Name: O Gi-beom
Status at time of participation: Unemployed
Current job: Private academy instructor
Gap year period: September 2012 – August 2013 (total 12 months)
Countries / cities visited: 31 countries / 123 cities
Q. Please tell us about what led you to take a gap year or about the preparation process.
A. My dream was to become a teacher. I graduated from Korean Language Education and studied hard preparing for the teacher certification exam. But passing the exam was not easy. I taught as a contract teacher for about three years and was truly happy, but it was difficult to balance work and studying. In the end, I decided to spend one year studying properly with the thought of quickly passing and coming to that great place.
That May, while studying, I took a trip to Jeju Island to clear my head. Walking on a deserted path between oreums (volcanic cones), feeling the warm sunshine and refreshing breeze, I felt something that made my heart flutter and my pulse race. It was another dream I had forgotten: traveling around the world — a world trip. The overwhelming emotion at that moment was enough to make me realize what I truly wanted. So I decided to take steps toward the world.
Q. Please tell us about your gap year experiences.
A. I was thirty-three. Finally, I began my trip around the world. When a dream becomes reality many thoughts flash by, but only one thing mattered: I was truly happy in that moment. Encouraged and supported by many people, I felt stronger and took light steps.
ⓒKorea Gapyear
My much-anticipated first destination was India. I had wanted to visit since high school, and it took 15 years to finally arrive. India, where diverse people form a unique culture, was the ultimate destination for world travel. I had to endure the hot weather, haggle with vendors trying to overcharge, and be careful with food due to poor hygiene. I once got enteritis from a glass of juice bought on the street and spent several days clinging to the toilet. But thinking of all this as part of the amusing incidents travel brings, I could only enjoy it.
ⓒKorea Gapyear
After leaving India, I climbed Annapurna in the Himalayas in Nepal, and when I went to Pakistan I was moved by its beautiful nature and friendly people. In Turkey I fell in love with the delicious food, and in Europe I was so excited that it didn't feel real to be standing in scenes I had only seen in textbooks. The world is vast and there is so much to see.
ⓒKorea Gapyear
When I entered the African continent, I felt a strange mix of tension and excitement. In the Serengeti of Tanzania, I was speechless, simply staring in awe at the grandeur of nature. South America, where many traces of Spanish culture remain, was a completely new world. Passionate people, delicious food, and vast nature... I was grateful and happy as a traveler to be able to come here.
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Sometimes, while traveling alone on the opposite side of the world, I felt a deep loneliness and thought about what true longing is, tearing up as I missed my family who would trust me and wait for me. For me, the world trip enabled various experiences and was an irreplaceable time that allowed me to reflect on my past life and plan for the future.
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Q. What changed after taking a gap year, or what did you gain from it?
A. I gained the confidence to live without regrets. When I decided to set off on the world trip, I came to a certain conviction. I asked myself, 'What will I regret before I die?' Questions like 'Why didn't I earn more money then?' or 'Why didn't I work a few more years then?' did not seem like things I would regret at all.
ⓒKorea Gapyear
But when I asked, 'Why didn't I live harder for my dreams then?' my head went 'ding' — I felt this would truly be a regret. So I learned what I really want and what makes me truly happy. From now on, I will not live for money, fame, or security. I will live for dreams and happiness. I felt deep in my heart through the one-year trip that that is a life without regrets.
ⓒKorea Gapyear
Q. Lastly, what would you like to say to young people planning a gap year?
A. What makes you feel good when you think about it? What makes you happy when you do it? If you can't readily answer these questions, think about them carefully. And if something comes to mind, live for that, live for that feeling.
Set your own standards for happiness. Break free from society's preset standards of happiness. At that moment you'll become free and be able to take a step closer to your true dream.
ⓒKorea Gapyear
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