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
Game Shows Can Teach Valuable Lessons
Chloe Bobar
2010-10-27
Embarrassingly enough, I am a huge fan of game shows. Given this, you can imagine my excitement when I was sitting in the living room with my siblings last week, doing homework and watching a ridiculously silly comedy show, when a familiar scene ran across the television screen (and it wasn’t the ever-popular Simpsons). It...
Read MoreThe Road Less Traveled
Cameron Kaufman
2010-10-27
Left, right, left, right… My breath was labored after about four hours of hiking up the steep incline towards that summit that just never came, hovering in front of me like a mirage but never actually becoming reality. Several breaks eased the day along, but it became slowly harder as less and less oxygen made...
Read MoreFamilia, Amor, y Amistad
Omar Arteaga
2010-10-25
Mi familia aquí en el Ecuador es mucho más unida que mi verdadera familia en los Estados Unidos. Por ejemplo, aquí en el Ecuador me di cuenta que las familias comen a una hora segura. En los Estados Unidos hay muchas familias que tienen que cumplir con diferentes deberes y a veces no tienen tiempo de...
Read MoreExpect the Unexpected
Lily Shaffer
2010-10-25
Yesterday I came home from classes and there was Klezmer music wafting down the stairs. Yes, I am in Quito, Ecuador. Yes, I’m living in an evangelical Christian household. Yes, my internship with Pastoral Migratoria is affiliated with the Catholic Church. I went upstairs to Mamá’s room and found her sewing muñecas and humming along...
Read MoreThe way I feel right this instance
Omar Arteaga
2010-10-25
I have been here in Quito, Ecuador for three weeks and I already feel that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I honestly don’t think I would be ready to go straight into college: I want to expand my knowledge about the world and I want to help people find solutions to...
Read MoreHaving no voice has it’s benefits
Alberto Servin
2010-10-21
Within these past three weeks, I’ve been enjoying my time here in Quito. But sometimes, this experience feels limited with the language barrier I have. It’s left me voiceless at times, which has been a major obstacle for me so far. There are days where I feel frustrated because I don’t know the language enough...
Read MorePoint of View
Joe Giallo
2010-10-20
I’ve spent a lot of time these past few years looking for perspective in my life. I put a lot of stock in perspective. With the right perspective, any problem is manageable, any idea comprehendible, any opportunity useable. It’s all about being at peace with yourself, others, and the world, even when circumstances might make...
Read MoreReligion
Liza David
2010-10-14
On Saturday I did something a little different than usual- I went to Church. Well actually, I went to many Churches. But the most interesting and perhaps the most ironic part of the experience was that none of us (my host mother, my host sister and me) believe in the Catholic Doctrine—but I will get...
Read MoreThere’s Something So Strange About Eyes
Lily Shaffer
2010-10-14
There’s something so peculiar about eye contact with strangers. I’m the type of person who smiles at everyone I pass on the street. I learned very quickly that I can’t do that here in Quito. Perhaps it’s because I’m so blatantly a foreigner, or perhaps it’s just not the culture. But smiling at a stranger...
Read MoreCosas de la Vida
Caroline Pocock
2010-10-14
Every morning I wake up to the familiar ring of my alarm clock, instinctively reach to turn it off, and open my eyes gradually, adjusting to the sunlight glaring at me through my window. As I become oriented with my surroundings-the painfully bright green walls, the stuffed dog on top of my shelves of clothes,...
Read MoreEcuadorable
Cameron Kaufman
2010-10-11
(This blog was originally posted on Oct 11, 2010, but due to technical difficulties was reposted on Oct 26) This past week had us getting into the Quiten᷉o rhythm; Spanish classes in the morning, a huge lunch back at home with the host families, and lectures at the university about various subjects to finish up...
Read MoreBienvenidos a Quito!
Peter Saudek
2010-10-08
Welcome to Quito. A bustling city packed with hard working people who have no time to waste. It’s a beautiful city with exotic colored buildings and houses, surrounded by rolling hills that give way to snow-covered Mt. Cotopaxi and the world’s tallest active volcano, Chimborazo. The sidewalks are full with street vendors selling exotic fruits,...
Read More