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Focus only on your own growth.
GapYear is a time for growth and happiness.
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I hope you enjoy the happiness of the present rather than worrying about the future. The future will come, but the present, once gone, will not return, so trust who you are now and be happy.We're still at an age where we have youth as our weapon and can do anything. Don't forget that creating your own happiness is up to no one but 'yourself'! -A journey to find youth / Lee Kkotsongi, gap-year tribe gapper |
60th Gap-Year Tribe GapperLee Kkotsongi
Gap year period:February 2016 ~ August 2016 (currently in progress)
A journey to find youth using only hitchhiking and couchsurfing
Currently, South Korea is,
Each year, 60,000 middle and high school students drop out of school; 346,000 people in their twenties are just idling without dreams; the job turnover rate within one year of employment has reached the 40% range,Seventy-five percent of university students are not satisfied with campus life, and over 80% of workers say they do not feel happy.Many people tell others to dream, but to solve this problem that lacks practical methods and support,we aim to introduce the 'gap year' to South Korea.
'Gap year (Gapyear)'refers to taking a break from or pausing studies and work to pursue a variety of activities such as volunteering, travel, internships, education, and startups.It is a time to set the direction for moving forward, a culture recommended in countries such as the United States, Europe, and Japan.
*Check out various experiences on the Gap Year website!(Click)
# Have you ever felt that life was dull? I did.
Have you ever felt that life was dull? I did. I had only lived about thirty years, but at some point, as the days of working, getting exhausted, and returning home kept repeating, my one and only life became boring — just earning money to get by. Looking back, I was a child with many dreams, but living in a society that fiercely values stability, I ended up obsessively chasing money and living like its slave.I thought I was doing the right thing for the future, but a corner of my heart felt empty.
One day as I was approaching thirty, I was leaving work as usual when tears suddenly welled up. Then a phrase from someone in my twenties flashed through my mind.
"Your past twenties and youth won't come back."
It was true. Looking back, as I got older I only learned to hold back what I wanted to do and grew more fearful; proactively investing time in myself became as hard as an unattainable dream, and my youth drifted farther away until it felt out of reach.In less than a month, I resigned from the job I'd worked at for years without a moment's hesitation and bought a plane ticket.
"I wanted to seize my youth before it slipped further away."
# "Putting into practice the belief 'If not now, then never' was my greatest preparation."
At first it felt overwhelming. Since it was my first time planning to travel for at least six months to two years, I hesitated because I didn't know how to go about it or how much I would need. Afraid that I'd never leave if I kept hesitating, I set my budget at five million won and boarded the plane.It might be a lot for some and little for others, but my mindset was, 'I'll somehow save or earn money and make it work.'
Looking back now, I'm really glad I did. I sometimes wonder what it would have been like if I'd prepared thoroughly for a long trip, but putting into practice the idea 'If not now, then never' was my greatest preparation.
# A promise to myself to make my one and only life shine a little more.
What made me anxious when I left for my gap year was the uncertainty about the future and moving away from a stable life. First, I’m not young, and since it was an unplanned trip with no set return date, my first worry was what I would do when I came back; second was how people around me would look at me.
People often asked when I would get married, when I would grow up, or how I could take a trip with that money — the reactions from people around me weren’t usually kind. But I was able to leave because my parents believed in me and always supported me, and because I had friends who said they were glad I found the courage to go. However...I think the most important thing is my own heart. The promise I made to myself to make my one and only life shine a little brighter played the biggest role.
# Whereverthey are all places where people live, and the world is still warm and worth living in, so I hope you go and give it a try.
It started in Southeast Asia. It was so hot and I had trouble with the spices so the food didn’t suit me and I struggled a bit, but I think I enjoyed a little over a month of leisure. Rather than visiting tourist sites, I would sit on the street with a glass of fruit juice watching people pass by, lie in a hammock listening to music, or take long naps and spend lazy days — I began to think, “Now this feels like I’m really living.”
TourI hardly visited tourist attractions. Actually, there aren’t really any must-see places..I found touring sights a bit boring. The trip I left on was about doing what I wanted, going where I wanted, being the agent of my own journey — for about forty days I immersed myself in the lives of locals. After that leisurely Southeast Asian backpacking trip, I began my European travels starting with Turkey.
Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, and Greece.I traveled only by hitchhiking and couchsurfing. I wanted to try something new and test my limits. I promised myself before I left that I wanted to gain confidence — no matter what, I would travel using only these two methods.
It didn’t take long to plan the route. The goal was simply to go from the eastern edge of Europe to the western edge. Until I left, I was really worried, though not entirely sure why.According to many blogs and people’s stories — “prejudice makes people stupid” — Eastern Europe and the Balkans were said to be unsafe, uninteresting, dangerous, and boring.So I had originally planned to just pass through.
My thinking completely changed while traveling. Those countries that I would have regretted just passing through, contrary to my worries, offered me a great deal of help from very kind people, and the quaint places presented me with picture-perfect scenery.I realized I had needlessly worried; I just needed to enjoy and feel things for myself. So I stayed much longer than I had planned and experienced and enjoyed a lot.
While I was traveling, everyone I met expressed concern and warned me about safety since I was a woman hitchhiking and couchsurfing.So I set my own rules: basically, don’t go out alone late at night, don’t hitchhike after dark, and whatever the situation, confront it head-on.
I did encounter perverted drivers and men who catcalled. At first I didn’t know what to do and just smiled and shouted “NO,” but over time I naturally learned how to speak firmly and refuse.
I can’t honestly say whether traveling as a woman is dangerous or not (attacks and unrest happen frequently everywhere now and many places in the world are risky),but I think that if you trust yourself and don’t put yourself into dangerous situations, you won’t experience the kinds of things people worry about.
Being a woman doesn't mean there are things you can't do or can't accomplish. If you don't try because you think it will be dangerous, you'll remain youths who only yearn for the world outside the well and never step out.Every place is where people live, and the world is still warm and worth living in, so I hope you go and take chances.The things you accomplish with the mindset of 'I can do it' will feel like the greatest gift you can give yourself!
#Don't think you lack confidence in English; you may score perfectly on tests, but speaking English is difficult and frightening — that's natural. It's not Korean.
It was when I was hitchhiking in Greece. I thought it was going to be another tough day, so I started early in the morning, and it was quite a long way to my destination. Just as I was worrying because I couldn't catch a ride, a young Greek man who didn't speak any English picked me up after seeing only my sign.Even though we couldn't communicate, he treated me with a constant smile and drove past his own destination to take me to mine. Then we ate and had coffee together, and he said:
Today is my beautiful day
Tears welled up in my eyes; he was the one who gave me a ride and bought me a meal... I remember feeling grateful and warmed by all the drivers who helped me, including him, who kept thanking me more than I thanked him.
In Croatia, to get to Dubrovnik you have to cross a border, but I couldn't cross and night fell, so I had to give up. With nowhere to sleep, I went down toward the coast and watched the sun dye the sea red as it set. My mouth dropped open with excitement, and I went down to the beach along the shore and found a spot under a pine tree.I emptied my pockets to buy a single can of beer, drank it while listening to the waves in the cool breeze, and fell asleep on some nameless beach. It felt like the most romantic night.
I cried only once during my travels. I had to go from Bohol, a small island in the Philippines — my first Southeast Asian destination — to Thailand, so I needed to get to Manila Airport, but they challenged me over the weight of my luggage. I had heard about these scams at Philippine airports and prepared for them, but when it actually happened to me I was flustered and couldn't speak English, and while people gathered around, snickering and demanding all kinds of money, I broke into a sweat and sobbed. In the end, I felt cheated, my pride hurt, and I felt really small. I blamed myself, wondering why I hadn't studied English.
But that happened only once; on the contrary, many Southeast Asians are quite naive and I met lots of good people. Our preconceptions about Southeast Asia may make us fear it's dangerous from the start, but their economic level is only slightly lower than ours, and it's a place where you can feel a certain innocence, so you don't need to worry too much!
After the Philippine incident, from the moment I arrived in Thailand I stayed only in accommodations where foreigners stayed — to the point that I hardly saw any Koreans — and even without talking I focused on their gestures and conversations. When taking tuk-tuks or other transport, I would look up and memorize what to say in advance, and when foreigners spoke to me I would boldly engage in conversation somehow.
My English still isn't very fluent, but it's more than enough for communicating and joking around. The only reason I could do that was one thing: I went for it without hesitation.
Don't think you lack confidence in English; you may score perfectly on tests, but speaking English is difficult and frightening — that's natural. It's not Korean.It will become natural over time.Starting with body language, the universal language, is more than enough.When walking down the street and you make eye contact with a foreigner, try saying "Hi."They will probably respond with a smile.
#I guess I postponed things that would let me enjoy my life until retirement. Looking back now, that was really foolish.
When I was in Korea, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I was a slave to academic background and money. I always tried to become the upright, talented person our society expects. Even if I didn't want to do something, I felt I had to, and I had to strive for recognition. Worrying about others' opinions, I neglected myself. I probably had no sense of leisure.
I guess I postponed things that would let me enjoy my life until retirement. Looking back now, that was really foolish. I was so busy complaining about the boring daily routines that I barely noticed how the seasons passed and didn't even know what I was living for.
Now? As I continue to travel, I'm learning to spend time on myself.Even if I'm not doing something productive, I don't feel impatient at all, and my days of taking it easy are increasing. It's proof that I'm becoming happier. On days when I walk a lot I may feel tired, but I find myself smiling at small scenes I pass by and I have learned to be grateful for little things.
Through hitchhiking and couchsurfing I realized the world is still worth living in and that there's nothing you can't do if you set your mind to it. The best thing is that I'm creating my own happiness.I'm really happy!
#Although my travels are on hold, I'm still living happily doing what I want!
I'm currently in Dahab, Egypt, on the African continent. I'm working at a diving shop in a small seaside town. Before coming here I sent emails to many places saying I wanted to work, painstakingly looking things up in the dictionary because of my poor English.
Fortunately, I found a place that welcomed me, so I do simple guest-guiding work and am learning scuba diving. Although my travels are paused for a while, I'm living happily doing what I want! I'll work for three months and then set off to be humbled by Africa's vast wilderness.
#Only those who decide and take action can make their dreams come true.
If you have a gap year, I hope you won't hesitate about anything you do! Andwant toIf there is something you want to do, definitely do it! If you keep making excuses and postponing it saying 'I'll do it,' you'll end up missing the opportunity. Only those who make up their minds and take action can achieve their dreams.I want to say that travel doesn't necessarily require long preparation, money, or time. If you go out into the real world and face things, there are always ways!
Don't try to get everything without effort.For example, when hitchhiking, nobody will stop for you if you just stand still on the road. On days when I couldn't get a ride, I danced and sang! Couchsurfing is not just about saving on accommodation; it's a great opportunity to make friends from all over the world!
Don't hesitate because you can't speak English; if you treat them sincerely as friends, they'll treat you sincerely too! (I couldn't speak English at first either, but now I can to some extent!) Hitchhiking and couchsurfing bring precious connections and add another kind of fun to travel, so I strongly recommend trying them.
Hmm, and make sure to have your own unique trip.Relying on blogs to go to the same places and eat the same foods as others... isn't that too boring? Travel guides provided by countless sources are fine, but the people and scenery you encounter in unexpected places become precious, irreplaceable personal memories.
#Now or never.
I hope you'll enjoy the happiness of the present rather than worrying about the future. The future is something that approaches, but the present, once it's gone, won't come back—so trust your present self and be happy.We're still at an age where we have youth as a weapon and can do anything. Don't forget that the one who creates your happiness is no one else but "yourself"!
I support all the dreaming youth of South Korea.Let's go!! Youth!!
