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
A sleep-deprived reflection on Pre-Departure Training
Sebastian Paine
2016-08-27
I've taken three naps in the past couple of hours, but something keeps throwing me from my dreams and back into this cramped airplane seat. I'm not sure if this "cramped-ness" is purely physical, or a product of the fact that I am welling up with excitement, bursting at the seams with anticipation, and overflowing...
Read MoreCarta de Introdução
Fernanda Savaris Nunes
2016-08-27
Oi!Passei muito tempo pensando no que escrever como minha primeira publicação nesse blog, mas percebi que não faria sentido eu escrever algo sobre como a vida está indo e sobre como me sinto sem primeiro explicar o que é que realmente estou fazendo mundo afora de novo (e um pouco de quem sou eu, pra...
Read MorePacking Up
Amelia Wohlers
2016-08-27
Whenever I think of Ecuador in the abstract, it feels manageable. I am excited by the idea of it and while I can foresee challenges, none are so large that I will be unable to tackle them. However, when Ecuador leaves the abstraction of thought and enters the reality through packing, it is as if...
Read MoreChallenging Happiness
Makenzie Leigh Meacham
2016-08-27
Here, at the end of Pre Departure Training, I feel saturated with knowledge. Any fellow can tell you that this past week we've been repeatedly exposed to risk takers, leaders, mistake makers; speech after speech of rich information from innovators who have valuable advice. Additionally, fellows were quick to impart knowledge upon eachother, give tips...
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Since Kent Walked In
Eugene Henninger-Voss
2016-08-27
Today Kent Walker, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Google, gave a talk to us Global Citizen Year Fellows about “Social Good and Justice”. He was by far the most controversial speaker we have had to date. His talk was all about how much good capitalism has done for the world in a stated...
Read MoreUncertainty and Unexpected Discoveries
Abi Bethke
2016-08-27
I feel like I’ve been hesitant to write this blog post for a long time, because for months and months, I had absolutely no idea what I was diving into. I knew a dear friend who had done Global Citizen Year and spent eight months in Ecuador, and that was my only connection to the...
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Not Leaving Everything Behind
Jadn Soper
2016-08-27
This is Brownie Bear. When I was 5 years old, my brother and I were in the bath. From what I’ve been told, my parents rushed into the bathroom, put towels on us, and ran us out of the house. There was no time to get clothes. According to the fireman, a candle had been...
Read MoreSteps
Pablo Quezada Cortés
2016-08-26
Things to pack are spread over the room and, as a learned ritual, I start to open the baggages and put them into place. The feeling has been always the same: excitement and nervousness come up together in a strange mix that leaves me with wonders and prospects. It is time to leave again the house, to...
Read MoreThe Right Choice (?)
Kai Milici
2016-08-26
Two nights before I left Seattle for Pre-Departure training I was lying in bed. My thoughts weren’t of excitement or anticipation at all—I was brainstorming ways to get out of doing the bridge year I had so eagerly signed up for eight months prior. I was warm in my blanket and outside of my window...
Read MoreUndoubtedly
Emma Sexton
2016-08-26
When I chose this path, I stepped into a new role and accepted new responsibilities. Now, it’s my turn to take a step away from all that I know and into everything I don’t. I’m stepping back from this life I’m living in order to make it my own. It’s my duty to listen...
Read MorePreDeparture Training: Anxiety and Anticipation
Kyle Healy
2016-08-26
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I received my acceptance letter to Global Citizen Year. Many thoughts flew through my head as I peeled the adhesive-bound envelope open to take a look at the next 10 months of my life. Thoughts such as “am I ready for this kind of commitment?” and “can I...
Read MorePerfect Imperfections
Larissa Diaz
2016-08-26
I woke up this morning in the dorm I am currently staying in until I leave for my country, and normally in my bedroom back home I do not have any mirrors in my bedroom because they have always made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Now still half asleep at about 5:40 a.m. I noticed...
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