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#I developed a positive and healthy set of values #I reflected on myself and received guidance regarding my future career #My heavy heart lightened and I felt a sense of anticipation
After returning from volunteer work in Cambodia, I feel much brighter and lighter than before! Through volunteering, my mind and body have become lighter, and my values seem to have settled more healthily. Through what I felt, learned, and discovered during my gap year, I’ve started to look forward to the days ahead!!
A pleasant and special volunteer activity at a Cambodian convent with foreign friends! Kwon Ji-ah, Gap Year family, gapper (26 years old)
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# I wanted to change myself on my own to become a nurse in the future!
Hello~! I''m Kwon Ji-ah. After resigning from my first job, I struggled a lot with how to live and wandered for a while before applying for a gap year.
Now that I''ve returned from volunteer work in Cambodia, I feel, compared to right after resigning, much brighter and lighter! My mind and body have become lighter, and my values seem to have settled more healthily^^ I went on a one-month gap year volunteering in Cambodia. Although it was only a month, I was surprised I could change this much. I will remember what I learned here in my daily life going forward and live well!
* For Ms. Kwon Ji-ah, who wanted enough rest and to properly set the direction of her life ahead, Activities that allowed her to relax, tailored 1:1 personal missions every day for new experiences and life planning were provided, and a gap year notebook to reflect on herself and make plans was also provided.
# While taking a gap year, I needed time to think at ease.
After I first quit, I had time before rejoining another job, and when I stopped what I had been doing diligently, I didn''t know what to do, and as that worry continued I didn''t know myself. Along with that came a vague anxiety. When the thought that I might not be fit to start another job filled me, I thought that instead of traveling, how about living in another country,A friend recommended a gap year, and I chose it because I thought it would give myself some relaxed time to think.
When I decided to go on this volunteering trip to Cambodia, I had three goals.Clearing my mind, firming up my thoughts, and reflecting on myself were the goals.
Before leaving, I had worries about communication with foreigners and health, but during the one-month preparation period I prepared what I could and departed.For English, I reinforced basics like grammar and tried to pre-think and memorize phrases I might use, and I tried to imagine various likely situations and practice talking to myself a lot.
In particular, doing phone English every morning helped me get used to foreigners'' pronunciation and made initiating conversations feel a bit easier. For health, I got the vaccinations I could and carefully packed the medicines I could bring.
# What were the preparations before departure?
The preparations were not particularly difficult. The reason was that I prepared step by step by referring to the gap year notebook and orientation materials given by the Korean gap year staff. The information provided by the gap year was enough to prepare, and after departure, if I had any questions the local organizations kindly informed me so there were no inconveniences.
# What is a typical day for the Cambodia volunteer project?
On the first day there is an orientation where you receive explanations about local culture and history and information about your tasks. You also discuss with team members and play games to get to know each other. On the second day there is a city tour together, and on the third day you start work at the organization according to the schedule you heard in orientation.
At the organization you receive an explanation about the project; the work was relatively simple but understaffed, and since it was an orphanage there were many children who were emotionally unstable, so I encountered many heartbreaking situations. After work you could freely have personal time!
# Through the gap year in Cambodia, I look forward to how I will grow further through what I felt and learned!
By participating in this volunteer work, I was able to learn and feel more than I expected. In particular, in Korea I thought ''living hard'' was a compliment, but after staying in Cambodia''s more relaxed atmosphere I realized that I had been living too sadly.
I realized that taking more time to look back on myself, rest, and enjoy life is the wiser approach, and that what made me suffer at work was not the environment but my own thoughts. I sometimes think that if I had known this earlier I might have had a better work life, but Still, the things I felt, learned, and discovered here—things I didn''t know then but know now—make me look forward to the days ahead, living in different situations and as a different me!
Positive aspects of the gap year I had while volunteering in CambodiaTo sum up!
1. Being able to have time to myself
2. Through volunteering I could once again realize what I like, and it helped a lot with choosing my career.
3. Rather than dwelling on situations I can''t change, doing my best in what I can is a good approach: During the Cambodia volunteer work, being a specialist in my field made the visible need for improvements more apparent and harder to bear. I realized that intervening or trying to change things would likely be meaningless, so I accepted it and did my best in what I could, and that taught me a lot.
4. It was a time to realize that it''s important to form relationships by seeing the person themselves, not just the relationship dynamics.
A word for those who will participate in Cambodia volunteer activities!
1. Just dive in — take on challenges.
Things you can''t do or find difficult — when you actually try and face them, they may turn out differently than you expected. And the bigger the obstacle, the more you''ll likely experience frustration and failure at first, but you''ll realize you''re growing in some way.
2. Pack as little as possible.
Pack lightly both physically and mentally. Packing with a ''let''s deal with it there'' attitude is better than overpacking from worrying in advance. I spent a month with just one carry-on and had no issues.
3. Try living differently than you would in Korea.
Break away from ''In my old country I''d do it this way''! Challenging versions of myself that aren''t my usual self helped a lot in changing me.
My personal Cambodia travel recommendations!
1. Phnom Penh - Siem Reap Angkor Wat tourVisit Angkor Wat on a roughly 3-night, 4-day itinerary.
2. Phnom Penh - Sihanoukville - Koh Rong islandSihanoukville had too many Chinese tourists and felt overly commercial, so it was less impressive than expected. But once you get to the island the scenery is beautiful and the sunset is really pretty!
3. Phnom Penh - Kep:Not many people know this place, but it has a really relaxing, resort-like vibe, and the sunset at a place called the Sailing Club was amazing!
4. Phnom Penh - KampotIt''s similar to Sihanoukville but feels much less developed. There are various tours, but transportation costs tend to be relatively high.
5. Phnom Penh - Ho Chi MinhYou can get there by bus! You can reach Vietnam without a visa, and Ho Chi Minh was more a place to relax, eat, and unwind than a tourist hotspot. But the different currency can be confusing at first.
6. Recommended spots in Phnom Penh cityEclipse (great skyline view), Sokha Hotel lounge (you can enjoy the night view with just a $3 drink), Toul Tom Poung Brooklyn (the pork ribs are on a whole different level compared to Korea!), Toul Kork amusement park (really cute and pretty), Riverside FCC (you can see photos by foreign correspondents and a nice riverside view), Pizza Company (a pizza place that makes you think ''Cambodian pizza can be this good?''), The Shop (famous for burgers and sells top-quality Belgian chocolate 100g for $6), JOMA (fresh mango smoothies), Russian Market (a really large central market), Silver Pagoda meditation at 6pm on Mon/Thu (locals participate and foreigners often don''t know about it), neighborhood yoga studios or rock-climbing centers offer one-day experiences (great for bonding with hostel friends), and the Killing Fields (uncomfortable but a must-visit).
Cambodia has so many places I highly recommend, and by the time I left I had come to love it and was reluctant to go. I really felt, ''This is why you have to live somewhere to truly know it!'' Also, in May volunteer organizations have so many holidays so you can travel a lot, but if there are fewer holidays it might be hard to visit nearby places. For islands, I think 3 nights is best. My hostel friends even said I travel a lot, but I have no regrets for all the places I visited. Make sure to enjoy your trip!
# My gap year tips!
- Language
: At volunteer organizations, Cambodian is the everyday language rather than English, so even if you can speak English, communication may sometimes not be smooth.
- Accommodation
: Considering the circumstances of Cambodia, I think it''s a relatively good place to stay!
- Meals
: Meals are provided for every meal, and at the accommodation foods that are not strongly flavored with local tastes are offered to accommodate foreign participants. However, since food costs are $3–4 and cheaper than in our country, trying various local foods can be a good experience. I was especially surprised that the pizza bought outside was very delicious. Finding good places to eat was also a lot of fun!
- What to bring
: You don''t need to bring too many items. At first you may feel inconvenienced by not having certain things, but most major inconveniences can be solved by buying items locally or using substitutes. I brought a hair dryer and fine-dust masks and used them well, and because I went thinking it was volunteer work I only packed clothes I could throw away, but you''ll often hang out with friends or go to parties, so it''s good to bring a few nice outfits too! haha
My gap year was
Experience★★★★★
: Through various experiences, I learned how I should change my former self.
Learning★★★★★
: I learned a lot from hearing foreign friends'' thoughts, and I gained many insights from observing life in another country.
Environment★★★★★
: Living locally helped me understand the local feelings and culture, and I realized that, in the end, it''s a place where people live — so I was able to return without any particular problems; it was a good environment for me.
Safety★★
Leisure★★★★★
: If you''ve been living a hectic life in Korea, be sure to deliberately relax! It was a great time to enjoy leisure.
that Ms. Kwon Ji-ah visited Volunteer project information at a Cambodian conventIf you''d like to learn more?!
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