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#Letting go of impatience and becoming a more positive person #An experience of encountering Africa's vast wilderness and making great friends #Excitement and confidence from finding agency in life
The Namibia truck trip I took because I vaguely felt a need for a change in my life allowed me to experience many things. It allowed me to experience them. The vast African wilderness I saw for the first time was so impressive, and the friends I traveled with By having many conversations with the friends throughout the trip, I was able to let go of my impatience and my habit of worrying.
The beginning of my African adventure: Namibia truck trip Hwang Ye-jin, gap-year traveler (21 years old)
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# Hello! I''m 21-year-old Hwang Ye-jin!
Hello! I''m 21-year-old Hwang Ye-jin, a student at UNIST. I took a semester off due to concerns about my career and life direction, and I did various activities including an African truck trip (trucking).
*For Hwang Ye-jin, who wanted time to properly set her future career and the direction of her life,activities that offered unique challenges, tailored 1:1 personal missions about life planning were provided daily, and a gap-year notebook to reflect on oneself and make plans was also provided.
# I had long felt that I needed a change.
I had long felt that I needed a change. I also wanted to rest. So I took a leave of absence, but rather than just lazing around, I wanted to have meaningful experiences.Especially since I hadn''t traveled abroad since elementary school, I decided to take on the challenge of traveling alone this time.
So while searching online, I found the ''Africa Namibia Truck Trip Project'' on Korea Gap Year, which appealed to me because it allowed me to experience fun and challenging camping + an African tour + a truck trip all at once, so I applied.
# I was excited that it was my first trip abroad and that I was going to Africa!
I was excited that it was my first trip abroad and that I was going to Africa.As it was my first challenge I was worried, but I thought there was no point in worrying about things that haven''t happened, so I prepared with a calm mind.
In particular, I prepared in detail by reading the materials provided by Gap Year and by searching online myself. I prepared little by little for about two months. I diligently got my vaccinations starting about a month beforehand, and I made a list focusing on items I didn''t have at home and bought them all at once. Also, checking in online about two days earlier helped at the airport! :)
# The goal of my gap year this time was to recharge and rediscover myself!
Through this African truck trip, I wanted to become someone who can appreciate the positive things in small moments.
In the past, my daily life was dull and I felt numb to everything, so there was no joy. Especially after pushing through three years of high school and one year of university, I became burned out and lacked the drive to move forward.
So my goal for the Africa truck trip was to recharge and rediscover myself.I thought it would be good to rest deeply and regain a sense of ease, while also discovering my strengths and growing through experiences that challenged me and were different from everyday life.
During the African truck trip, seeing people''s positive and open mindsets helped me let go of my impatience and worries.Also, even when it wasn''t their own problem, the way people helped and gave to one another felt very warm and made me reflect on myself.
In Namibia there is a plant called the acacia tree that looks like a thorny bush. This plant has very sharp, pointed thorns to adapt to the dry, hot climate and the environment with many wild animals nearby. Because the soles of my sneakers were thin, many thorns unknowingly embedded themselves in my shoes, and at one point I felt a stinging sensation and found that many thorns had pierced in deeply. I couldn''t buy new shoes and still had a long way to go on the itinerary, so I was in a difficult situation. But Thomas from Switzerland said he could fix it and removed the thorns one by one with his pocketknife.
My feet were sweaty and my shoes must have been dirty, but he helped wholeheartedly without caring, and I was truly grateful beyond words.I left the country alone, but I was so happy to have met great friends of various nationalities with whom I could share memories during the trip.
# My horizons expanded through a truck trip in Africa!
And truly, this experience broadened my horizons.I had been trapped in the way I lived and thought, imposing limits on myself, but through this truck trip I feel like I found ownership of my life.I, who used to be indifferent, have become more curious and now spend thrilling days planning what I''ll do next.
Even if the same hardships arise, I went to Namibia by myself, and I developed an attitude of ''this is nothing,'' so I can act with confidence. As a result,My worries naturally decreased and I''m using that time to try to move forward. I really think it was a precious experience! :)
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