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
Mud, mud, mud
Janet Sebastian-Coleman
2015-09-12
Early Thursday morning the pouring rain began. Normally, I sleep straight through thunderstorms and torrential rain. But on Thursday, I drifted in and out of sleep, when I awoke I was not quite sure if I was awake: there was endless drumming of rain in reality but the sound of water also flooded my dreams. My alarm brought me...
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A Glimpse of Home
Maria Morava
2015-09-11
The sun was kind today. Making the commute to our afternoon session, I realize a few new assets to my intuition: knowing when to cross the street, how to greet the people I pass, where to find the mango man. As I enter the office I feel air conditioning evaporate the sweat on my face...
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Salt and Vinegar Pringles
Maya Panicker
2015-09-09
Today was a rough day. The little moments of culture shock have been slowly piling up in my mind and I'ts really starting to hit me that this is not just a trip, this is going to be my life for the next 6 months. On our way back from an overwhelming and overstimulating market/beach...
Read MoreThe Vision
Janet Sebastian-Coleman
2015-09-08
Since my decision to be a Global Citizen Year fellow, people have asked “What are you going to do?” quite a lot. I answered the question by laying out the program structure. But that answer isn’t personal, people asked “what are you going to do?” And I answered, “The program does this…” or “Fellows have worked on these type of projects”....
Read MoreThe Condor and the Eagle
Allison Douma
2015-09-07
Following the advice of a very wise alum I decided to read John Perkin’s book “Confessions of An Economic Hit Man” where he explains his life as an Economic Hit Man, cheating developing countries out of trillions of dollars. It’s an eye opening book that I suggest that everyone reads, but a specific part stood...
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Smiles and Salt and Color
Maria Morava
2015-09-07
I’m still getting used to the smell. A few weeks ago a girl in my cohort explained it to me: “It’s like stepping into another world. It looks different, it smells different, it tastes different.” She’s right. The air here is salt and animals and heat, and everytime I step outside my house it grabs...
Read MoreFREE GUITAR LESSONS
Jackson Harris
2015-09-06
Written on September 6, 2015. On My First Week in Senegal Every night, when the clock strikes nine, I creep to the metal door of my compound, unbolt the lock, and stick my head into the dark alley. I scan my surroundings. To my left, a stray cat hisses. To my right, I see a...
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Push and Pull
Brooke Donner
2015-09-05
My eyes focused on my feet, concentrating on each step to ensure a safe landing onto the road below me. There was dry sand in some places and thick mud in others. Cracks, puddles, stones and broken cinderblocks presented themselves as obstacles to my first outing on my first day in Dakar. Every so often...
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And the more than five pieces fell into place for starters
Armi Katariina Kauppila
2015-09-05
And the more than five pieces fell into place for starters. It feels like a clumsy way to start a blog about one’s adventures abroad by just starting a blog about one’s adventures abroad. But I guess the only way to get started is to just begin. So. I’m sitting here on my bed in...
Read MoreFinding Reality
Janet Sebastian-Coleman
2015-08-31
Well, I’ve made it. I safely arrived in Senegal on Friday, although it seems I’ve been here much longer than that. Perhaps its the sun, or the importance of greeting each person you pass, or the streets made of sand, tiles, cement, and paving stones, but its easy to fall into the rhythm of Senegal....
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Mohammed
Allison Douma
2015-08-31
In my Dakar host family there is a one year old boy named Mohamed. Mohamed is adorable, funny, energetic and is still trying to figure out this world he lives in just like I am. When he speaks he is just kind of making guttural noises and my host mom says that nobody can understand...
Read More“WELCOME TO THE WORLD”
Jackson Harris
2015-08-27
Written from 24-27 August 2015 On Curiosity before Judgement Looking back at my summer, I remember numerous conversations that seemed to follow the exact same script: JACKSON walking down the street, enter FRIEND/FAMILY/FAMILY FRIEND/ETC. FRIEND: “So, when do you leave for school?” JACKSON: “Actually, I’m taking a bridge year before college.” FRIEND: With concern. “A...
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