Sunghoon

I remember my 7th birthday well. I spent most of the day in the air, flying across the endless, blue Pacific. My head was spinning, as it usually does while on long flights, but this time it was for a unique reason: we were moving from the Philippines to the United States. At the time, …

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Sampling the Bridge Year — GCY India Capstone

For my Global Citizen Year capstone project, I chose to cut up a video containing small one-second clips from several days of my bridge year. Although each clip is seemingly insignificant, as I strung them together, the collective experiences blossomed into something that symbolized my entire year; bits and pieces of memories woven into each …

Days of Frustration (or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Country)

Near the beginning of my fellowship, my TFI mentor taught his class a lesson on self-control and choices. A simple but engaging half-hour followed. He went over the factors that we as individuals are able to control on a daily basis. Despite being several years older than the target audience of sixth graders, I was …

The Spice Crisis

I’m having an identity crisis. It’s an ongoing one, actually. Let me elaborate: As a Korean child living in the US, I felt that my Korean background would be something that would stay with me, but also something that would slowly fade as I grew older. As a result, I’d try to overcompensate for my …

Being Mindful of the Senses

My host family offers me a kurta (formal Indian wear) because my white one that I usually wear to school has been ruined from pen marks and dirt stains. I graciously take the article of clothing and try it on. Suddenly, an overwhelming feeling showers over me as I put on the kurta. It smells …

Trial By Fire

12:33 I entered the classroom with my mentor and pulled out my notebook. It was the first day of my apprenticeship. Observation day. My Teach for India (NGO) teacher sat me in the back of the classroom and told me to take it easy. Okay, sweet. I can do that. 12:47 The lesson had progressed …

Drained

Drained. Not in a bad way. Sort of like a battery that's been used up from powering your favorite gadget. You fumble while changing the battery and it falls to the ground. It hops a bit because it's empty. The charge is used up and the battery's weight is significantly lighter than its fuller counterpart. It's …

Student of Mine

How delicious is our curiosity, Guiding us through night? Unaware of the troubles that are revealed in the daylight A world aches For a child as bright-eyed as you Pain bolstered by the life the child has lived through Yet, you are still beautiful, student of mine Within a large landscape, You are the shine …

Why I’m Such a Bus Advocate

Last year, my main mode of relaxation was driving to some of my favorite music. I would plug in my phone, turn the volume knob up to a comfortable position, and cruise down the highway everyday to school. This year, it's not much different. I find myself racing down the bumpy roads of Pune, but …

The Caterpillars of our Journey

The W-Curve. A concept brought to our attention by the GCY team. Sure, it makes sense. Anyone can figure out that there are going to be ups and downs in our year. Still, what does the W-Curve look like in action? Well, let me introduce you to the Stanford Caterpillar. At Global Launch, a lot …