Name: Choi Go
Current activity: Backpacking by kick scooter
Gap year period: June 2013 ~ December 2013
Q. Please tell us what led you to take a gap year or about the preparation process.
A. Hello, I'm bucket list challenger Choi Go.
I'm taking on my bucket list — a list of things to do before I die — and I'm very grateful and happy to be able to share my story with many people.
I was a fencer from middle school through university. I was an athlete.
The many cuts from the blade, my buttocks bruised blue from being scolded so often, the training ground I ran on every day, the competition venues that made my heart pound... I still remember them vividly.
I really loved fencing. Despite grueling training that left a taste of exertion in my mouth and being injured almost daily, it was fencing I loved, and because I had a goal I could live happily day by day. Until then, fencing was the reason for my life.
© Korea Gapyear
Unfortunately I had to quit because of a chronic illness, and I couldn't bear the despair of losing my dream and the frustration of not meeting my parents' expectations. As I said, as a child I thought fencing was my whole life and had filled my future with it, and when all of that collapsed it felt like my life was over.
But what hurt me more was the self-reproach of having disappointed my parents, who believed in me and helped me so much. I felt pathetic and unbearably small.
So!!! I began chasing a false dream — not for myself but to quickly erase my parents' disappointment — and set my sights on becoming a civil servant. I'm not belittling the profession; it was a stable job many people wanted. In my head I only thought of starting to study immediately, passing, and making my parents proud; depression and everything else aside. I prepared diligently, enduring the library's oppressive silence and restless days, but I failed. Before preparing for the next exam I wanted some breathing room, so I began reading in the library. I probably read every self-help book I liked. That changed my thinking a lot. That was the period that enabled me to take a gap year.
Phrases and stories in those books made me reflect. The dark smoke in my heart disappeared with a refreshing wind, and I felt as if I had met the real me that had been hidden by the smoke.
From then on I searched day and night through books and the internet to find what I wanted, liked, and wanted to do. But I couldn't find a satisfying answer anywhere, because they weren't mine. Books, online posts, and the nice things said on broadcasts weren't truly mine; they were their thoughts and experiences, so I needed my own experiences and stories.
"The protagonist of my life is me, not my parents, and I create my own life story, not them! From now on I want to be the director of my life and its protagonist, making fun films in many genres."
Thus I set off on a nationwide backpacking trip by kick scooter.
© Korea Gapyear
Q. Please tell us about your gap year experiences.
A."Learn through books, feel through travel."
Actually, it was my first time traveling alone, so I was very scared. I set off trembling, but perhaps because I'm lucky with people, I met so many kind people. Traveling all over the country I was often given food, and I was taken in at cathedrals, temples, churches, community halls, and even the homes of strangers' grandmothers; I even worked during the trip to earn passage money and went to Dokdo—these are precious experiences and memories I would never have known if I had stayed at home. This is the story I wanted!!
© Korea Gapyear
Sleeping in places other than home all the time wasn't comfortable. I didn't know how grateful I would be just to wake up safely in the morning. So I came to think that 'death' shouldn't be something I only look at from afar, but that I should always recognize the finiteness of life and be grateful as I live each day. I also learned that life is too short to only see good things, say only good words, meet only good people, and do only the things you like, so you should always live positively. I also realized that the happiness and joy I received from this trip—despite returning in debt—must be returned to someone in even greater measure. I cannot forget the common words of the many older people I met during the journey.
"Just being young is beautiful. Make lots of good memories and stories and enjoy a happy youth."
Through this I realized that a life of actually doing the things I want, not just thinking about them, is what allows me to live truly happily, and I planned a project called the 'Bucket List Challenger.' I have now taken my first step.
My next challenge is a kick-scooter backpacking trip through Turkey and Greece. I will take action. I will accomplish my bucket list one by one.
© Korea Gapyear
Q. What changes have occurred since taking a gap year, or what did you gain from it?
A. I, who had been at a loss, became someone with purpose—a person who makes a path, sets a direction, and has a dream. I regained my lost passion and am trying to live each day enjoyably with the energy of hope and positivity. Also, seeing and experiencing many things I didn't know about allowed me to break out of the rigid patterns inside me and gain a broader perspective, and I could break the limited rules I had imposed on myself. Through this gap year I learned, felt, experienced, and gained so much. I am therefore thankful beyond words.
© Korea Gapyear
Q. Finally, what one piece of advice would you give to young people planning a gap year?
A. I think it's essential to have time to know yourself before finding your dream. Through such a gap year, you should learn what you like, what you're good at, what you want, and what you want to do—won't that let you take the first step? I believe that is the first step toward a dream. Once you know yourself, you must act. Knowledge and wisdom without action are not real. If you have plans, don't hesitate any longer—execute them now. Everything is a choice. Only God knows whether the result will be a good choice or not. They say the privilege of youth is that you can challenge something no one has recognized yet. Let's take on the challenge!!
© Korea Gapyear
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