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#I became more at ease with myself #Reflection on what I truly want to do #Freedom from the path others have set
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My goal was to find some calm about myself and decide which direction to take in life. To step away from the path others have set and escape the pressure that I must always be doing something. It was a great experience where I could freely think and consider what I truly want to do!!
Recharging warm love with the children in Hanoi, Vietnam Son Ji-seon, gapper (24 / university student) / two-month overseas volunteer gap year |
# Hello, I am a 24-year-old university student currently on leave to take a short break.
Hello. I''m Son Ji-seon, a 24-year-old university student on leave, a second-year nursing student. I''ll start hospital clinical rotations next year.I felt that once I started clinicals, I''d be living even more breathlessly and wouldn''t have time to reflect on myself — I''d just keep moving forward.I still didn''t know what I wanted to do, and I hadn''t formed a judgment about what the right way to live was.I suddenly felt that now was my last chance to hit the brakes!
Before leaving for my gap year, I wasn''t as worried about going abroad as I thought I would be. I realized that rather than worrying before making decisions, my personality is to decide first and throw myself into things. This was one of the things I discovered about myself during the gap year.Because I knew nothing, I think I was able to take on the challenge more bravely!
# I thought about which direction my future self should take.
My goal was to find some calm about myself and decide which direction to head in. I also wanted to gain confidence in my major.It was about setting a turning point in my life.I had thought about changing my major if I still wasn''t confident after the gap year, but now I don''t regret choosing my major.I think I''ve decided, overall, which direction I want to go!
# A typical day of volunteer work in Vietnam!
From Monday to Thursday, I worked by choosing either a morning or an afternoon shift.I left around 8:40 AM, took the bus to the hospital where I worked; work started at 9:30 and ended around 11:15. There was a break until 2:30 PM; at first, because it took a long time to get back to the volunteer house, we often ate near the hospital. Later, I would return to the volunteer house to have lunch and take a nap before coming back. I found that to be better! The afternoon shift was from 2:30 to 4:15, finishing around 4:30, and I''d get home around 5:20.
When working, the local volunteers help a lot with communication, so you don''t need to worry too much. If you learn basic conversational phrases, you''ll be able to get close to the volunteers quickly!
# I met such a wide variety and number of people that I felt lucky.
I met many people during the project, and there are so many memorable people.
First of all the young friends who were taking a gap yearI remember this. Watching friends who said they''d travel after graduating high school—not to go to university or get a job, but because they wanted to find out what they wanted to do or because it looked cool—I felt a kind of leisure in life I had never experienced.They were the friends who all answered ''of course'' when asked if they would have another chance in life to travel for such a long time.
Secondly,friends who work at NGOsI remember. Because they worked at NGOs, it wasn''t about money but...they had a firm personal definition of happiness and confidence in the field they worked in.I also thought that I would like to work as an NGO activist someday.
Finally,people who are confident in their opinionsI met them too. Although they were younger than me, I was surprised and learned a lot watching people who spoke fluently about politics, human rights, and social issues. Besides them,friends working at refugee centers, friends who became vegetarians for animal rightsand I met various others; it was a good opportunity to exchange opinions about what they were thinking.
As I became more at ease with myself, I also became more at ease with others.
I became more relaxed about myself.Previously, I felt a lot of pressure and burden that ''I have to do something.'' Through the gap year, I realized that I''m a bright, adventurous person and''Let''s live like a person.''I developed this personal value. As I became more at ease with myself, being more relaxed about other people came naturally.It wasn''t about being a machine that had to do something; it was a great opportunity to step away from the path others set for a while and freely think about and try what I really wanted to do!
# One piece of advice for future gap year participants!
Don''t overthink things before starting your gap year.During the gap year, it''s okay to act like a completely different person.That''s fine, so don''t worry about what others think and have the courage to try everything you want to. Then you''ll discover sides of yourself you didn''t know before.Focus more on yourself.
AndIf you come to Vietnam for volunteer work, travel a lot while volunteering! Travel as much as possible!You can see truly beautiful scenery that you couldn''t see in Korea. Andit''s a great opportunity to pick up hobbies for spending your free time.There is more free time than you might think. It''s perfect for starting things you couldn''t do before because you cared about others'' opinions, worried about money, or thought you couldn''t do them. In my case, I started indoor climbing, which became a great source of energy for my life in Vietnam!
# My personal tips for preparing for volunteering abroad in Vietnam!
- Language
: There are actually many people who use English. While English skills are important, I think mindset is just as important.Even if you make mistakes, I think it''s best to just say it. Trying to be confident whenever I felt intimidated by my lack of English helped me a lot in adapting!
- Accommodation & Meals
: I stayed in accommodation provided by the organization. Each person was given a bunk bed and a small cabinet. The meals were rice-based, which I really liked!
- Supplies
: For supplies, it will be helpful to refer to the checklist provided by Korea Gap Year and make your own list in a notebook. It''s convenient to bring mosquito repellent and ointment for bites. And If you bring accessories that are distinctively Korean, they''ll make thoughtful gifts. I once felt awkward because I wanted to give something when saying goodbye to people but had nothing to give.
My volunteer gap year in Hanoi, Vietnam was:
Experience ★★★★★
: When you live in a completely different country with people from all over the world, you gain a lot of experience.
Learning ★★★★★
: The greatest lessons come from the people.Talking with people from diverse backgrounds has challenged my own thinking. It also gives you a chance to build confidence in the language. Because you''re with various people, you meet many who speak English naturally, so even on an overseas volunteer trip you can awaken your sense for the language!
Environment ★★★
: I think you don''t need to worry much about hygiene because there are people who help clean this place.
Safety ★★★
: This was my second gap year and I was satisfied with the safety. I never really worried about crime, and because the Vietnamese staff lived in the same volunteer house, I felt safe. However, be careful with traffic! When crossing the road, never run — cross confidently.
Leisure★★★★★
: There is plenty of free time. I recommend checking in advance what sports facilities are near the office and what hobbies you can pursue.
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My goal was to find some calm about myself and decide which direction to take in life. To step away from the path others have set and escape the pressure that I must always be doing something. It was a great experience where I could freely think and consider what I truly want to do!!
Recharging warm love with the children in Hanoi, Vietnam Son Ji-seon, gapper (24 / university student) / two-month overseas volunteer gap year |
# Hello, I am a 24-year-old university student currently on leave to take a short break.
Hello. I''m Son Ji-seon, a 24-year-old university student on leave, a second-year nursing student. I''ll start hospital clinical rotations next year.I felt that once I started clinicals, I''d be living even more breathlessly and wouldn''t have time to reflect on myself — I''d just keep moving forward.I still didn''t know what I wanted to do, and I hadn''t formed a judgment about what the right way to live was.I suddenly felt that now was my last chance to hit the brakes!
Before leaving for my gap year, I wasn''t as worried about going abroad as I thought I would be. I realized that rather than worrying before making decisions, my personality is to decide first and throw myself into things. This was one of the things I discovered about myself during the gap year.Because I knew nothing, I think I was able to take on the challenge more bravely!
# I thought about which direction my future self should take.
My goal was to find some calm about myself and decide which direction to head in. I also wanted to gain confidence in my major.It was about setting a turning point in my life.I had thought about changing my major if I still wasn''t confident after the gap year, but now I don''t regret choosing my major.I think I''ve decided, overall, which direction I want to go!
# A typical day of volunteer work in Vietnam!
From Monday to Thursday, I worked by choosing either a morning or an afternoon shift.I left around 8:40 AM, took the bus to the hospital where I worked; work started at 9:30 and ended around 11:15. There was a break until 2:30 PM; at first, because it took a long time to get back to the volunteer house, we often ate near the hospital. Later, I would return to the volunteer house to have lunch and take a nap before coming back. I found that to be better! The afternoon shift was from 2:30 to 4:15, finishing around 4:30, and I''d get home around 5:20.
When working, the local volunteers help a lot with communication, so you don''t need to worry too much. If you learn basic conversational phrases, you''ll be able to get close to the volunteers quickly!
# I met such a wide variety and number of people that I felt lucky.
I met many people during the project, and there are so many memorable people.
First of all the young friends who were taking a gap yearI remember this. Watching friends who said they''d travel after graduating high school—not to go to university or get a job, but because they wanted to find out what they wanted to do or because it looked cool—I felt a kind of leisure in life I had never experienced.They were the friends who all answered ''of course'' when asked if they would have another chance in life to travel for such a long time.
Secondly,friends who work at NGOsI remember. Because they worked at NGOs, it wasn''t about money but...they had a firm personal definition of happiness and confidence in the field they worked in.I also thought that I would like to work as an NGO activist someday.
Finally,people who are confident in their opinionsI met them too. Although they were younger than me, I was surprised and learned a lot watching people who spoke fluently about politics, human rights, and social issues. Besides them,friends working at refugee centers, friends who became vegetarians for animal rightsand I met various others; it was a good opportunity to exchange opinions about what they were thinking.
As I became more at ease with myself, I also became more at ease with others.
I became more relaxed about myself.Previously, I felt a lot of pressure and burden that ''I have to do something.'' Through the gap year, I realized that I''m a bright, adventurous person and''Let''s live like a person.''I developed this personal value. As I became more at ease with myself, being more relaxed about other people came naturally.It wasn''t about being a machine that had to do something; it was a great opportunity to step away from the path others set for a while and freely think about and try what I really wanted to do!
# One piece of advice for future gap year participants!
Don''t overthink things before starting your gap year.During the gap year, it''s okay to act like a completely different person.That''s fine, so don''t worry about what others think and have the courage to try everything you want to. Then you''ll discover sides of yourself you didn''t know before.Focus more on yourself.
AndIf you come to Vietnam for volunteer work, travel a lot while volunteering! Travel as much as possible!You can see truly beautiful scenery that you couldn''t see in Korea. Andit''s a great opportunity to pick up hobbies for spending your free time.There is more free time than you might think. It''s perfect for starting things you couldn''t do before because you cared about others'' opinions, worried about money, or thought you couldn''t do them. In my case, I started indoor climbing, which became a great source of energy for my life in Vietnam!
# My personal tips for preparing for volunteering abroad in Vietnam!
- Language
: There are actually many people who use English. While English skills are important, I think mindset is just as important.Even if you make mistakes, I think it''s best to just say it. Trying to be confident whenever I felt intimidated by my lack of English helped me a lot in adapting!
- Accommodation & Meals
: I stayed in accommodation provided by the organization. Each person was given a bunk bed and a small cabinet. The meals were rice-based, which I really liked!
- Supplies
: For supplies, it will be helpful to refer to the checklist provided by Korea Gap Year and make your own list in a notebook. It''s convenient to bring mosquito repellent and ointment for bites. And If you bring accessories that are distinctively Korean, they''ll make thoughtful gifts. I once felt awkward because I wanted to give something when saying goodbye to people but had nothing to give.
My volunteer gap year in Hanoi, Vietnam was:
Experience ★★★★★
: When you live in a completely different country with people from all over the world, you gain a lot of experience.
Learning ★★★★★
: The greatest lessons come from the people.Talking with people from diverse backgrounds has challenged my own thinking. It also gives you a chance to build confidence in the language. Because you''re with various people, you meet many who speak English naturally, so even on an overseas volunteer trip you can awaken your sense for the language!
Environment ★★★
: I think you don''t need to worry much about hygiene because there are people who help clean this place.
Safety ★★★
: This was my second gap year and I was satisfied with the safety. I never really worried about crime, and because the Vietnamese staff lived in the same volunteer house, I felt safe. However, be careful with traffic! When crossing the road, never run — cross confidently.
Leisure★★★★★
: There is plenty of free time. I recommend checking in advance what sports facilities are near the office and what hobbies you can pursue.
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