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
Gap Year College
Ariel Vardy
2012-07-10
I signed up for college, right when I was told I was supposed to. Going to college was sort of a given for the school in my demographic. The question was not “what are you doing next year?”, but rather “what college are you going to?”. People would learn a lot about me in my...
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Senegal 2012 Fellows
Semira Sanchez
2012-05-22
Here is a video that I made for the 2012 Global Citizen Year Fellows of Senegal. I love you and miss you guys! Enjoy!
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Leaving is not the easiest thing to do.
Semira Sanchez
2012-05-22
Dear Journal, It’s my last night in my village of Ngouname, Palmarin, Senegal. I’m currently in the process of wrapping up my packing but I just cant get myself to finish putting the last five things I have in my room in my bag. It’s as if right when I’m done packing, it’s for sure...
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Introducing: The Faye Family
Semira Sanchez
2012-05-22
Hello Sánchez Family! So as you know, you will be arriving to the wonderful, magnificent, sensational Senegal in only a matter of days. “YAY!” And guess what, people already know your names. So many people in my village are very anxious for your arrival, including me, and they cant wait to meet you. To make...
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Jean Simeôn Faye
Semira Sanchez
2012-05-22
“I love you Jean!” “I love you Tamira (Semira)” Everyday, at least once a day, an exchange of an “I love you” was said between my two year old brother Jean and I. Since I have been here, Jean has become one of my best friends and my brother. Even though he is only two...
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Trading My Mosquito Net for Chapter 3
Natalie Davidson
2012-05-22
Tomorrow marks the 1 month anniversary of being “back home.” These past 4 weeks have been a whirlwind of old experiences that feel brand new — such as a grilled cheese sandwich or traffic laws — things that used to be normal, things I haven’t seen, felt, done, tasted, heard in 8 months that are...
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A Senegalese Birthday
Semira Sanchez
2012-05-21
For the Senegalese, birthdays are seen as ‘not a big deal.’ Since I’ve been here both my mom and my sister’s birthdays have passed, and they treated them just as another day going by. For example, when it came to my 7-year-old sisters birthday. In the morning I had jumped on her bed and yelled...
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Too early for nostalgia
Kaya Hartley
2012-05-02
Last night I sat on my roof watching the clouds pass in front of the full moon, listening to the melodic chants come from the school across the street, and thinking about the short two days I have left of this experience that has become my life. I remember what my Team Leader, Oumou, had...
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When the Men Come Home…
Lily Goldberg
2012-05-02
In Senegal the family dynamic is simple, but rigid. The men work, the women keep the home and do the cooking, and the children go to school and help the adults. Of course per family their are variations of this setup. Some girls don’t really get much of a chance to go to school, while...
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Home; here and there and everywhere
Lily Goldberg
2012-05-02
Something I’ve noticed, without fail, is that consistently throughout all places and peoples in Senegal there is a general, wonderful sense of hospitality, welcoming, and concern for others. They call this “Teranga,” a sense of friendliness, hospitality, and respect conveyed by the Senegalese to all people. It’s most apparent in the traditional long greetings given...
Read MoreGrassroots
Lucy Blumberg
2012-05-02
The path to Soudiane (SOO-jan) is like any other, winding through plains scattered with trees each a century old. If you’re coming upon Soudiane at night, the first thing you’ll see is the lights, shining like stars through windows and courtyards. These lights are nothing more than camping lanterns, each house armed with three or...
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Ami/Emily
Emily Hanna
2012-05-02
What’s in a name? For me, at first, nothing. My Senegalese name was bestowed upon me by a random man who happened to be in the offices of my apprenticeship supervisor on my first day in Sebikotane. “What’s your name? Emily? Here you will be Aminata – Ami, for short. Ami, Emily…you see? They sound...
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