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
Finding My Place
Andrea Snyder
2015-01-31
The morning call-to-prayer rings sweetly in my ears and I awake to the still hours of dawn. I hear the swift sounds of the Senegalese broom against the concrete floors of my compound and notice that my host sister has already begun her hard day’s work. As I routinely tie my shoelaces and head out...
Read MoreI’m Still Here
Alice Brower
2015-01-31
I heard a thud behind me and my head jerked around. A few feet away I saw a rock. I looked up from the rock and saw a young kid in a dirty yellow shirt surrounded by a pack of other kids pointing at him. “He just threw that rock at me.” I thought. I...
Read MoreMy Mistake(s)
Rayla Freeman
2015-01-26
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” Albert Einstein Something I do a lot of in Senegal is make mistakes. I don’t greet someone accidentally (which can be a huge social slip-up). I forget people’s names on a daily basis (insulting). I use my left hand to handle money or...
Read MoreSky Swing
Kyra Halpenny
2015-01-26
8/22/2014 – Alliance Redwoods Campgrounds We will soar and we will fly, We must spread our wings and take to the sky. From our flight, We will discover a new found sight. Our minds will grow And our imaginations will expand. There will be sadness though, With happiness these emotions go hand in hand. Our...
Read MoreSky Swing
Kyra Halpenny
2015-01-26
8/22/2014 – Alliance Redwoods Campgrounds We will soar and we will fly, We must spread our wings and take to the sky. From our flight, We will discover a new found sight. Our minds will grow And our imaginations will expand. There will be sadness though, With happiness these emotions go hand in hand. Our...
Read MoreSaly
Kyra Halpenny
2015-01-26
11/27/2014 Feet sink into the wet sand, The waves crash against my legs as I walk collecting shells in my hand. Beautiful, colorful, each its own kind, Of all sizes and shapes that nowhere else I would find. Each with their own stories, All took a different path, I am sorry I cannot recount their...
Read MoreSaly
Kyra Halpenny
2015-01-26
11/27/2014 Feet sink into the wet sand, The waves crash against my legs as I walk collecting shells in my hand. Beautiful, colorful, each its own kind, Of all sizes and shapes that nowhere else I would find. Each with their own stories, All took a different path, I am sorry I cannot recount their...
Read More
My Cousin, Nogaye
Elston Tortuga
2014-12-30
My cousin Nogaye is 19. She has two years left in high school, and when she passes her bac., she plans to attend university in Dakar, where she will train to become a math teacher. My cousin plays football with the boys. Her team always wins. One night, I was helping Nogaye with her English...
Read More My Cousin, Nogaye
Elston Tortuga
2014-12-30
My cousin Nogaye is 19. She has two years left in high school, and when she passes her bac., she plans to attend university in Dakar, where she will train to become a math teacher. My cousin plays football with the boys. Her team always wins. One night, I was helping Nogaye with her English...
Read MoreDec. 9th, Journal Entry
Olivia Orosco
2014-12-30
Dec 9, 21hr I had a great trip to Mbour today. It didn’t start out great. In fact, I almost backed out of my plans. Everyone was concerned I was leaving late (15:30) and then, because everyone is headed to Touba (the religious city), there were few buses going the opposite direction, to Mbour. I...
Read MoreDec. 9th, Journal Entry
Olivia Orosco
2014-12-30
Dec 9, 21hr I had a great trip to Mbour today. It didn’t start out great. In fact, I almost backed out of my plans. Everyone was concerned I was leaving late (15:30) and then, because everyone is headed to Touba (the religious city), there were few buses going the opposite direction, to Mbour. I...
Read More
Not Your Typical Toubab
Cittely Fuentes
2014-12-23
Noun /tu.bab/ Toubab : West Africa – white person (used especially in Gambia and Senegal) Although the official definition indicates that the term is only used for white Westerners, I must clarify that at least here in Senegal, people from all descents, backgrounds and places around the world whose skin is not black are referred...
Read More