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#A self-directed life with confidence and composure #Nursing skills, dreams, courage #Growth through regret-free challenges
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Before taking a gap year, I was very timid, passive, and indecisive.
Medical volunteering in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, treating children that anyone can do Review by Kim Min-seon, a Korea GapYear Participant |
# Hello! I’m a nursing student who went to Cambodia and focused on my dreams and my heart.
Hello! My name is Kim Min-seon, and I am a second-year nursing student.
Since I entered nursing school, I’ve found it really difficult to adapt to the school environment. My studies and friendships felt ambiguous, and I started to doubt whether I could really become a nurse. My grades were slipping too. Because of this, I often felt like just taking a leave of absence and giving up. I wanted to regain control of those feelings through volunteering abroad.
* As a nursing student with deep concerns, Kim Min-sun wanted to become a more motivated person, so we introduced a customized program that could help her in various ways. If you have concerns about your career or aspects of yourself that you want to actively change, you can receive detailed counseling!
>> Korea GapYear What's App Counseling
# Breaking through hesitation and just trying it out, I found there was no regret.
I left with the mindset of 'Don't hesitate, just try it.' I tend to be quite fearful and passive. I wanted to change that part of my personality. So when other friends asked, "Where do you want to go?" I just followed along. Whenever I thought, "Should I go there?" I just went for it. Haha By trying to break out of my own shell, I ended up meeting a lot of people as I traveled around. So I have no regrets.
# Day by day, I discovered my skills and developed my own lifestyle.
When I think about what I liked the most, it was really great to be able to practice the skills I learned in the hospital. From the first day, I was asked to change an IV, and since it was still the first day, I said I would watch and learn. They really guided me around, showing me where the medications, equipment, and supplies were, and they slowly taught me everything so that I could do it myself starting the next day. And from the next day, I was able to draw blood in front of the medical staff, replace catheters, change IVs, and I got to practice muscle injections and dressings a lot! When I go back to school, I really feel like I will be able to do well. On the last day, I did blood draws about 5 to 6 times, and I succeeded every time!! So I felt great all day long.
Also, I met many friends who left a lasting impression on my memories and heart. My roommates are the first that come to mind. On the first day, I did orientation with two French friends, and we explored together. We went to the market and tried new foods (I even tried spider... haha!), and they helped translate and exchanged social media contacts with me. I was worried about being the only Korean, but I really appreciated that those friends thought of me, so I didn’t feel lonely.
And I had a French friend who was 18 years old. He seemed a bit cold and stiff, but one day I saw him crying alone on the first floor. He always looked tense and anxious because he was so young, and I think he misunderstood my cold demeanor. I still feel sorry for not being there for him.
On my way to Siem Reap, I met a same-age Cambodian student in a tuk-tuk, and I really remember our conversation. Even though it was brief, we got along well since we were the same age and had similar majors in the medical field. It was fun talking about how things are in Korea and Cambodia.
In fact, during the first week, I struggled a bit because I was the only Korean and felt out of place among my French friends. However, I started to feel more comfortable and relaxed being on my own! Sometimes I hung out with my French friends too. I think I felt pressured to get along with everyone. Once I broke free from that pressure, I quickly found my balance and ended up meeting even more diverse people :)
# I gained not only confidence in my major but also a sense of ease!
Before taking a gap year, I was timid, passive, and often hesitant. Now that I’ve returned from my gap year, I not only have confidence in my major but also a sense of ease. It was truly a wonderful experience. I woke up early in the morning to work, and after work, I freely explored and visited restaurants, met people, and even traveled alone, finding my own way of life.
In addition to confidence and ease, I gained three things from this gap year.
First is a dream! Through this experience, I developed a strong desire to become a nurse. Furthermore, I realized that later in life, when I am older or if I take a break for a few years, I would like to try being a travel writer.
The second is experience!! I believe I’ve gained valuable experiences, not only in preparing to become a nurse but also in talking with my peers and getting to know myself better.
Finally, there’s courage!!! The thought of “Why not just give it a try?” has really helped me a lot.
In fact, after returning from my gap year, I thought I had simply become more relaxed and gained the courage to go anywhere alone. However, when I met the owner of the store where I worked part-time after a long time, they said I’ve really changed a lot. They mentioned that I looked brighter and more cheerful, which was nice to see . I’ve always been shy and cautious, but seeing my new, tied-back hairstyle, I’ve come to like myself more. :)
One day before I left for Korea, a new Korean friend joined the medical volunteer program in Cambodia. Although they had only been in Korea for about a week, I still keep in touch with that friend. I want to share the advice I gave them on their departure day with the next participants.
I hope you won’t be afraid of being alone and that you’ll work hard during your time in the hospital. It seems that all the volunteers at the accommodation travel either individually or together on weekends, so it’s perfectly fine to go with a friend or go solo. I hope you get to go on a trip at least once.
# My daily routine during the medical volunteer work in Cambodia!
I wake up around 7 AM, wash my face, and get ready to go out. I stayed on the third floor, and since we had to share one bathroom among three rooms, I had to be a bit cautious about timing my trips to the bathroom. Hehe. Once I finished getting ready, I put on my hospital uniform and left around 8 AM to work until 11:30 AM. On busy days, I sometimes worked until 1 or 2 PM.
Around 2 PM, I came back, had lunch, and since it was hot, I took a shower and rested for a bit. From 3 PM, I went out for a walk. While I was outside, I visited some great restaurants and shopped at a large mall nearby. I walked along the river and even went to a water park. As dinner time approached, I had a meal outside and returned to my accommodation around 7 to 8 PM. Once back, I organized my day, read a book, and then went to sleep.
Generally, I tend to take short trips over the weekend. However, I decided to go on a long trip. I visited Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Koh Rong, and Kampot over ten days. When I was in Kampot, it rained a lot, so I couldn't go canoeing, which was a pity. If you go there, I hope you'll visit the pepper farm in Kampot. It’s great for buying souvenirs or gifts, and the pepper farm is really large, with cooking classes available. Also, the Angkor Wat in Siem Reap is really too much to see in just one day, so I recommend getting a three-day pass and visiting for two or three days to catch both the sunrise and sunset. When I went to see the sunrise, it was cloudy, and I felt a bit disappointed. Just relaxing on Koh Rong would also be a wonderful experience.
By the way, if you're planning to go on a long trip like me, make sure to discuss it with the local coordinator before you go. (*This is super important!!!) After a lot of consideration, I chose to travel instead of going to the hospital for about a week, but my experiences at the hospital were also incredibly valuable and memorable. I hope you think it over deeply and make a good choice!
# My Tips for Preparing for a Medical Volunteer Gap Year in Cambodia!
In fact, I had a lot of worries about participating in this project. I had only traveled abroad once when I was in middle school with my family, and I had never traveled alone even to nearby places. But going abroad alone, especially to Cambodia...! I was really worried, anxious, and hesitant before I applied.
I had a lot of worries, so I prepared thoroughly before I went. I got vaccinated for everything from typhoid to hepatitis B and yellow fever. I packed a ton of stuff like instant rice, porridge, kimchi, braised meat, mosquito nets, and tissues, and I even ended up paying for excess baggage at the airport. I also brought a month's worth of medicine, along with general over-the-counter drugs like cold medicine, digestive aids, pain relievers, band-aids, and ointments, so I wouldn’t have to worry about getting sick. I made sure to prepare my visa and flight tickets in advance. Since I didn’t have a passport, I got that issued first before I left.
Despite all my hesitation, the reason I took the plunge was that I felt frustrated thinking about how I would hesitate again in the future if I hesitated now with other challenges. Since I had made up my mind, I wanted to take a bold step and give it a shot. Now that I've accomplished everything and returned, I feel proud of myself :)
# My Gap Year Medical Volunteer Experience in Cambodia!
Experience ★★★★★
: It was a wonderful experience to actually practice the skills I learned at school. Not only the skills but also communicating with patients left a lasting impression on me!
Learning ★★★★
: I was able to relearn and experience the skills firsthand!
Environment ★★★★
: The environment of Cambodia itself was much better than I expected. I was worried about pickpockets, but I didn't see any. However, I was a bit upset that the tuk-tuk drivers often inflated the fares. The hospital environment in Cambodia is not very good. It became an opportunity for me to experience and reflect on the different healthcare environment compared to Korea.
Safety ★★★★
: I never felt scared of people. As long as you are careful with traffic, you should be fine. The sidewalks are not well maintained, and there are a lot of motorcycles, so it seems dangerous to walk around.
Leisure ★★★★★
: Usually, I would take a day or two off and with the weekend combined, I had about four days to relax and travel every week! Plus, there was a big shopping mall nearby, so when it got hot, I would go in there to cool off.
If you're curious about more information on the Medical Volunteer Project in Cambodia that Kim Min-seon participated in,
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