FROM THE FIELD
Read about the Fellows’ experiences in Brazil, Senegal, and Ecuador.
Featured Post
Suspended Animation
by Barker Carlock | May 15, 2013
Flight is truly a miracle, a spectacular marvel. There are four main principles to the concept of flight: lift, drag, weight, and thrust. I feel as though all of these forces are compounded upon me from all directions creating my first few days back in the States a sort of suspended animation. Never would I have thought that re-entry to my old life would have been so difficult. For my reverse culture shock, I am spending most of my time in airports an airplanes stopping for extended periods at every destination for college visits. Dallas to New York, New York…
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The Giving Tree | May 15, 2013
The Giving Tree
As some of you may know, I had somewhat of a “deprived” childhood. I’ve never…
As some of you may know, I had somewhat of a “deprived” childhood. I’ve never seen Bambi, Winnie the Pooh, sesame street, or a whole assortment of commonplace children’s shows and movies. I’ve never been to any zoo. And I don’t remember ever eating a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwhich before the age of 15. But I did read a few good books, like the first 2 and a half Harry Potter novels, several works by Dr. Seuss, and one of my favorites, The Giving Tree.
For those of you that have never read the story, or might just need a quick refresher, the Giving Tree is about a young buy and a tree. Everyday the boy would come to the tree and climb it’s trunk, play in it’s branches, and rest in it’s shade. The boy loved the tree, and the tree him. But as time went by, the…-
As some of you may know, I had somewhat of a “deprived” childhood. I’ve never seen Bambi, Winnie the Pooh, sesame street, or a whole assortment of commonplace children’s shows and movies. I’ve never been…
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Jumble | May 14, 2013
Jumble
I am a jumble. I am a jumble of everything and anything on so many levels. …
I am a jumble. I am a jumble of everything and anything on so many levels. I can’t pinpoint how I feel or why I act how I act or why I say what I say or why I blog what I blog.
I really started to jumble the night before we left Ecuador. I said goodbye to my host family and was a mess — tears of deep sadness mixed with tears of excitement. Soon I would see my real family…but I questioned what is a real family. Why can’t my Ecuadorian family be my real family too? There is love, compassion, and friendship just like in my other real family. I didn’t know how I felt.
Then we got to Miami. I stared and gawked. The prices were so high, the people so giant, and the bathrooms had such abundant supplies of toilet paper. I was back, finally, in my homeland. But, I left my other homeland. Ecuador is my…-
I now spend more time in my head. I am comfortable there. - Lydia Collins
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8 Tips for Ecuador Vegetarians | May 2, 2013
8 Tips for Ecuador Vegetarians
I know many of those who apply to GCY are vegetarians. Unfortunately, living abroad can…
I know many of those who apply to GCY are vegetarians. Unfortunately, living abroad can make eating vegetarian difficult. But the good thing about living in Ecuador is that being a vegetarian here is totally possible. It’s harder than in the States, yeah. You might have to watch what you eat more carefully, but it’s possible to be a healthy vegetarian. As for the other countries of GCY, I’m not sure but in Ecuador, it has been done. I went my whole year start from finish as a happy, healthy vegetarian with only the occasional mishap of chicken in an empanada. Here are some tips for those of you who want to remain vegetarians in Ecuador:
1. Tell your family straight up you’re a vegetarian. They’re going to think it’s weird but it’s not like they’ll hold it against you. With my family, it became an endearing thing like, oh, our…-
I went my whole year start from finish as a happy, healthy vegetarian with only the occasional mishap of chicken in an empanada. - Sarah McMillan
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Africa Seen in the Eyes of Americans Through Disne... | May 2, 2013
Africa Seen in the Eyes of Americans Through Disney Movies
One day, I was searching for a Disney channel on Pandora, an internet radio that…
One day, I was searching for a Disney channel on Pandora, an internet radio that enables listeners to tailor their repertoire of music to personal taste. I plugged my iPod on to a speaker, and let Elton John and Peabo Bryson carry me into a pensive trance of childhood. Like most anyone, I love anything Disney—movies, characters, songs, and even toys and accessories like the fluffy, golden Winnie the Pooh stuffed toy (although Barney is my all-time favorite). Even these days, I enjoy taking refuge in the strapping Disney castle in my head with lakes and all. Seriously, it only takes me five seconds to convince myself that I am the grown up Peter Pan who does not remember much about anything. Robin Williams is the fake.
I imagine there are a lot of people who share the same fanatical fondness for Disney because, for a time period spanning nearly…-
We are trapped in a vicious cycle where films—either willingly or unknowingly—breed the masses’ perception of a certain region of the world inaccurately - Jay Choi
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Debunking the Stereotypes | May 2, 2013
Debunking the Stereotypes
Recently, I’ve been getting countless Facebook messages and e-mails, “So, what is Africa like?” “Are…
Recently, I’ve been getting countless Facebook messages and e-mails, “So, what is Africa like?” “Are you helping a lot?” “Do you confront the issue of AIDS on a daily basis?” “Have you seen any voodoo ceremony?” And so on. Even though I live in SENEGAL, and more specifically, THE DAKAR REGION, a very small portrait of Senegal, or let alone Africa, I’ve decided to debunk some stereotypes, and prove some, to the best of my ability. Of course there are exceptions, but these are MY stereotypes, in response to yours.
1. Despite the poverty rate, hardly anybody starves in Senegal. In fact, most of the volunteers have put on weight since being here. And the diabetes rate is through the roof. Why? Because the culture, and especially in the villages, is aimed toward the community and everyone is invited to each family’s meal. Welcome to the country of hospitality. However,…-
Recently, I’ve been getting countless Facebook messages and e-mails, “So, what is Africa like?” “Are you helping a lot?” “Do you confront the issue of AIDS on a daily basis?” “Have you seen any voodoo…
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Capstone | May 2, 2013
Capstone
On my very last day in Morochos I went to town, printed out about fifty pictures…
On my very last day in Morochos I went to town, printed out about fifty pictures of my favorite experiences with my host family, and bought a small photo album for all of them. I gave it to my mom at the very last moment before I left to Quito. They have a huge collection of photos from other volunteers and gringos from the community that they would repasar muchísimo so I believe they really liked my gift and will love it in years to come to remember such great memories we shared this past year. The following video is a compilation of these photos, enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt5YZE36l3I…-
On my very last day in Morochos I went to town, printed out about fifty pictures of my favorite experiences with my host family, and bought a small photo album for all of them. I gave it to…
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Una Carta de Amor | May 2, 2013
Una Carta de Amor
Querido Ecuador,
Gracias por tus montañas, tu aire puro, y tu gente. Por tus flores…Querido Ecuador,
Gracias por tus montañas, tu aire puro, y tu gente. Por tus flores amarillentas y patacones salados. Por el Inti dorado cuyo color predomina en tu bandera, de la cual el azul me transporta a tus playas cálidas y al cielo infinito que comienza en el borde de tu cordillera. El rojo, a las mejillas de una niña indígena hablando por primera vez sobre la sexualidad. Pero me has ofrecido mas que los colores de tu bandera, me has ofrecido una wipala de experiencias y sensaciones.
Gracias a ti, a mi piel morena y mi cabello oscuro los cargo con el conocimiento de que representó a más que a una raza mixta. Que representó a una gente trabajadora, sufrida, y amable. Curiosa. Luchadora. Talentosa.
Por ti ahora entiendo mejor lo que es mi cultura; mi América Latina soy yo. Tus faldas anchas y tu gente alegre. Tus recursos…-
Querido Ecuador,
Gracias por tus montañas, tu aire puro, y tu gente. Por tus flores amarillentas y patacones salados. Por el Inti dorado cuyo color predomina en tu bandera, de la cual el azul me… - Read the rest »
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Souvenirs | May 2, 2013
Souvenirs
In Senegal, taking photos is called taking souvenirs. I can’t tell you how many times…
In Senegal, taking photos is called taking souvenirs. I can’t tell you how many times I asked my Senegalese friends and family to let me take a souvenir of them during my last two weeks there. (My photo count is telling: I had 400-something photos at the beginning of March, and had more than doubled that number by April.) The wording in Wolof for taking a photo shows how important it is to ask permission first. A photographer is taking a souvenir from the person being photographed, and the person in the photo will often expect something in return (possibly something that will help them remember the photographer in the future).
My whole experience was a constant give and take, take and give. All of my actions, even the choice to sleep in when tired, involved a give and take between me and my community. My family would give me time to…-
All of us, no matter where we are or what we are doing, are giving and taking from multiple people simultaneously. - Claire Amsden
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The Sparknotes Version | April 23, 2013
The Sparknotes Version
In a true testament to the pace of Senegalese life, I have read my fair…
In a true testament to the pace of Senegalese life, I have read my fair share of books while here. Autobiographies, fiction, anthropological research. Some, forcing myself to finish, while others I excitedly sped through. But none have been quite as challenging yet enthralling as the one that has encompassed the past seven months: a novel overflowing with unimaginable characters, a setting no photo will ever capture, and vignettes that have brought me to inescapable tears and ones that I smile simply thinking about.
Turning page after page, I better came to understand the characters of my life, realizing that I’m entering a story that’s already begun. Each a protagonist of his or her own with a history I never had the privilege to experience. Was Daba, my sister-in-law, just as sassy as a child in the particularly rural village of Samb or did she acquire this entertaining trait when…-
In a true testament to the pace of Senegalese life, I have read my fair share of books while here. Autobiographies, fiction, anthropological research. Some, forcing myself to finish, while others I excitedly sped through.…
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Why We Blog | April 23, 2013
Why We Blog
“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”
- Anaïs Nin
We…“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”
- Anaïs Nin
We do it for you. The reader. The individual sitting at home who is even mildly curious about where this journey has taken us, and the experiences that have transformed us. We type these words in internet cafes and parks and wherever else we can find a moment of connection so that you can see what we see. We want to share everything with you, our friends, our family, our invisible audience because we are erupting with thoughts and feelings that we can’t always understand ourselves. We want you to live vicariously through us! To glimpse our exploits and maybe glean some information that we overlooked or are too emotionally invested in to really comprehend. We want this year to have been interactive. We want you to laugh, cry, grimace, or shout. We want you to…-
I want to capture a piece of my soul and store it carefully away like a Polaroid in a shoe box forgotten after so many years. - Carly Sitrin
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A Free (Virtual) Walking Tour of Salvador! | April 23, 2013
A Free (Virtual) Walking Tour of Salvador!
Let’s take a (virtual) walking tour through the ruas ativas of Salvador, Bahia! Stay close and attentive,…
Let’s take a (virtual) walking tour through the ruas ativas of Salvador, Bahia! Stay close and attentive, be sure to keep your belongings secure, and look both ways about 47 times before crossing the streets!
Let’s begin our tour along the Orla, in Itapuã…, where the locals go for some of the best beaches! I’d prefer to find a plot of sand on the beach that is not filled with people, so we may have to walk a bit, but it will be worth it! I can almost guarantee that you will make some new amigos on the beach today, everyone loves to converse over some Skol or água de coco. In the mood to buy a dress, necklace, ice cream, henna tattoo, floaty? Or some ovos de codorna (quail eggs), sunglasses, or acarajé (a baseball-sized bean fritter, fried in red dendê oil)? Well if so, you are in luck because finding a local selling these things is no challenge.-
Let’s take a (virtual) walking tour through the ruas ativas of Salvador, Bahia! Stay close and attentive, be sure to keep your belongings secure, and look both ways about 47 times before crossing the streets!
Let’s begin… - Read the rest »
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Feeling Fine with Time on the Mind | April 23, 2013
Feeling Fine with Time on the Mind
You learn a lot in a school year, but I’ve learned more about myself in…
You learn a lot in a school year, but I’ve learned more about myself in the last seven months than I ever did sitting in any one of my high school classes. (Sorry, teachers everywhere.)
Over the summer of 2012 I has all these great plans for my future. I’m going to go to Brazil, then I’m going to Pitzer, where I already have so much credit thanks to AP tests, I don’t even have to stay for four years! And I’ll study abroad, obviously, and get a job at the student union and go to parties and national parks on the weekends and have a wonderful time! I’ll be on the fast track for life!! It was my dream. Graduate in three years, get a cool job somewhere, start a career, you know, things an 18 year old should be preoccupied with according to me back then.
Then I…-
A gap year forces you to be present. There are no days off. There is no skipping class or sleeping in the nurse's office. - Avery Ashwill
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Her Shoes | April 14, 2013
Her Shoes
Someone once told me that a person’s story could be told by the soles of…
Someone once told me that a person’s story could be told by the soles of her shoes. She said that the shoes’ movements, trails, rhythms, and placements could converge to reflect a unique tale. Although the narrative of my past eight months often feels as multifaceted as the collection of sand and dirt particles perpetually glued to the undersides of my fingernails, I thought I’d give it a try.
My shoes have memorized the cracked cement streets and gravel pathways of Dakar, the rocky dirt routes, mountains, and waterfalls of the Kedougou region, the sacred, marabou blessed sands of Touba, the mangroves located deep within the southern Sereer country.
My shoes have stood witness to twelve live births, three deaths, four marriages, and countless baptisms. My shoes have stood their ground in front of a class of 100 rowdy middle school students, in front of intense marriage suitors, in front…-
Someone once told me that a person’s story could be told by the soles of her shoes. - Talia Katz
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Personal Statement | April 10, 2013
Personal Statement
High school for me was mostly a matter of reaction. Test announced, I prepared. Something assigned,…
High school for me was mostly a matter of reaction. Test announced, I prepared. Something assigned, I did it. Bell rang, next class. Extracurricular, I showed up. Swim practice, I obeyed the coach. Social event, I socialized. In hindsight, I succeeded mainly because of that system of expectations. I let myself be dragged. I’m no longer in high school, however. I’m living in rural, coastal Brazil, doing foreign exchange and volunteer work through the program Global Citizen Year.
When I discovered the program, described as an intensive learning experience abroad, I immediately applied. Moreover, I applied expecting expectations. I expected a host family who would welcome me and expect acculturation, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that would demand extraordinary things, and to struggle with an overwhelming schedule. I expected the experience to shape me. What I found, however, was fundamentally different. My host family didn’t engage or expect much of me and the staff…-
It's not that I wasn’t being pushed, just no longer being dragged. - Drew Hayes
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How I Learned to Appreciate I-40 | April 10, 2013
How I Learned to Appreciate I-40
“First in roads; Last in education” is a tongue in cheek saying I heard a…
“First in roads; Last in education” is a tongue in cheek saying I heard a lot growing up in North Carolina. While the saying refers more to the disparity in taxes doled out by the North Carolina State Government, as a result, many North Carolinians (myself included) grew up thinking that spending money on roads was a waste of money.
This isn’t a political blog post, nor is it a critique of public spending in North Carolina. No, this is a blog post about The Bridge and how it made me learn to appreciate I-40.
When I first started working with Trees for the Future, I went around the Kédougou region with my advisor doing surveys on the farms that Trees for the Future operated on. Questions like “Do you own cattle?” and “What are some of the problems that impede your ability to plant?” were asked of all the…-
All in all, it’s approximately 20km to Dar El-Salaam from Kédougou. It takes an hour to complete the trip due to the problems with the road. - Israel Nelson
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Soon | April 8, 2013
Soon
By the time you read this blog post, I will have already left my home…
By the time you read this blog post, I will have already left my home community in Bahia, Brazil. I spent many months of my life there. To be truthful, I am finding it difficult to convince myself that I even did that: I left my city, my state, my country, and left the North American continent entirely–for so long too. I have lived in cultural isolation throughout this whole time. Even in my final moments here I am thinking deeply about my experience, and I’ve been writing about it. But soon, I’ll be home again.
Soon I’ll be reunited with my old room, with its shelves of needy books, some of which I never got the chance to care for. Soon I’ll be reunited with my car, with its galactic atmosphere when driven on illuminated highways at 12:47am while listening to music at a volume that deafens the rolling…-
By the time you read this blog post, I will have already left my home community in Bahia, Brazil. I spent many months of my life there. To be truthful, I am finding it difficult…
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It's All About the People | April 7, 2013
It’s All About the People
Seven months ago when I left behind my comfortable life in Chapel Hill for the…
Seven months ago when I left behind my comfortable life in Chapel Hill for the first time, I left behind a community of friends and family that I had known for practically my whole life. I was on the brink of an experience that would alter me in ways that I previously could never have imagined, and that would, undoubtedly, push my sense of family and my sense of home beyond the well-defined boundaries of Chapel Hill.
As I sit here in Archidona, my time left in Ecuador diminishing at an alarmingly quick rate, all I can think about is the love. The love I feel from my fellow Fellows, the love I feel from my Quito family, the love I feel from my Runa coworkers, the love I feel from my community in Alto Tena, the love I feel from my Archidona family. I am awed by how large…-
Perhaps the most crucial lesson I have learned here in Ecuador is that people are the absolute most important thing. - Carrie Hamilton
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An Amazonian Adventure | April 4, 2013
An Amazonian Adventure
My trip to the Amazon is characterized by one word: unfathomable. Nothing can prepare you for…
My trip to the Amazon is characterized by one word: unfathomable. Nothing can prepare you for what the Amazon truly is. For me the Amazon was a rainforest with majestic sunsets, stunning waterfalls, and a plethora of wildlife. You can look at it on a map with its physical boundaries and geographical identity, but walking around inside the jungle, examining the wildlife, and nature you begin to understand one thing: nothing like this exists anywhere else on Earth. During the first five minutes on the small riverboat to our ecological lodge, my mouth fell into a permanent gape. Amazing. All it took was two planes, one taxi, one bus, and a boat ride to be on the Amazon River. Immediately I began to understand that this small sliver of river, the only part that I will get to know in, most likely, my lifetime, is just but a fraction of a fraction of the world’s longest.
The sunset on the first…-
I was able to begin to fathom the size of the Amazon River and the world. - Benito Aranda-Comer
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