Micky Singh just got back from a ten day trip to Ecuador, where her son Neil is living as a 2014 Fellow.
We recently visited our son, Neil, in Ecuador. He lives in a large farming community in Quingeo about an hour and a half from Cuenca. Seeing our son immersed in the local culture – communicating and conversing effortlessly in Spanish was the highlight of our trip. We were delighted with his level of proficiency in such a short amount of time. In fact, there were times he was fumbling for words in English when speaking with us!
On our first first day in Cuenca, he was proud to give us a tour of the Inca Ruins. His knowledge of the history was remarkable. When we first looked into Global Citizen Year, it was immediately apparent that this was a well-designed, professional program. Fellows have ongoing classes in the local culture, language, and history. They are well-supported through regular gatherings, known as Training Seminars, and receive feedback from their Team Leader, a Global Citizen Year staff member who is well-equipped to help them navigate through personal challenges and situations that may arise.
We were pleasantly surprised to see Neil’s commitment to his responsibilities and pride and meaning in his work. After meeting his host family, we could see what a perfect fit it is for him. He greatly admires his family — how hard they work and how they live their lives. Global Citizen Year has opened his eyes to new possibilities not only within himself but prospective for the future as a global thinker!
Global Citizen Year has been a phenomenal experience for our son. These are young Fellows right out of high school, so far away from their homes — and they are only halfway through the program! We could not have imagined how much he would have grown in such a short amount of time.
