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#Courage to face challenges without fear #International friends, a broadened perspective #A proud sense of personal growth
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If there''s someone who, like me, is afraid of new challenges, I truly think you should experience a gap year program at least once!! Of course, one month can seem very short to change yourself.
The start of a fulfilling working holiday! Learn English in Melbourne, Australia Kim O-jinA gapper''s review |
Hello, I''m a 21-year-old university student who''s fallen head over heels for Melbourne, Australia after mustering the courage to come here.
Hello! I''m a 21-year-old university student who did a month of language study in Melbourne and found it hard to leave, haha.
From my senior year of high school during entrance exams through the end of my first year of university, I couldn''t tell whether I was taking classes and this major because I truly liked them or for some other reason. I also often felt I couldn''t be sure about what my future would look like.Up until now I had been living according to pre-established rules, so I didn''t have many opportunities to make independent decisions.
Because of that,I wanted an opportunity in a new environment to take full responsibility for the outcomes of my choices and to experience a sense of achievement, even from small things.After a lot of 고민 over how to put this desire into practice, I learned about Korea Gap Year and visited.
At first it was hard to decide which program to join. But the Korea Gap Year consultant listened to me and recommended several programs. Among them, Melbourne, Australia appealed to me the most, so I chose it!
*For Kim O-jin, a university student who had been worried a lot about her future career and direction, a broader perspective to look at the world was needed.To help Kim O-jin expand her positive outlook, we recommended a customized gap year plan through consulting :) If you want a tailored plan on where and how to start making changes, we strongly recommend 1:1 consulting with a gap year specialist!
A sure way to change your life: Gap year 1:1 consulting
# After breaking through fear and daring to take on a challenge, there''s an excitement sweeter than you expect.
With this opportunity I wanted to gain the courage not to be afraid of challenges. The upcoming newexperiences or opportunities — I hoped to grow into someone who faces them with excitement rather than fear. And since I didn''t want to come back from Melbourne, haha, I feel that I have grown.
I wanted from the start to confidently break the mold and move forward, but honestly I''d never done that before, so I was afraid. In particular, there were many things I didn''t even try because I was scared before I even started.When someone asked me what I liked, I couldn''t answer easily,and I realized a big reason was that I hadn''t challenged myself. So this gap year was all the more precious, and I focused on it wholeheartedly.
# I went to wider places, met more people, and gained a broader perspective!
Trying it out was better than I thought! First of all, making lots of foreign friends, haha, was the best.It wasn''t easy to do that in the city I lived in. But while attending the language school here in Melbourne, I met friends from Thailand, Japan, and other countries.I was able to meet friends from various countries and learn about each country''s culture. In particular, some of the things those friends told me were helpful and encouraging, which I really appreciated.
There was a Japanese woman I met at the language school. She was in her late twenties, had studied nursing in Japan, and had come to Australia to work in a cafe and had already been living here for about a year. During breaks we talked about what we''d do after the course ended. She said she wanted to attend a business-related college in Australia.
At that time, I gained a new perspective on the worries I had about my college major.To be honest, I felt that by the time someone reaches my older sister''s age it would take a lot of courage to try something new, so that choice would never be easy.But after hearing my sister''s plan, my thoughts changed. I felt like I received the courage from her to always take on challenges. The many choices that will come to me no longer felt scary.
On the last day of the academy my sister gave me a small letter and packed some of her favorite snacks to eat on the flight. Although it was a short time, meeting such a nice person became a very precious experience and memory.
Aside from the people I met, I liked the pretty streets of Melbourne! The streets were really beautiful. There were also sights like busking here and there. When I was there the weather was nice, so I remember enjoying leisurely walks down the streets every time.
# I discovered that I''m braver than I thought!
I gained the courage to not be afraid of challenges, as much as I had aimed for. When I first arrived in Australia, just the fact that I had come safely on my own gave me great strength.
It was my first time going abroad alone, so I was very nervous. A month might be a short period, but since it was my first time leaving the country alone, I thought it would be very long and frightening. However,but after finishing the departure procedures and arriving at the homestay, I thought, ''It''s not as big a deal as I thought.'' hahaI gained a small bit of courage that I can accomplish anything in the future! While in Melbourne I also felt the excitement and desire to try more new things. After arriving safely, I thought, ''Living for the next month will be more doable than I thought.''
I also gained the courage to approach people first. In Australia, small talk like greeting and asking how someone is is common even between people who have just met. I thought it was an environment where even someone shy like me could easily make friends. haha
So if someone is afraid of new challenges like I was, I think you should definitely try a gap year program at least once!!Of course, you might think that a month is very short to change yourself.However,during a month, trusting yourself completely, meeting new people, and visiting new places can certainly be an opportunity to gain something you need or learn something about yourself.Even if that opportunity can''t change many things at once.So I really hope you try it!!
Also, if you challenge yourself again, I recommend staying longer than a month!Unlike the first time I went,a month was too short. It felt a bit disappointing because things I hadn''t been able to do came to mind, and I thought I should have tried harder to experience more for another month.Next time, to feel less regret like this, I want to stay longer!
# What is a day like during an English language course in Melbourne, Australia?
I woke up around 6 AM and got ready to go to the academy. I had to take the 7:50 train, so I would have a quick banana at home, then walk to the station and take the train to the academy.At the academy I had classes from morning until 1:15 PM. After class, about three times a week I went into Melbourne city with friends from my class. We spent enjoyable free time trying that friend''s country''s food, shopping, or going to the nearby beach. hahaIn the evenings I ended the day by eating the various cuisines my homestay family had prepared together.
If you come to Melbourne, everywhere is pretty, but I especially recommend Melbourne''s South Yarra River. You can see a great night view in the evening, and if there''s a sunset the scenery is even more beautiful. I visited with a Korean sister I became close to in Australia, and it was the first place in Melbourne where I looked at the scenery and thought ''It''s beautiful.''
I also recommend visiting a place called ''State Library Victoria.'' It''s a Melbourne attraction — when I visited there were tour groups as well. If you go up to the second floor you can see the library below at a glance. It looked like a really exotic library and felt very charming. There are also various exhibits on the upper floors, so it''s worth checking out!
# My personal tips for preparing for a language study in Melbourne, Australia!
I packed carefully using the checklist provided by the gap year program, checking items off one by one, writing down any additional things I needed, and then double-checking the day before departure. I particularly remember preparing medicines and a voltage converter. As a tip, converters can break and you may use several electrical devices, so I recommend bringing at least two. I didn''t bring an electric blanket, and since it was winter in Australia when I went I missed it a bit. I also remember bringing a power strip which was very convenient.
Besides packing, I studied the English I would use locally in advance. I listened to podcasts, read English-language news, and learned English through short-form videos about slang and local culture. I also made efforts like listening to pop songs in daily life so my ear would get used to hearing English all day in Australia. :)
A tip: I think it''s good to bring basic Korean ingredients like kimchi or dried seaweed. Fortunately, my homestay family kindly provided Korean food for me so I could eat it. But such consideration varies by family, and if you have your own supply you can eat it whenever you miss it, so I recommend bringing convenient Korean food!
# My Melbourne, Australia gap year language study was!
Experience ★★★★★
: During the month I feel I had experiences much more valuable than those I could have had in Korea, so I''m very satisfied!!
Learning ★★★★★
: After meeting various people, I feel I learned a lot from them in many areas like life and studies.
Environment ★★★
: Since the homestay was in a residential area quite a distance from the city, the commute to the city was a bit disappointing. Sometimes trains to the city weren''t running which was slightly inconvenient. Aside from that, I was satisfied!
Safety ★★★★
: The homestay was located in a residential area so there aren''t as many people as in the city. Since the night streets are different from Korea, I recommend going out early!! Still, there were two police officers at each train station so I felt safe. haha
Leisure ★★★★
: I was very satisfied because Melbourne has many sights and it''s really nice just to stroll the streets :) .
One downside was that because the cost of living is so high, I couldn''t experience as many things.
Kim O-jinvisitedMelbourne, Australia Language Study Abroad ProjectWant more information?!
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