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
Conviction, Dreams, and Adulthood
Emily Soule
2012-07-23
Someone commented yesterday about how hard my decision must have been, “giving up a year to go abroad…not seeing your family. You must have had to think on that one a long time.” I smiled and nodded; yet did not bother to contradict her statement. The truth is choosing to participate in Global Citizen Year [...]
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Nature
Galen Tsongas
2012-07-20
I am human. My nature is peace, chillness, and love. Why does no one help each other in this city of mine? Why are people more content with material objects, and less with living? I’m from San Francisco, California, where I’ve lived for 18 years. I’ve been surrounded by ignorance and hate all my life...
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The Adventure Stroller
Talia Katz
2012-07-20
I was raised in the “adventure stroller.” A pink, blue, and green conglomerate of lightweight plastic, it was the vehicle of choice by which my 4’11, volcano climbing, Guatemalan grandma fiercely edged through the crowds of Washington, D.C. to show her first female grandchild life beyond suburbia. While my kindergarten classmates headed to ballet recitals...
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How I Got Here
Jordan Lee
2012-07-19
Hello everyone! My name is Jordan Lee. I didn’t seriously consider an international Gap Year until the start of my senior year. By that time, I had travelled a fair amount internationally and studied in various academic environments, but when I started thinking about college and what I wanted to get out of the experience,...
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Wanderlust
Jordan Ricker
2012-07-17
I wanted to move. Ever since I was born, I’ve been moving. I’ve never lived in the same house for more than three years of my life – I’ve lived in eleven houses at last count. My dad’s not in the navy, and my mom isn’t an ambassador. They’re divorced, which has led to each...
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A Necessary Deviation
Benito Aranda-Comer
2012-07-17
Before this year, I never thought it would be possible to deviate from the societal norm: to do a bridge year before college. Today, while all my friends are talking about dorm assignments and what they think they’ll major in, I am doing my best to learn Portuguese and prepare for nine months that will...
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I Wanted More
Ina Shkurti
2012-07-17
My journey with Global Citizen Year started with a neon green sticky note. I was leaving the Summer Search office one fall afternoon, and a mentor stopped me. He asked about my experiences in Nicaragua the previous summer and how I felt since coming back. I told him about the amazing things that I had...
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Introducing Nate
Nathan Edwards
2012-07-17
Hello everyone, I am Nate Edwards and I have grown up in the beautiful state of Colorado. I am very excited to be a part of Global Citizen Year, and look forward to the upcoming challenges and adventures that the next year will have to offer. I have had a strong desire to learn Spanish...
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Time
Chloe Bash
2012-07-17
Sweat dripped down my back as I reached the windy peak. Turning slightly I could see a panorama of the valley, buff stone punctuated by spindling church spires and red flags. Just as in every city and village I had visited, the call of “Allah Akbar,” or “God is great” rang out in the evening...
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