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Focus only on your own growth.
GapYear is a time for growth and happiness.
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42nd GapperKwak Hee-jae
A 23-month gap year
Spent traveling while promoting "gap year"Gap year
Lowered Confidence and Self-Esteem After Language Study Abroad
Hello, my name is Kwak Hee-jae, and I am doing 'A Youthful, People-Scented World Tour.'From September 2012 to June 2013, I studied English in the United States for ten months. However, I returned to Korea after the program with no purpose or goals, and because my grades and skills fell short of my parents' expectations I felt ashamed, my confidence declined, and my self-esteem sank.
Although I had invested a lot of money, my English ability remained at a level that anyone could reach with effort.
At the start of my senior year, I happened to meet a senior at school who had traveled around the world by bicycle for two years. After meeting him, the word 'travel' became deeply embedded in my mind.
However, with the hurdle of finding a job and the mountain of my parents' expectations in the way, I thought traveling would have to wait.
Beginning to Think About Myself for the First Time
In March 2014, with the final semester of my senior year approaching, I was sighing as I watched myself grow increasingly small in front of the door to employment. At that moment, I realized that in my 26 years of life I had never once acted on my own initiative and had only ever lived according to others.For the first time in my life, I began to think about what I like and what I want to do.
As a result, I realized that I felt exhilaration when communicating with people and that I liked people who each had different thoughts and values. SoI decided to travel around the world to meet people with different values, thoughts, and cultures from around the globe.
I dreamed of traveling the world because, before my twenties were over, I wanted to do something that truly made my heart race and to create a story that would never happen again in my life.
#Australia I went to with the plan to leave after one year
After deciding to travel the world, the first thing I did was go to the library and look for books.
Many books mentioned that people often traveled with sponsorship, so I also tried to obtain sponsorship.
But I experienced many failures and frustrations.
However, not giving up and looking for other ways, I learned about working holidays in Australia, and upon finding out that many people had traveled while working, I immediately bought a plane ticket to Australia.
In November 2014, I went to Brisbane, Australia for a working holiday of about one year.Regardless of how much money I had saved, I went to Australia with only the plan to leave exactly one year later and the belief to never give up no matter what.
However, life there was not easy. I had to wake up at dawn every day to work, endure being yelled at by a bad-tempered chef, and carry heavy meat at a beef factory, solving all living expenses and problems by myself. After spending that year in Australia, in November 2015 I set off on my journey with the money I had saved.
And I decided to do a small event the day before leaving Australia. Australia was a place that gave me the chance to fulfill my dreams and held many memories, soI held a small free-hug event to express that feeling.The reaction was warmer than I expected, and the feeling of hugging someone I had just met was an emotion I had never felt before in my life.
I felt happy, in a good mood, and like endorphins were welling up. So I edited the video of that free hug and posted it on social media, and I received more encouragement and many questions about working in Australia than I expected.
I believe that if you approach someone sincerely, sincerity always gets through.It wasn’t done simply for fun; because I put my heart and sincerity into it, those feelings seemed to reach people, and I was able to leave for Australia very happily.
#Realizing that sincerity is important
I worked in Australia, but because the cost of living was higher than I expected and because I’m not very meticulous, I couldn’t save much money.
So I worried a lot that I might not be able to travel, or that I wouldn’t be able to visit as many places as others.
I realized I was even comparing my travels to others and doing it to show off, and while visiting many places is important,I came to realize that even if you visit only one place, it’s important to truly enjoy it, and even if you meet only one person, it’s important to treat them sincerely.So from then on I decided that no matter how much money I saved or how far I traveled, I would take a trip that only I could take. After that, I wasn’t so tied to money and I became a little freer.
#Learning what a gap year is
I worked in Australia for six months, used the money I saved to travel Southeast Asia for two weeks, got a scuba diving certificate in Cairns, Australia, and then returned to Brisbane. Before setting off on my main travels, I was working as a kitchen hand in an Australian restaurant to save a bit more money; I broke a plate and cut my finger on the broken pieces.
So I had five stitches, and I had no choice but to leave my job.
It could have been a discouraging situation, butduring the two weeks I rested because of the injury, I had the chance to learn what a gap year is.
While I was in Australia, the news from Korea was more often bad than good. My closest friend and my younger sibling were both exhausted and struggling. I thought that not only they but all young Koreans might feel the same. So I wondered why these things kept happening. I wanted to find out.Because I would eventually return to Korea and work there, I did not want their stories to become my story.
At the end of every question there was a gap year.
Australia, by itself, is a very livable country. People seemed relaxed and happy.
So I started asking.I visited several universities in Brisbane and asked questions. But I didn't really know what I wanted to ask, so the answers were not what I wanted. I then thought more deeply about what I wanted to ask and what I wanted to learn.
And I discovered it.When I combined all my questions, at the end of them was a gap year.
I realized that most Western friends knew what a gap year was, while friends from Asian countries such as Korea, Japan, and China did not. I decided to tell the Koreans and other Asians I met during my travels about gap years and to share the idea on social media, so I wrote it on a sketchbook and posted it — this is what I'm currently doing.
#Reflecting on My Gap Year
The happiest time was when I was saving money in Korea to go to Australia. I sold tteokbokki during the day and worked at a convenience store at night, working a total of 14 hours a day, but I did not feel it was hard.Because taking each step toward doing what I wanted made my heart race and filled me with excitement.
And the Travel University I discovered by chance brought energy to my travels. The people I met there all dreamed of and loved traveling, so the time and the people felt like a gift to me.
The second happiest episode I recall is when I gave a small mini-lecture in Brisbane with a quirky newlywed couple from Australia. At that time, while I was working hard at an Australian beef factory, Taeyang and Yuhee said they were preparing a small mini-lecture and suggested giving a talk about dreams together, so I joined them.
It was thrilling to share my story of dreams with someone, and telling my story for the first time in my life was a novel and enjoyable experience.
My heart raced at the idea of breaking out of a long routine and taking on a new challenge.
The third happiest episode was returning to Philadelphia, USA after three and a half years. When I finished my language course and returned to Korea, I thought I would never be able to come back here, and I believed I would never see the friends I met here again, so returning felt truly joyful. I walked the streets I used to frequent, ate the foods I often had at restaurants I used to go to, stayed at the house of a friend I attended school with, catching up on stories we hadn't shared and chatting with friends I hadn't seen in a long time.These were friends I would not have met if not for my gap year, and places I would not have been able to return to.
# The hardest moment during my gap year
The hardest moment was when I was pickpocketed in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico.
Perhaps I was being overly bold, and while riding the Mexico City subway to my accommodation without thinking, my wallet containing my phone and cards was stolen.Just one day after arriving in Latin America, which I had longed to visit, I lost everything.
I was so flustered that when I came to my senses I was already at the police station. I couldn't communicate with anyone, I didn't know a single person there, and I didn't even have any money, so I felt utterly desperate. For the first time since leaving Korea, I wanted to go home. After the investigation at the police station was finished, the street I stepped back onto felt terrifying and cold. I needed to take the subway but didn't know where to go; I wandered and happened to ask a Mexican young man for directions, and fortunately he could speak English.
His name was 'Neri'; he was a student majoring in International Exchange at one of Mexico City's best universities. After hearing about my situation, he bought me a meal, paid my transportation, took me to his uncle's house so I could use the internet, accompanied me to the Korean embassy to help resolve the matter, and even brought me back to the hostel. He was so kind that calling him an angel sent from heaven would not be an exaggeration.
At first I was suspicious of such kindness and had some doubts, but I soon let go of those suspicions and was so grateful I didn't know what to do. I wanted to repay him somehow and contacted him after we parted, but perhaps it was too much for him; he replied late or said he was busy, so we never met again. Although I experienced something bad, I learned that there are still many warm-hearted people in the world, andIt was a very valuable experience that made me resolve to become a warm, down-to-earth person myself.
# I found a life goal through my gap year.
Before spending my gap year, I had no goals in life.
I couldn't find a direction in life or decide what I should do.
I had no confidence, I would give up easily on things, and I lacked perseverance.
However, after taking a gap year, I found life goals, was able to decide the direction in which to live my life, and had time to learn a little more about who I am than before.Instead of giving up easily on anything, I developed the perseverance and courage to use various methods and somehow see things through to the end. As a result, I naturally became more confident.
#After the gap year: Promoting gap years
Although I am still in the middle of my gap year, because I felt the value of a gap year a lot while traveling on a working holiday in Australia,I will likely be telling people in Korea who don't know about gap years what a gap year is.
#Tips for those who want to take a gap year
A gap year is a period during a leave of absence from school in which you challenge yourself to do things you always wanted to do but couldn't because you lacked time or money. Therefore, you must be honest with yourself.You need to clearly discern whether you're doing something just because everyone else is or because your heart truly urges you to do it.
When a senior from my school returned from traveling around the world, I was very cautious at first, worried I might just follow along impulsively. But I eventually realized this was something my heart wanted, and I immediately put it into action.When you decide to do this, it's important to act immediately.Sometimes it's more effective to just go ahead and do it than to overthink.
These are times and moments that will never return. If you keep this in mind, each day will be precious and rewarding.Don't be afraid—just take the first step.Then another world will unfold before you. The world is vast, there are many places to go, and there is an endless amount to see. We support your gap year.
A word for young people
Enjoy today, this moment that will never come again!
Recommendations and submissions for 100 Gap Year participants are always welcome.
To marketing manager Hae-in Cho (dorothy224@koreagapyear.com)Please send an email!