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#I forgot the difficult reality and recharged #Stories of the lives of various people #I feel like I had a vacation with no regrets
© Korea gapyear
For me, participating in a gap year was a big adventure. Above all, I had no information about gap years, and next year I''ll be a senior and felt a heavy burden of having to prepare for major exams. Still, I thought I might not have the chance to join a program like this if not now, so I applied for the program during the semester.
- Busan, I want to live there, a passionate second city / 8-week gap year |
- My personal advice on language use in the gap year program (methods for prior study, etc.)
I think one’s attitude is the most important.
- My advice as a participant for future volunteers regarding what to bring
There aren’t any particularly missing items. Also, there are plenty of places nearby where you can easily buy what you need, so there’s no need to worry.
■ After participating in the gap year program
Through the gap year program I participated in: What I liked·Things that moved me, what I learned, realizations, etc.
First of all, I loved being able to stay long-term in places I wanted to visit and go around as I pleased. It was a different feeling from visiting famous places in a day or two. I also enjoyed meeting many wonderful people at the guesthouse — both the staff I worked with and the kind guests. The best part was being able to hear the stories of diverse people. It was great to be able to hear, in one place, stories from people of different nationalities, different ways of thinking, and varied experiences.
If there are people you met through the gap year program or people you spent time with
There was an older guy and a friend who stayed at the same guesthouse, the manager (an older sister and brother), and some part-timers. Fortunately, the gap year participants and the part-timers were all around the same age and had nice personalities, so it seems we enjoyed spending time together even outside the guesthouse.
As a previous participant, my advice to future participants of the gap year program would be
Since it’s a long-term trip, one’s personal attitude is important. Come with a light heart, but it would be good to have some idea of how you plan to spend your time here. Also, to gain many experiences, I hope you’ll take on new activities with an open mind.
If you compare before and after participating in the gap year program
Until now I’d never spent a vacation moving around so actively and meeting so many people, but I think I spent this vacation quite energetically. And it was even better because I left many good memories.
Please tell us about your personal travel route during the gap year (recommended places, schedule, route)
My accommodation was in Nampo-dong, so with a short walk or a quick bus ride you can get around to various places. I recommend Gamcheon Culture Village and the Dongbaekseom (Dongbaek Island) walking trail.
© Korea gapyear
I first learned about gap years while attending a class at school. It was during an education practicum course, and I learned that it’s a system implemented in countries besides the UK where the state includes a process in the curriculum that lets students directly experience their career paths to help with career exploration. After taking that class I grew interested in gap years, and while I was searching by chance I came across a site called ''Korea Gapyear.''
© Korea gapyear
For me, participating in a gap year was a big adventure. Above all, I had no information about gap years, and next year I''ll be a senior and felt a heavy burden of having to prepare for major exams. Still, I thought I might not have the chance to join a program like this if not now, so I applied for the program during the semester.
© Korea gapyear
My reason for applying to this gap year wasn’t that grand. I didn’t come with a traveler’s mindset to visit all of Busan’s attractions and famous restaurants and spend a month or two sightseeing.I just thought I needed some time to rest after a difficult third year.But after living there for a day or two, I realized I had more time than I expected. Thinking it was a vacation that wouldn’t come again, I worried about how to use such a large amount of time besides traveling. So the next day I bought a book to study for the TOEIC that I had postponed and signed up for a gym. I also walked around the neighborhood briefly, and when that wasn’t possible I spent time meeting guests at the guesthouse or talking with friends.
The thing I felt most during the gap year was that "everyone is ready to tell their own story."I wanted to become a teacher and thought it’s a profession that requires varied experiences, so I liked that by talking with guests I could immediately hear about diverse lives and thoughts and gain vicarious experiences. At first it was unfamiliar and a bit embarrassing to strike up conversations with strangers. But it didn’t take much effort to hear so many stories. Even short questions like "How’s the weather today?", "Are you here alone?", or "Where did you go?" led guests to kindly and happily share their stories. Maybe because they were travelers, I heard really good stories from really good people. That made living in Busan without knowing anyone feel not lonely.
Spending nearly two months in Busan, which, depending on how you look at it, felt both short and long.
I still have many regrets, like ''I should have been busier getting around... I should have enjoyed it more...''.
However, I think this was the most regret-free vacation I''ve had.
