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#A sense of accomplishment from spending the break productively #Gained guesthouse work experience and communication skills #Satisfied with new friends and new experiences
© Korea gapyear
I watched movies in the guesthouse''s movie area and helped with guest reception, which was an enjoyable experience. I also chatted with guests at the Friday afternoon parties. When foreign guests participated, it was a good opportunity for me since I majored in English. During the break I didn''t have many chances to use English so my skills had stagnated, but this time I used English quite often and feel my conversational ability improved a bit.
Busan, I want to live there :: The passionate second city / 3-week gap year |
My advice on language use in the gap year program
Most guests were traveling with the Naero pass, but there were also quite a few travelers from other Asian countries. Occasionally when foreign guests had questions or requests, being able to communicate in a foreign language would make daily life more enjoyable, I think.
There were especially many guests from Greater China and Japan; if you speak Chinese or Japanese, it will be a valuable experience to make foreign friends during the program. While Korean is used during program activities, there are times outside those hours when you may meet or have to assist foreign guests, so studying a second foreign language would be useful.
Accommodation
- Type of accommodation:Separated by gender
- My advice to future volunteers about the accommodation
Rooms for gappers weren''t fixed, but since the gapper who was there before me was female, I used the same room. During the program they generally didn''t accept guest reservations for our room, so living there wasn''t very inconvenient. Each room has a combined toilet and shower, and each bed has a small light. There are personal slippers and lockers, and an air conditioner that can be used like a heater, so it wasn''t cold. The only inconvenience was that the heater made the room dry easily.
My advice to future volunteers regarding meals
The aunt who cleans the bathrooms prepares a combined breakfast/lunch around 11 and eats with the staff. For dinner you can eat the remaining side dishes and rice, or bread, or make your own. However, there are department stores and many good restaurants nearby, so if you''re a gapper coming to Busan for the first time, I recommend eating the famous local dishes outside for a few days.
Items to bring·Insurance, etc.
- Items that were inconvenient to be without / convenient items:
Items that caused difficulty
SD card reader - There wasn''t a desktop with a built-in SD card reader, so I borrowed one from a friend who was working part-time.
- Convenient items / items that caused trouble:
Convenient items
Body lotion - The room was dry and my skin was dry, so body lotion was very helpful.
- My advice to future volunteers about what to bring
Bring only the essentials. If you need more items later, you can buy them nearby or have them delivered.
And if you''re a gapper using a digital camera, bring a card reader or a USB cable.
After participating in the gap year program
What I liked about the gap year program I participated in·Moments that moved me, things I learned, realizations, etc.
I liked that not only the staff and the aunt, but also the guests I met at the guesthouse were all kind. Even when I made mistakes while cleaning, they gently corrected me so I could stay relaxed and get along well. Especially the staff and manager treated me warmly from the first day I arrived in Busan, which put me at ease. Seeing that, I also tried to naturally talk to people I had never met and to be kind in my interactions.
Were there people you met or spent time with through the gap year program?
Friends who joined the gap year earlier than me and the staff, the part-time friends who worked the counter, an older sister, the manager and an aunt. And the international and domestic guests I met at the party held every Friday evening.
What advice would you give to future participants of the gap year program as a former participant?
Rather than setting big goals, I think setting small goals and accomplishing them one by one is a little tip for enjoying each day of the gap year. A few days after I started the gap year, I made my own checklist and crossed items off one by one. I set easy goals—like going to a restaurant or cafe I wanted to try or tasting a food I wanted to eat—and crossing them off one by one made me feel proud as if I had accomplished something.
I also wrote a brief diary each day reflecting on what I did, which is a good way to remember the gap year. Days pass quickly, so it’s hard to remember where you went or what you did yesterday—so keeping a record is important.
Comparing before and after participating in the gap year program
Many things didn’t change much, but I felt like I made good use of this winter break. I had always let breaks pass by idly and felt regretful, but through this three-week gap year program I made new friends and learned about the overall operations of a guesthouse.
Tell us about your own travel route during the gap year (recommended places, schedule, route)
The places I most recommend are the market and Gamcheon Culture Village. The market is easy to get to on foot from the guesthouse and has a lot to see and eat. There’s a famous Busan fishcake shop, shops selling yubu-pouches, vendors selling red bean porridge and bibim-dangmyeon. You can also easily find imported snacks and baking ingredients.
Before finishing the gap year I ordered fishcakes from the fishcake shop to be delivered home, and when I ate them at home they were plentiful and very delicious. I also bought individually portioned chocolate couverture at the baking supplies store and ate it like a snack—it was cheap and tasty.To get to Gamcheon Culture Village, take bus 87 from Nampo-dong and get off two stops later at Chungmu-dong Intersection, then take the village bus to Gamcheon Village and get off in front of the village. There are murals and many unique shops. It’s much larger than Dongpirang Village in Tongyeong, so it was enjoyable to walk around and look around.
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© Korea gapyear
I learned about the gap year program during the semester and applied for the ''Busan — I Want to Live There'' program. I set the start date for the end of December, but the guesthouse asked if I could start in February, so I had no choice but to spend January at home and head to Busan on February 2. The enthusiasm and passion I had when I first applied had faded, but I was still gripped by the nervousness of going somewhere new.
I took a bus for more than three hours and then rode the subway for 45 minutes to Nampo-dong. As the guesthouse website said, I came out Exit 7 and walked, so I could find it easily. The manager, a friend working part-time, and a gapper who had arrived in December were at the counter. After greeting them and unpacking, the gap year program finally began.
From the next day my routine began with the aunt, another gapper, and the sister who works the counter. Around 10:50 I would come out to sweep the yard and help with sorting the recycling. Then we ate the meal the aunt prepared together, placed the towels used by guests in front of the washing machine on the roof, received a note from the sister listing the rooms to be cleaned, and started cleaning. My tasks were bed-making, arranging slippers, emptying the trash cans, and finally running the vacuum. At first, cleaning took a very long time. Rooms with bunk beds required going up to the top bunk to clean, and going up and down was difficult because I wasn''t used to it. Another gapper finished quickly and took over vacuuming, which made me feel sorry but also much more relieved.
© Korea gapyear
After finishing cleaning, we hung the washed towels and gathered the towels that had been hanging from the previous day and folded them to finish — folding towels was more fun than I expected.
© Korea gapyear
After work I tried doing the things I had set for myself one by one. I went to the market, visited Haeundae, and even went to nearby Yongdusan Park and Gamcheon Culture Village. I took pictures with the digital camera I brought and also with the disposable camera I had ordered while staying at the guesthouse. There was a film-developing shop around Nampo-dong Station, so it was convenient to have my film developed right away.
Later, because the weather was bad and I felt lazy, I didn''t get to go around much. Instead, I watched movies in the guesthouse''s movie space or helped with guest reception, and that was also an enjoyable experience. I also chatted with guests at the party held every Friday afternoon. When foreign guests participated, it was a good opportunity for me since I majored in English. During the break I had few chances to use English and my skills had stagnated, but this time I used English quite often and feel that my conversational ability improved a little.
It was a really short time, but there were many days full of sights, food, and feelings. I achieved most of the goals I set, but I regretted not traveling to many of Busan''s attractions. Also, my original plan was to take day trips outside Busan, but the bus terminal was far and I was busy sightseeing in Busan, so I couldn''t go and that was disappointing.
