ move to their rural homestays. Saying my goodbyes to my host family was much sadder than I thought it would be, and I really hope I can visit them when my language skills have increased. The sadness was quickly replaced by excitement, though, when we...
Read MoreJust Call Me Galileo
Ananda Day
2009-11-02
Sitting here listening to Shania Twain serenading me from the television – in Dakar, in Senegal, on my last day of my first month – I cannot help but notice an odd juxtaposition. All at once it feels like I have been here the longest time, yet it also feels like I have only been...
Read Moreje parle le francais
Mathew Davis
2009-10-30
I am struggling in French class. I didn’t think it would be as bad as it is but, now that I think about it, I’m the only fellow who doesn’t speak another language. The only training I had was a couple semesters of Spanish where we conjugated a few verbs and watched the Lion King...
Read MoreWhat is photography and why?
Gaya Morris
2009-10-27
Yesterday afternoon I had a very troublesome discussion with my host brother Amadou about photography. After being in Dakar for about two weeks without taking out my camera, I have only recently started to photograph, trying to do it discreetly while just sitting around, taking spontaneous shots of random things that made interesting compositions, hoping that eventually...
Read MoreA typical evening chez nous…. + spagetti!
Gaya Morris
2009-10-27
To follow up on last week’s blog post, I feel obliged to share a few basil-related updates. Firstly, it turns out that the basil is also an essential ingredient of the tea that my host mother brews daily to assuage her headaches. Its a mix of kenkeliba leaves, basil and mint (and a lot of...
Read MoreMetaphor My Life
Ananda Day
2009-10-26
Two days ago, while struggling to fall asleep (due to the hilarious wolof jokes being told outside my window by ten Senegalese men), I pulled out a stack of Visual Explorer cards, from the Center for Creative Leadership, that I had gotten during training. Visual Explorer is basically a stack of really nice photographs that...
Read MoreFabric Frenzy
Hilary Brown
2009-10-26
It was like entering a giant maze of fabric yesterday when we went to buy fabric for Tabaski, a big holiday at the end of November. Little stalls were squeezed together forming make shift streets and allies. Umbrellas and blankets were hung over head between the stalls giving the illusion that we were inside when we...
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