I think that, as with anything, language learning depends on oneself. Results vary widely depending on how hard you work, so rather than blaming a program, it''s wiser to make good use of each program''s strengths. - <Learn Spanish in Santiago, South America''s fastest-growing economy!>, <Learn Spanish in Cusco, on the road to ancient Machu Picchu!> / 6-week gap year |
Participating programs:
- [ April 28, 2014 ~ May 23, 2014 ] Learn Spanish in Santiago, South America''s fastest-growing economy!
- [ May 26, 2014 ~ June 13, 2014 ] Learn Spanish in Cusco, on the road to ancient Machu Picchu!
Q.Please give a brief introduction.
A. It''s very awkward to introduce myself. What should I say? I''m a person who lives believing that the greatest goal in life is to ''be happy.''
Q.What motivated you to choose a South American Spanish program for your gap year among many programs?
A. I''ve wanted to learn Spanish since my early twenties. But it had to take a backseat to English, and I chose the Spanish program thinking that if I kept postponing it day after day I might never start. To be honest, at first I thought I''d go to Spain, Barcelona to learn Spanish. However, my biggest goal for 2014 was to go to the Brazil World Cup, and as always, when you hit the realities of ''time and money'' your plans get adjusted. Even so, I think it was a very good decision — now I feel that time is passing and I''m glad I made that choice.
Q.I imagine going to South America alone as a woman and spending a month on a gap year wouldn''t be easy. Before you joined, weren''t you afraid?
A. As you travel around, it''s easy to spot women carrying large backpacks on their own. If people call South America dangerous, I think it''s a place that can be dangerous for both men and women. Of course, there are things women should be a bit more careful about, but at midnight Seoul and Santiago are equally dangerous, in my view.
Also, I quite enjoy traveling alone. My thoughts about that changed a little while traveling in South America, but fundamentally solo travel is time to talk with yourself.
My gap year has actually been going on for two years. At the end of 2012 I quit the company I''d worked at for nearly seven years and went to Australia on a working holiday. If you ask whether I was afraid before quitting, of course I was — very much so. But I couldn''t know until I tried, and the fear of never doing it and spending my life sitting in front of a computer, confined to that square screen, was greater. Above all, I was not. at. all. happy. I spent a year and a half in Australia. That was my first time living abroad. Before leaving for South America, I was more excited than afraid, anticipating Spanish, Latin culture, and the Brazil World Cup.
Q.What was people''s reaction when you said you were going to South America for a gap year?
A. The reactions varied. Some looked envious, others were seriously worried, saying I was going somewhere dangerous. The most common thing I heard was that South America isn''t safe, so be careful. Even my South American friends repeatedly told me to be careful.
Q.What personal preparations did you make before participating in the gap year?
A. I didn''t prepare anything special. Since the purpose was to learn Spanish, I bought a Spanish book and tried to study it in spare moments, but it didn''t work out well. I regret that a lot. Before joining I vaguely thought, ''I''ll study Spanish hard,'' but once I arrived I realized that if I''d studied more about South America in advance and had basic Spanish before coming, I would have gotten much more out of it.
Q.How was the structure and organization of the Spanish program?
A. When learning a language, as anywhere, it seems to depend more on how hard I work than on the program''s structure and organization. No matter how systematic a school is, if you don''t click with the teacher it''s hard to get into it. The structure and organization of the Santiago and Cusco programs I participated in were very ordinary. One personal regret is that I think it would have been better to attend the Cusco program before Santiago.
Compared with Santiago, Cusco has a curriculum better suited for learning basic Spanish. Also, because Cusco is a tourist city, English is widely understood, and if you don''t know any Spanish at all, it''s good for building up from the basics step by step. On the other hand, the Santiago program provided a better environment for putting learned Spanish into practice and raising your level. The classes move at a fairly fast pace, and students are generally able to handle basic conversations, so it''s perfect for practice. Above all, because the city itself doesn''t have much English, it''s an environment where you can use the Spanish you learned again and again. However, I wouldn''t recommend it for complete beginners with no Spanish.
Q.Stories about people I met during the program or people who left an impression.
A. At the start of my gap year I wasn''t in very good health, and in Santiago I unexpectedly stayed in a homestay instead of a share house, so I couldn''t interact much with people. If I had to pick someone memorable, it would be an Englishwoman named Becky who took the same class. Whenever she had the chance she visited South America and traveled around the region. After taking a Spanish class with me in Santiago for a week, she visited Punta Arenas and a volcano in Chile and now seems to be in Argentina. Taking classes with her—always cheerful—I was able to get information about places like Machu Picchu and Easter Island.
In Cusco I met so many people. I became friends with two Dutch girls named Maris and Helma who shared an apartment with me. They are studying nursing and said they will take part in internships after the Spanish program. In particular, Maris is passionate about wanting to work for the Red Cross in South America and provide psychological counseling to children after finishing her studies in the Netherlands. Also Magda, a German woman who volunteers as a program coordinator at the Cusco school, is a great person.
Meeting people who fill part of their lives with challenges and enjoyment and who move step by step toward their own goals is always inspiring. It also makes me a bit jealous compared to young people in South Korea who, after graduating university, only think about getting a job as the next step.
ⓒKorea Gapyear
Q.What was your leisure life like apart from educational activities?
A. Before leaving for South America I didn''t really think much about traveling. The cost burden of the Brazil World Cup was huge, and I prefer staying in one place for a long time and observing life there rather than backpacking around. But once I arrived in South America, there were so many places I simply had to see. So I hurriedly planned trips.
In Chile I couldn''t take my eyes off the beautiful murals in Valparaiso, about an hour and a half from Santiago, and in Valle Del Elqui—said to be connected to the center of the world—I admired stars pouring overhead. I couldn''t go to the faraway Atacama Desert, but I eased that regret with a two-night, three-day trip to Bolivia''s Uyuni Salt Flats after moving to Cusco.
Aside from travel, I can only say that life in Cusco was more enjoyable. I shook my creaky body taking the free salsa classes held every night, and every evening I went to a small bar near my accommodation to enjoy live performances. Above all, the night view of Cusco is very beautiful. There weren''t many stars visible in the sky, but the clustered houses filling the Andes with lights were as beautiful as starlight, and the quiet narrow alleyways made me feel like I had been taken back several hundred years. Also, Cusco is surrounded by many tourist sites, so it was very easy to enjoy sightseeing on weekends.
Q.What were the difficulties while participating?
A. If I had to pick one difficulty, it was the cold. Both Cusco and Santiago are very cold in the mornings and evenings. I fell asleep shivering from the cold every night and woke up clutching my cold feet. The accommodation in Santiago was fairly good, but because it was a homestay I was very careful about using the kitchen and other people''s belongings. The accommodations in Cusco were not in great condition. People say you can''t expect good lodgings in Cusco, and being a hillside town it was hard to get hot water, so I always had to shiver through showers.
Q.Advantages or disadvantages of the program “Spanish in Santiago, South America''s top-growing economy”?
A. The advantage of the Santiago Spanish program is that the entire environment is Spanish. In Santiago the city itself doesn''t use English much, so you have to use Spanish, and students often come from countries like Italy or Brazil where Spanish is easier than English, so I think it was suitable for improving Spanish skills. The downside is that it''s not a very friendly environment for beginners. In fact, I initially struggled because there wasn''t a class at my level. Also the classes were grammar-focused and moved quickly, so it was hard to find them enjoyable.
The advantage of the Cusco Spanish program was that it proceeded slowly with levels set according to ability, which greatly helped in understanding Spanish. I also liked that the school offered a wide variety of activities. The disadvantage was that English was very prevalent, so it didn''t seem like a great environment to directly practice the Spanish you learned.
But as with anything, especially languages, it depends on the individual. Results vary greatly depending on how much effort you put in, so rather than blaming the program, you need the wisdom to make good use of each program''s strengths.
Q.Advice you want to give friends who will participate in this program, or ''recommended for people like''
A. “Participate. Go no matter what. Never refuse.”
That''s what I want to say. If it''s a place you''ve come to, you should experience everything. You will surely be invited by classmates or housemates: ''Let''s go to a club,'' ''Let''s travel together,'' ''There''s a program we can join...'' We, who are passive and afraid of failure, tend to refuse such offers. But don''t refuse. Even if you can only smile and not say a word, go and sit there! At least say hello. I think language and experience start that way. You won''t know unless you go. Whether you stand against the wall at a club or wrestle with the Wi‑Fi alone at home, both are equally sad and lonely. So if you''re going to do it anyway, shouldn''t you at least enjoy the sights?
There are certainly places that are scary or difficult to go to alone. In those cases having friends to go with is ideal. Europeans and Westerners won''t say things like ''If you asked me one more time I''d go...'' so just say ''yes'' right away.If you have a plan you''ve set for yourself, that''s different, but if you don''t, and you''re not the type to suggest things first, I think you should at least show some timid proactiveness to gain even one more experience.
Q.What changed before and after your gap year?
A. My gap year began at the end of 2012 as mentioned earlier. If I were to name the biggest change between then and now, it''s that at least I am ''happy'' now. Even without a guaranteed job, and even though I''m worried about the future, I want to call it an exciting kind of fear.
There are really many kinds of lives people live in the world. I think they are all seeking happiness in their own ways. Seeing them, I was greatly inspired by their courage to just throw themselves in. Watching those people, things I could never have imagined in Korea—''Could I really become that?''—changed to ''Why not give it a try?''
I''m still fearful, timid, and full of worries. But whereas the old me used to sit at a desk and worry only in my head, the current me seems to be worrying with my whole body while taking trembling steps to seek moments that make me happy.
Q.What does a gap year mean to Shin-hye?
A. They say that when you read a book, that book recommends the next book to read.
When you travel, I think the place you visit points you to the next destination.
Life is the same. Once you just do it, the things you''ll do next seem to become visible.
To me, a gap year is ''taking the plunge''.
To young people living lives of steady, step-by-step progression, I want to say, ''Please, just take the plunge!''
ⓒKorea Gapyear
