Fellow Stories

senegal interlude #001- did a thing.

Stephanie Sanchez-Aguilar

2017-11-24

“I find when I have short hair, I feel like I have nothing to  hide behind anymore.” – Halle Berry  My hair has been a safety blanket my entire life. I’ve always had hair that was pretty long and undeniably curly. I’ve hid behind it for a really long time.  At the beginning of this...

From Uruguay to Senegal, a shared history

Julieta Lechini

2017-11-23

I often remember the stories that my grandparents and parents used to tell me about my country. An Uruguay where you could leave doors open, where you could buy a bag of sweets for 20cents and where people are welcome to eat or drink mate whenever they feel like. The path of life was slower,...

The Worst Decision

Katie Dodge

2017-11-18

Before I could even process what had happened, the pain hit me. It was burning, blinding, reducing me to a helpless, moaning lump. The one part of my brain that was still sentient tried to get help, to get water, to do something—yet I was unable to move in any direction for lack of vision....

It’s Not Turkey That Makes Thanksgiving Special

Elise Leise

2017-11-17

As I walked through the doorway of the kindergarten, a little blur of limbs darted over and wrapped herself around my legs. "Mamedome!" she tried to say, in the garbled language of a two-year old. I laughed in delight and shock and a strange feeling that made me want to tear up a little bit,...

Three Thousand Six Hundred and Thirty Eight Point Two Five

Erik Oline

2017-11-10

Well, this has been a long time coming. I apologize for not writing lately, I decide to apply to Colorado College just for “fun”, so I have been channeling all my writing energy into several essays for the application. But now that is said and done, so I can return to my peevish ranting of...

Song Music Piece Thingy

2017-11-10

The harmony begins, differentiating the song from a vast sea of chords. These lyrically enumerated notes flood, formulating the niceties of music in overlapping strides. Layer after layer blankets the melody, each sheet attributing complexity, spirit and personality on the previous. Instruments struck seemingly in disunity clutch ever more desperately to the crucible of their...

journal entry #004 – crappy month does not equal crappy experience

Stephanie Sanchez-Aguilar

2017-11-08

“Perhaps the ache of homesickness was a fair price to pay for having so many good people in her life.” – Becky Chambers, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet As the sunlight gleams through my metal bedroom window, I lay under my mosquito net and listen to the life outside of it. I...

From Classroom to Staffroom

Sarah Candee

2017-11-06

High school was never my favorite place. I never really enjoyed it — never really thrived. In actuality, my high school experience is probably part of why I chose to take a gap year. From day one of freshman year I counted the days to my graduation, four years later. Somehow, don’t ask me how,...

“Oh no, oh no, oh no”

Ashtin Laurion

2017-11-02

That’s the first thing I said after I lost my second wrestling match. I want to tell you guys something crazy that happened about a week ago. As I said I was wrestling… In Senegal this is a HUGE sport. As a matter of fact it’s the national sport here! So I’m going to tell...

This Woman’s Work

Miniya Ali

2017-11-01

The wait to receive the slip of paper that would detail our host family members names and ages was one of the most anxious and nerve-wrecking times of my life. What kind of people would we be staying with for the next eight months? Since I was one of the last people to receive my...

Learning How to Learn

Wyatt Foster

2017-10-30

Growing up in a town where taking time to step back and reflect on life was viewed as a waste of time, and self care meant hopefully finishing homework before 1AM so you could get a few hours of sleep, life in Senegal is a big transition. I remember begging my dad at least once...

Reshaping my Classroom

Tiffany Hurtado

2017-10-28

It’s already been about eight weeks that I have been here in Senegal. And I’ve truly been blessed with a great environment, which includes a loving host-family ready to help me, a cohort ready to support me, and a family back home from whom I receive all the love and support. Nevertheless, it’s also been...