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
Here she is a girl… In America, she is a woman
Alison Rivera
2013-02-11
“The randomness of where we are born and how much that determines who we become” – Blue Sweater p. 33 Popularly quoted as “Life is a box of chocolates.” Just six words…but they resonate so much with women’s social status in Senegal. At training seminar 2, myself and three other fellows held a discussion on...
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Xaliis bii
Alison Rivera
2013-02-11
The kids call me money “xaliis,” “l’argent.” They pull literally my skirt but figuratively my head out of the clouds for America isn’t a hero here but more of an arrogant exhibitionist. I thought all “Toubabs” were viewed the same until I met an old French man. Being a good host to his model wife’s...
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A Day in the Life of Mame Diarra Sarr
Jordan Ricker
2013-02-11
Hey guys, my new video for our A Day in the Life project is up. You can find it by clicking here Thanks for watching!
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Senegal and Korea: We Are the One!
Jay Choi
2013-02-04
There is a proverb in South Korea: “The smallest pepper is the hottest.” Despite its small size, South Korea is one of the “hottest” nations in the world. Home of multinational companies like Samsung, LG, and Hyundai, it is a leading producer of semi-conductors, flat screen TVs, cars, and ships which drive the 13th largest economy...
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The Reality of the Definition
Cheyenne Tessier
2013-01-31
I am an actor of development in Noflaye, Senegal. I believe in neither mass fabrication, nor Western medicine. I am an actor of development. I no longer contribute to NGO’s, nor would I call myself a supporter of government aid projects. I am not a journalist, nor am I a revolutionist. I don’t think the...
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Growing Up: The Circle of Life
Christopher LaBorde
2013-01-28
“From the day we arrive on this planet,and blinking step into the sun, there’s more to see than can ever be seen, more to do, than can ever be done. There’s far too much to take in here, more to find than can ever be found, But the sun rolling high, through the sapphire sky, keeps great and small on the...
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Cold Showers (Or Life in Africa)
Christopher LaBorde
2013-01-28
Note: This blog was written in many pieces at different times, and my attitude changes just like the weather, quickly and drastically, but I hope that this gives you a better idea of what I was going through at the beginning of my journey on this side of the Atlantic. I tried to write a book once. It was the...
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Things in Boussoura That Make Me Happy
Caroline Blanchard
2013-01-25
– When my baby sister screams my name – When my host dad calls me his daughter – When people in my village, or random people I have never met before, tell me I know how to speak Pulaar (real mood boaster) – When my brother dances just to make me laugh – Literally sitting...
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Reflection
Olivia Hill
2013-01-25
The New Year brings about thoughts of reflection and change. In this spirit I’ve come up with a list of ten things I like or have enjoyed about Senegal so far (in no particular order of importance): 1. Ceeb (rice): When I say rice I really just mean all food here. While it can...
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My First Day of School
Caroline Blanchard
2013-01-25
The fact that it’s called “school” pretty much ends the similarities to any American school I have ever seen. My sister and I walked up to school and saw the children of Boussoura just waiting to be let in to the two locked rooms. When the teacher showed up, I went into the class with...
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A Portrait of the Pulaar Family
Grace Bachmann
2013-01-24
Each family has a patriarch. He may have more than one wife, though I observe most commonly that a man has no more than two wives in one household. They have many children if they are fortunate; child mortality rates are relatively high. When a wife passes, the partriarch may take another wife. When the...
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Abaraka
Talia Katz
2013-01-22
For the past four months, my life has largely existed without the word “Thank You.” This absence does not by any means indicate a lack of gratitude or appreciation. It doesn’t mean that my passing of the hot pepper at the dinner bowl was a worthless action, nor does it mean that bringing cotton balls...
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