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
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...
Read MoreBeyond The Paper Illusions
Julia Carter
2013-01-22
What do you see in the picture above? Two realities exist, whether you see the young woman or an elderly woman. Illusions like this are meant to make you look twice, to train not only your eyes, but also your imagination to see things in a different perspective. Many aspects of society often beg multiple...
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Ventanas
Ella Wegman-Lawless
2013-01-17
Let me tell you about a sweet little village called Ventanas in the middle of the Ecuadorian jungle country. This part of the country is a mix between the Amazonian Jungle and the coast, leaving us with an almost always cloudy but still hot climate. In the words of pretty much all Ecuadorians that have been to this village...
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Symptoms of Poverty
Gabe Jackman
2013-01-17
In my last blog post, I talked about how my host community, Pedro Vicente Maldonado, is not really poor. Although this is true, there are still some telltale signs of a relatively underdeveloped community. While reading Voices of the Poor, there were a few parts that really stuck out to me. To start out, I...
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First-Month Experiences
Lauren Holt
2013-01-15
Everyday holds something different here. Since I’ve been in Imbabura, no day has been the same. With each day comes a new experience; something new is learned, a challenge is faced, an obstacle is overcome, a bond is created with a new person, or a laugh or two is passed. The simplest things now mean...
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Strangers Like Me
Meliza Windmoeller
2013-01-15
Everybody has seen Tarzan. Or at least I hope everyone has…if you haven’t I would strongly recommend you get on that. Now, what does Tarzan, a Walt Disney 90’s classic, have to to do with my life as a Global Citizen Year Citizen? Let’s think about that for a minute. In the movie, a man who grew up in...
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La Novena: Giving and Receiving
Mackenzie McMillen
2013-01-15
I sit silently looking at the Christmas decorations around the living room of my oldest host brother’s house. Though I have a vague idea, I’m still looking for clues as to what exactly we’re doing here this evening. When I asked my mom where we were going she used a word I didn’t understand and in the moment, as...
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Women of Kebemer: The Lives of Bebe, Adja, and Alima
Mary Modisette
2013-01-15
At first glance, one notices little gender dominance in the sandy market town that is Kebemer. Amidst the bustling street stands and boutiques, an outsider can hardly tell the difference between who is the shop owner, the buyer, and the friend stopping by for midday glass of attaya and a chat. However, if there is...
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The Ones in Orange
Talia Katz
2013-01-15
It begins before the rise of the sun, before the first cry of the rooster. They leave their clay hut compounds and begin a steady trickle onto la route nationale. Their destination- jurato- Tomboronkoto’s gold mine. The diverse crowd steps together- an old man who parts with nostalgia for the days when this very hour...
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