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
The “irresponsible” choice to take a gap year
Marli Anglim
2017-08-15
Being irresponsible has never been my thing. I have always made calculated and fully researched decisions, aiming to make the right choice. That is, until I found Global Citizen Year. I discovered GCY only a few days before the deadline to commit to college. At this point, I had completely decided to commit to a...
Read MoreExpectations vs Reality
Kara Esplin
2017-08-15
Amidst the rush to obtain our visas, packing, and say our goodbyes to family and friends, there is a mix of mystery and anticipation in the air. Our cohort group chat is bustling with questions, advice, speculations, and the occasional funny video from Trevor. With only a few weeks until departure, this is a time of reflection. Many of...
Read MoreNo Turning Back
Elizabeth Ollila
2017-08-14
If you had told me a year ago that I would be leaving to live in Ecuador in less than two weeks instead of going college I would have probably laughed. Not because I was shocked or disappointed, but because I never thought that I would actually have the guts to take a year to...
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Expectations..?
Emma Boe
2017-08-14
If I tell you: «I’ll be taking a gap year in India», it might trigger you to think along these lines: [1] [2] And if I tell you I’ll be volunteering at a school for less privileged children, this might pop into your head: However, I am neither going to India to “find myself” or...
Read MoreMy Pre-Departure Global Citizen Year Story
Wyatt Foster
2017-08-14
When I first thought of going to college, as I began my college apps nearly a year ago, I was excited for all the same things my friends were looking forward to. The prospect of decorating a dorm room, having classes I was passionate about, and way more freedom than I was used to, were...
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So Long, Sayonara, See You Later: Goodbye In My Own Language
Elise Leise
2017-08-14
Au revoir. Ba beneen. Mornings spent struggling with vowels on Rosetta Stone have equipped me with basic French. My small, yellow Wolof phrasebook, sure to remain my trusty sidekick throughout the year, helps me bid adieu in a Senegalese language totally foreign to me. Yet the translation in English is the hardest to say....
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5 Reasons Why I Chose To Take A Gap Year
Leonardo Ruiz-Sanchez
2017-08-13
When I first heard of Tufts 1+4 bridge year program I thought to myself, “I could never do that. I would never have the courage to fly across the world for an entire year.” Eventually, after much research, I decided to take a leap of faith and apply. Here are the top five reasons why...
Read MoreWhere I am From
Rujen Amatya
2017-08-07
I am from Crayons, from Crayola and paraffin. I am from the cracked walls in my ceiling (miniature yet proliferating, identical to sketches.) I am from rose tree, the Rhododendron, whose crimson red flowers I use for pickle and juice. I am from discipline and patriotism, from Amatyas and Shresthas. I am from the be-a-doctor...
Read MoreRealizing I Wanted To Reject Conventional Higher Education for a Bridge Year in Ecuador: A Decision In 3 Acts
Leandra Pedretti
2017-08-05
I I’ve spent the last two years criticizing conventional education systems whenever I got the chance. Give me a prompt and the opportunity and stand back as I rant on and on about the not-so-subtle class discrimination involved in standardized testing or the ineffective nature of the ‘memorize and regurgitate’ method needed for the majority...
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