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
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An ‘aha’ moment inspired by the beñe lady on the railroad tracks in Tivaouane.
Marvellous John
2017-04-07
(In the midst of complementing her on the perfection of her beñes I forgot to ask for her name so bear with me for this anonymity) We all want to be successful in some way or something, and we all define success in different ways. Someone once said to me that that’s why the word...
Read MoreI Wish You Knew
Thea Holcomb
2017-04-04
There is so much that I never found the words to say but that I wish you knew- I adore the family chickens. I’ve tried to tell you this, but adoring chickens isn’t much of a concept here. Nevertheless, I closely follow their drama- I could tell you which pullets like to hop into trees,...
Read MoreLive From The Field
Delaney McKinley
2017-04-02
This year was definitely a year to learn, and boy, did I. These are some of the lessons that I’ve learned, (or maybe I already knew, I was just reminded again), this year. Enjoy! 🙂 1. Try everything. Absolutely everything. 2. It’s completely okay to ask for help. None of us are super-human. 3. You...
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Meal Time
Sidney Stevens
2017-04-01
Food, a central component of social and family life in Senegal, has been one of the significant features of my immersion experience. It’s no coincidence that the little Wolof I know consists of basic greetings and the phrase suurna – “I’m full”. Most social interactions center around or culminate with a meal or a round...
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DINDEFELO NIGHTS
Mariana Ossa
2017-03-23
First thought in my mind when I think about Nights back home its late night Netflix watching and lying on my couch after a long day of school and work. In my homestay of Dindefelo nights are much distinct from what I’m used to in the U.S. As the sun starts to set in between...
Read More“On this episode of a Thousand ways to die…”
Marvellous John
2017-03-22
It has been over two months, but it still seems like it was just yesterday, when this young toubab* almost met her end. It started off like a usual Saturday in Pambal*, but little did she know that today will be far from usual. At 8 o’clock she was awaken by her alarm clock, but...
Read MoreWhat it means to be African American in Sénégal
Jabari Gambrel
2017-03-22
What it means to be African American in Sénégal Invisible. When I arrived in Senegal I had the idea that I was going home. Home, that is what everyone called it, from family members to, church woman in bright colored dresses, almost all exclaimed, “you get to go back, you get to see Africa, you...
Read MoreCheck Please!!
Na'im Pickett
2017-03-21
During my travel days with Nyles, we visited a popular tourist village called Toubab Dialaw and we stayed with a friend of Nyles' named Aliou Thiam. Aliou, a jeweler in the area, was kind enough to show us around and made sure that everything was fine with our stay. He showed us a local restaurant...
Read MoreGlobal Citizen Year or Vacation?
Na'im Pickett
2017-03-20
Senegal is the real Globlal Citizen Year, and everyone else is on vacation. If you have problem with what I just said, @ me. I don't know too much about what's going on in India, so I'll give them a break but I know for a fact that everyone in Ecuador and Brazil are chilling. I...
Read MoreHow Changing My Name Changed More Than Just That
Delaney McKinley
2017-03-20
My previous blog post was about embracing all of the things that make me who I am, but I also mentioned a later blog post in which you could read about how I made some changes within myself that lead to even more happiness. As promised – How Changing My Name Changed More Than Just...
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Her only holiday
Jasen Lo
2017-03-18
She shines the flashlight into the well. 5:00 before sunrise, she fetches water so that her husband can wash and perform the Morning Prayer. Her family is Muslim. Muslim men are allowed 4 wives – She is the second. She still has to care for all children of the household, even if they’re not hers....
Read MoreThe Hyena, the Hare, and the Cow
Gloria Kirk
2017-03-18
I have been collecting folktales as a part of my community project. Most of my stories have come from Fellow, Thea’s host dad who is the village chief of Yendane. I record the stories in Laalaa, write down and understand with my host dad, then translate word for word in English. I rewrote this tale...
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