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
Modern Colonialism
Drew Erickson
2019-10-28
April 4, 1960. The end of colonialism in Senegal, independence from France, and the beginning of modern colonialism. Senegal— a country full of culture, beauty, unique characteristics and not-to-mention a wonderfully distinct set of languages— is still under the firm grip of France, but in a much less obvious, much more invisible way. After gaining...
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Itchy
Sam Metzger
2019-10-21
If I had to choose one word to describe my first 7 weeks in Senegal, that word would be “itchy.” Besides the obvious mosquito bites, heat rash, and mysterious red bumps that cause me to scratch, there is an itch that my dirt-encrusted fingernails cannot reach. Deep within me, my experiences so far in Senegal...
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Thoughts on Thiaba
Sophia Miller
2019-10-20
Senegal is a strange place. After living in this new land for just over a month, I wish I could say I have it figured out. With no more questions, I wish I could say that I have conquered this land, my new home. But everyday I wake with a loose plan for the day,...
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Hadley Duquette
2019-10-19
Blog 3 My Day to Day Everyday starts with a breakfast which includes a baguette with a surprise inside and a very hot cup of coffee. When ndekki is finished I walk around my house and greet everyone in my family that is up and going. After, I'm either on my way to work (10...
Read MoreMailing address? Mailing address!
Drew Erickson
2019-10-16
I have had so many questions on where you can mail letters, this is it! Thank you in advance! Drew Erickson s/c Claire Ba BP 598 Thies CP 21000 Thies, Senegal
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A place full of opportunities
Rocio Yao
2019-10-13
Senegal, a young country with centuries of history. A home for 19 million people, and soon, a home for me and my new friends too. It’s a place where no one knows my name or story, and the place where I will learn not only about myself, but from people and the...
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Bird By Bird
Sinead Nardi-White
2019-10-10
It’s just after lunch on a Monday, and I am settling in to the typical afternoon routine I’ve developed after one month in my host family. I sit on the steps of our house with my book (important), my water bottle (even more important, especially if I’ve added a block of ice from the corner...
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“How is Africa?”
Drew Erickson
2019-10-06
“How is Africa?” Over the last month/5 weeks/36 days… this question has flooded my texts, phone calls, and DMs. At first, I somehow found the words to answer, but they never felt like they fully expressed an answer to that question. I answered, but it didn’t feel like the honest or true answer. Sitting in...
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Three Vignettes
Erin Pugh
2019-10-06
This past weekend marked my first full month with my host family (only seven left!). It always surprises me how quickly the initial adjustment period can pass. Just days into my stay at Stanford (for Global Launch) and at the Tostan Training Center (for in-country orientation) I remarked, “It feels like we’ve been here forever.”...
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At last, My Own Room
Baseer Khan
2019-10-01
Growing up with 4 siblings usually comes with the annoying part of having to share a room. Especially, when you’re the youngest of them all. Residential school makes it worse when you have to share a smaller room with more people. After 6 weeks of living out of a suticase, I have finally been gifted...
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A letter to the tree in my yard
Sophie Librett
2019-09-29
Dear tree in my yard, Thank you for providing shade from the blistering hot days. In this shade I have been able to bond with my family. In this shade I have been able to speak broken Wolof. In this shade I have seen the care children have for each other, as well as the...
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I’m Alive and This is What’s Happening!
Shea Kerry
2019-09-25
Hello! It has been exactly a month since I was last in Minnesota. That’s crazy! Time has flown by so fast. I was in San Francisco for a week before departing to Senegal. When I was flying to San Francisco, I started to write my second blog entry. It’s too late to post it now...
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