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
Tão Tá (And So it Is)
Roger Burtonpatel
2019-10-08
Easy on the mouth and easier as a definitive conclusion to any dangling end of a conversation, this pan-Brazilian utterance is as common as the 1950’s-American-Housewife’s “Well, that’s that!” in a buttered voice on a commercial or sitcom, and carries the same connotations. Idea closed? Tão Tá. Song over? Tão Tá. Acceptance of all that...
Read MorePâro
Blessing Ajayi
2019-10-04
Pâro. A word created by John Koenigin in his, “Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows” to describe the subtle, yet persistent feeling that everything you do is somehow wrong. A sensation that I have become very familiar with over the last couple of weeks. When I reach out for a handshake instead of lean in for a...
Read MoreSKALB
Graham Markert
2019-09-09
1/9/19 Hey friends! Welcome to the first official entry in my blog! I’m writing to you live on the plane from São Paolo to Floríanopolis, where I’ll live for the next eight months. I’m also writing this just minutes after my first conversation in Portuguese! Well, I’m not...
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Present & Future
Natalie Kirunda
2019-09-06
Where am I right now? A question I often find myself asking myself. Physically I am in the amazing city of Florianopolis (Floripa), Brasil! Mentally, I'm nowhere yet everywhere. During my week at Global Launch my group and I were tasked to answer the same question. My answer: "HERE, I am here". I have spent...
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Finding a home
Nataly Miguez
2019-09-06
I woke up the morning of the first day of global launch and I was greeted by an overwhelming fear that trickled down my spine. Up until this moment, all I could think about was how ready and excited I was to finally start this journey and suddenly, it was the last thing I wanted...
Read MoreAnother Adventure
Abigail Paharsingh
2019-09-05
On August 31, 2019, I will be heading off to Brazil, officially beginning my Global Citizen Bridge Year. This year promises to be one of change and growth, and although this will be my second time being away from home, changing, and growing it doesn’t feel any less daunting. This week at Global Launch I...
Read MoreBrazil is Real Blog by Bryan Berkowitz
Bryan Berkowitz
2019-09-04
Well, it’s off to Brazil! I thought the day would never come. You know how on the first day of school, you go over the course syllabus and you’re thinking, “There’s no way we’re ever gonna do all of that.” And you’re praying going over the syllabus will take months. And then all of a...
Read More(Ir)rational Thoughts
Seneca Petry
2019-09-04
I’ve spent quite a bit of time over the last two weeks mulling over my fears and apprehensions for the upcoming year abroad, considerably more than I had in the months leading up to pre-departure training when the year seemed like a far more abstract concept. I’ve catalogued all but one into the realm of...
Read MoreSo Excited I Just Can’t Hide It
Grace Allen
2019-09-03
I remember waking up on Christmas morning when I was little and being so excited that I felt like I could run around and jump up and down for hours. I am now sitting on the plane from Miami to São Paulo and that feeling I have is times 10. I’m so excited, I feel...
Read MoreUsing a broader lens to search outward (and inward)
Felix Benz
2019-09-03
Sitting on the Willamette waterfront one last time, wasting time with close friends soon to go off on their own adventures to colleges and around universities around the US, soaking up the comforts of home in Portland, Oregon before I embarked on a journey far bigger than myself. This was one of the most exciting...
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Hello Goodbye
Quinnten Silveira-Charbonnier
2019-09-02
Today I say goodbye to: My nation My family My friends My language My culture Maple syrup Familiar stars Comfort My home Insecurities Shame Doubt Today I say hello to: A new language A new culture Diversity Adventure A new family New friends Independence Opportunity An open mind Courage Self awareness Strength ———- Forwarded message...
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I’m Taking a Global Citizen Year
Jason Brown
2019-09-02
I’m taking a Global Citizen Year. First of all, reading that sentence alone is enough to cause goosebumps all over anyone’s body; but, reading it knowing that I myself was the one taking this journey was enough to induce more than just tiny chill bumps on the skin. For basically the entirety of my summer,...
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