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
A Cultural Role Model
Lucias Potter
2011-10-12
Greetings readers and welcome to my first Global Citizen Year blog post. I would like to thank all of my supporters and readers for your interest in my experience. Enjoy! My experience in Senegal so far has been extraordinary in so many ways. There are a number of different things that I have learned, experienced,...
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Location, Location, Location
Lucy Blumberg
2011-10-12
I have a secret. It’s a secret that, if discovered, could mark me as a traitor, a hold out, stingy and untrustworthy, at least to my Global Citizen Year cohort. The secret is the location of a place in Dakar where one can sit poolside, sip cocktails in bikinis, be fed complimentary olives while listening...
Read MoreForward, Into the Field
Samuel Parson
2011-10-12
Hey, so I’ve titled this article ‘Forward, Into the Field’ because “the field” is the name that Global Citizen Year found for the place where we the fellows call “home” for our 6 month stay while we work through our apprenticeships. The range for these places of ‘nesting’ is actually pretty wide. Some fellows are...
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A Language Beyond Words
Elias Estabrook
2011-10-10
Legs churning. Bodies weaving. Ball zooming. Drums beating. Voices calling. Minds rushing. The match has begun. Like the soccer stadium, Senegal is alive with football. Without many words, the world of football has hurriedly welcomed me to a new playing field, a new environment. Similar to my general adaptation in Senegal, my first steps on...
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Immersion
Lily Goldberg
2011-10-10
“Communication has been cut off at the knees. Coherent sentences left hanging in confusion, and words reduced to indistinguishable sounds. I’ve found myself clinging with grateful desperation to the few French and Wolof words I know, and my knowledge is meager. It is one thing to be in a foreign country staying in a hostel...
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Life All Around
Lily Goldberg
2011-10-10
In all honestly life here in Dakar is not full of immersion. Initially it felt a little shocking, but that passed quickly. In my home, my host brother and his friends speak some English, so I get a language break now and then. And everyday all of us fellows are together for a good amount...
Read MoreAlways on my Toes, and on my Head.
Aubrey Haddard
2011-10-10
At my house, every week we wash the sheep. Coumbis and Hadi both laughed when I said I wanted to try but when they realized I was serious they told me to watch first. Hadi filled the bucket to the top, let me see how heavy it was, placed it on the top of her...
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I Want to Hold Your Hand
Russell Bollag-Miller
2011-10-08
I have a great seat. Arguably the best seat. The PowerPoint presentation is in perfect view. I have a fan angled in my direction. I have a nice chair. Arguably the nicest chair. I understand a little Wolof… Well, arguably no Wolof. So maybe a six-hour discussion (in Wolof) about variations in onion farming is...
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Navigating Sandaga Market
Charlotte Benishek
2011-10-07
I’ve been shopping downtown several times over the course of my stay in Dakar. Shopping in Senegal is a different experience from shopping in the US, and you need some specific skills to be successful. I’ve learned a lot about the Senegalese style of shopping in just a month. Here are some useful tips for a toubab shopping...
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The Easiest Language in the World
Kaya Hartley
2011-10-06
I’ve been postponing blogging because it seems that every day I gain something new, and my understanding of Senegalese life changes and grows. I have officially been living in Senegal for over a month now, and the most apparent observation so far is the overall relaxed, friendly, open attitude of the Senegalese people. The greetings...
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The Sounds of Senegal
Aubrey Haddard
2011-10-06
My experience (and my favorite parts of my experience) thus far can be summed up simply in the sounds of Senegal. -The mosquito buzzing in my ear after I’ve spent at least 5 minutes wrestling with my mosquito net and am now desperate to fall asleep. -The pound of my Deub hitting the onions, peppers...
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Dessine moi un cheval!
Natalie Davidson
2011-10-05
My mom handed me a bologna sandwich for dinner tonight. I studied it for a few minutes and started to laugh – an honest to goodness, full-blown, something-must-be-really-funny laugh. I don’t know exactly why I started laughing, but I know it felt great and luckily for me my only witness was Issa, my five year...
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