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
Personal Statement
Drew Hayes
2013-04-10
High school for me was mostly a matter of reaction. Test announced, I prepared. Something assigned, I did it. Bell rang, next class. Extracurricular, I showed up. Swim practice, I obeyed the coach. Social event, I socialized. In hindsight, I succeeded mainly because of that system of expectations. I let myself be dragged. I’m no longer in high...
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How I Learned to Appreciate I-40
Israel Nelson
2013-04-10
“First in roads; Last in education” is a tongue in cheek saying I heard a lot growing up in North Carolina. While the saying refers more to the disparity in taxes doled out by the North Carolina State Government, as a result, many North Carolinians (myself included) grew up thinking that spending money on roads...
Read MoreLearning to Speak
Daniel Schwarz
2013-04-07
The lights are off. I am sitting. I am thinking. I am counting. “Tuesday 1, Wednesday 2, Thursday 3, Friday 4, Saturday 5, Sunday 6, Monday 7 Tuesday 8, Wednesday 9, Thursday, 10, Friday, 11, Saturday…12, Sunday…13, Monday 14, Tue….” I stopped. “15 days” I thought. I paused, I breathed. I began to reflect. I’ve been here for 7 months....
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From One End of the Spectrum to the Other
Carrie Hamilton
2013-04-07
It is truly amazing how quickly things can change, how suddenly experiences can be over, how unexpectedly new beginnings can appear. This has been so heavily on my mind over the past couple of weeks as my time in Ecuador has taken an unforeseen turn. Two weeks ago, I moved out of my community of...
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On Guayusa
Carrie Hamilton
2013-04-07
Guayusa is a native plant to Ecuador that the Kichwas drink as a traditional tea. My past six months have been positively filled with guayusa, both through my homestay and through my work, and, given my proximity to and close work with the stuff, I cannot believe it’s taken me this long to write about...
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It’s All About the People
Carrie Hamilton
2013-04-07
Seven months ago when I left behind my comfortable life in Chapel Hill for the first time, I left behind a community of friends and family that I had known for practically my whole life. I was on the brink of an experience that would alter me in ways that I previously could never have...
Read MoreChoices
Galen Tsongas
2013-04-07
The beliefs we hold are shaped by our environment, our age, our upbringing in our environment, and the combination of experiences and sensations within our realities. Beliefs are passed down from parent to child, friend to friend, television to mind, eyes to mind, mouth to ears, and ears to mind. These are the sculptors of the masterpieces of human...
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The Concept of Being a Woman in Brasil
Jojo Guerrero
2013-04-07
I remember getting ready to go on this bridge year, preparing myself mentally and emotionally for it. I tried to get a glimpse of what exactly I would be experiencing in the next following few months through extensive Googling. I tried to prepare myself for the places I might see, the food I might eat,...
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Change through Empowerment
Chinyere Aniagoh
2013-04-07
My cohort and I, on arrival believed we could change Ecuador. We believed that if our communities didn’t have a clean water system we would be the ones to implement one or if there was an out break of Malaria we could get vaccines to everyone in our communities. These things are possible but we under estimated just how hard...
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