2012-07-10
I’ve always been a big questioner. I think “Why?” is my favorite one. A favorite story my mom likes to tell about me goes: He’s four years old, we’re in my bedroom talking. He stops, and gets this deep, contemplative, inquisitive look on his face and asks, “Mom? Why awh we heow?” (why are we...
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2012-07-10
In my experience, branching out of the books helps me understand academics more. My freshman year in high school, my grades were atrocious. We’re talking failing math and German—atrocious. If you’d asked me then, I would’ve said it was because the teacher was too tough or I wasn’t smart enough but the truth is, my...
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2012-07-10
Hello everyone, my name is Annie Schwandner and I am 18 years old. I was swooped up from China as a nine-month old baby by my adoptive parents, and then raised as a Cincinnatian for nearly my whole life. I have so much love, respect and appreciation for my hometown, Cincinnati, but I have never...
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2012-07-10
It was a fortuitous accident that I ever heard of Global Citizen Year. On Facebook, someone was telling my friend about the program and how she should apply. I already knew that I wanted to take a gap year, and all I needed was the perfect program to do so. I clicked the link and...
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2012-07-10
I have fallen in love twice now. In the past year, I have spent almost three months in Ecuador. That is to say, I have spent a quarter of the past 365 days here in ¨El Mitad del Mundo.¨ Last summer, I was here for a month with Global Routes constructing bleachers and bathrooms for...
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2012-07-10
I just received my packing list for next year: no sleeveless shirts, no shorts, one towel. If the people in Ecuador saw how I am dressed today they would consider me rude and disrespectful. I am in my usual attire of a pair of athletic shorts and a t-shirt but soon I will be saying...
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2012-07-10
“Why would you want to waste a year of your life?” is a response I often get when I present the fact that I will be taking a gap year. For a while I did not understand why people were not open to the idea that a teenager would actually be eager to take a...
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