Global Gap Year Fellowship Blog

The following post was written by Global Gap Year Fellow, McCarty Hudson.

Two and a half months ago, I was in a coffee shop listening to my friend take the stage with his bluegrass band. It was late, probably around 9:00pm (which I know isn’t that late for most people, but when you wake up at 5:30am every morning, 9:00pm seems late), when this stranger walked in. He wore a baggy jacket, a funky shirt, a mustard yellowish orange beanie, and a smile on his face. I couldn’t help but walk over to him. An instant crush you could say. So we started talking and didn’t stop until we were the last ones being politely pushed out of the shop. We got to the sidewalk, exchanged numbers, and went our separate ways. Me, on my bike riding back to my house, and him, on his feet walking back to his […]

The following post was written by Global Gap Year Fellow, John Swinea.

As I approach three months living in Hawai’i, it feels crazy to look at my previous blog post, because of how vastly different I am, only months apart. When I got on my flight to Hilo to move here, I had no clue what world I would be stepping into, or how quickly it would consume my being and create a new reality that is now completely normal to me. I currently live on an organic farm that also functions as a hospitality operation with guests from all over the world. On top of that, it is also a home to over ten other volunteers like myself. The dynamic of this community is like nothing I would have ever imagined, but there is so much passion, dedication, and love that flows throughout each individual to make a whole. […]

The following post was written by Global Gap Year Fellow, Sitao Lin.

I have a habit of romanticizing situations in my head and my first placement was not an exception. Before I even departed for my gap year I had already begun to imagine the place I would get to visit, the people I would get to know and the experiences I would live. So when I actually arrived and things were not what I imagined them to be I was very much disappointed. I didn’t let that stop me from enjoying my placement so I took off my rose-tinted glasses and put on my boots and started digging. While I spent a lot of time digging both literally and figuratively I realized that sometimes you just have to get your hands and feet dirty to gain some clarity.

I realize that I enjoy structure in my daily life and being […]

The following post was written by Global Gap Year Fellow, John Swinea.

The past three months of my life half flashed before my eyes. It feels like just yesterday I was sitting down to write my pre-departure blog, and now I am writing this, having just passed three months of living in Charleston. Since moving out I have learned to put myself out there in uncomfortable situations, explore on my own, and maintain a full life without any parental guidance. I have fallen in love with the city of Charleston and the people I have met there, however I am still yearning for more adventure, and I know this is just the start. One of the main goals of my gap year is to push the independence I have always had even further and take advantage of these opportunities to do so, and I feel as though I have really […]