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#Regained confidence, more positive attitude #Overcame fear of speaking English #Learned to love myself as I am
''I''m a better person than I knew, better than I thought.''I had that thought.I gained confidence in myself and was able to set higher and broader goals.
Let''s stop stressing about English! Learn English while enjoying ourselves in Cebu!
Yoo Min-hee, gap year participant (gapper) (24, university student) / 6-week gap year |
I wanted to gain confidence in myself.
Hello!! I''m 24-year-old ''Yoo Min-hee,'' who wants to work as a customs broker, traveling the wide ports. I''m a university student, currently preparing for the customs broker exam.
Recently I''ve become very interested in English speaking and watching travel YouTube videos. In two years, I plan to sling a backpack and go on a world trip. (2020–2021)
The reason I joined the project was that there was nothing to make me laugh,I couldn''t even find things to laugh about. I wanted to bring change to myself, who was filled with anxiety about the future.I felt that if I did this project now, everything I do in the future would be better than now. I also thought that experiencing a gap year would let me proceed on the path I chose with more confidence. I wanted to discover a different version of myself and gain confidence in myself.I needed reassurance that I am doing well enough and that I will be able to do well in the future.
For Yoo Min-hee, who wanted new experiences and to regain self-esteem, missions for self-reflection, missions to view herself objectively, and customized 1:1 personal missions for new experiences and challenges were provided daily, and a gap year notebook was also provided to reflect on herself and make plans.
At first, everyone thinks that way.
I had a lot of worries before leaving. It was my first time going abroad. (I got my passport this year.)
Even right up until boarding the plane I couldn''t quite believe it. Moreover... I had heard that security was not as good as in Korea... so I was very anxious. Thinking ''it''ll be fine,'' I went through things one by one, and before I knew it I had arrived at the place where the project was being held. It was difficult and I was very lacking, butAt first, everyone thinks that way. They''re just hiding it. There are more people who help you and good people than you think, so I hope you find the courage.
I wanted to make myself a bit stronger through this gap year. If I continued living like this, I felt I might even lose the confidence I was barely holding onto. I also had an experimental spirit. ''Can I really do things like this? Is there a side of me I didn''t know?''
Becoming someone who can greet others cheerfully first, not shrinking back. Discovering my own good points. Expressing likes and dislikes. Trying things in Korea I hadn''t tried but wanted to. There are so many. Just!! Living in a new place!! I think that''s the most accurate way to put it.Then I was sure that I could approach everything I''m preparing for in the future brightly, positively, and confidently.
I didn''t have any special preparations before leaving; I prepared by looking over the materials provided by Gap Year for the project. I''m prone to minor ailments, so I packed medicine very carefully.
A typical day in the Philippines
From Monday to Friday there are classes until 5 pm. After 5 pm, we have dinner and sometimes go out briefly with friends. Many students rest or finish up studies they couldn''t do earlier.
I just spent time with friends. Just walking, going to a nearby cafe, going to the supermarket. Things that are nothing in Korea were so happy and enjoyable. Just going to the nearby market, riding the jeepney, going to Starbucks, going out for ice cream, things like that.
I spent a lot of time sitting around the pool with my friends. We drank beer and did simple, small things that I wanted to do at the time and that made me happy.
For example, having dinner and taking the jeepney to go to Starbucks for coffee was one of the big plans for me and my friends. ^^ (I didn''t take taxis; I mostly rode jeepneys. ^^)
Friends I met locally
Being able to laugh and chatter so happily with foreign friends. We talked so much that I can''t mention it all.I don''t think I can. In the process of talking with friends, I was able to learn their ways of thinking—approaching first and greeting...Through having conversations I gained confidence and was able to meet good people.
Personally, there was a time when my roommate and I had many misunderstandings due to a lack of communication. Then, by chance while sitting together, we began to candidly share stories about our lives in our respective countries. Stories about family, life in our twenties, worries about the future. I thought my English was terribly clumsy, but as we kept talking I was able to say a lot.
We were the same age, and there were more than a few similarities. She had a younger brother, she was the eldest daughter, and had grown up under a patriarchal father''s upbringing, so there were many commonalities. She had even dropped out of the university she had been attending and enrolled in a new school to pursue what she wanted. It also seemed that she had to overcome others'' opposition when making that choice.
Having gone through similar situations, we both felt we should live better and work hard. Despite being of different nationalities, it was amazing that we could be this similar, and I was grateful to have time to talk like this.
Mervyn, who had been listening to my and my roommate''s story beside us, said one thing."Listening to your stories makes me look pathetic. I''m living off pocket money from my sister."I remember the three of us then going out to drink beer.
"Minnie! Do you know? Our character is very similar. That’s why we’re roommate."
It was something my friend said often.
Having conversations and speaking openly about my life without hiding things. I think that''s the most certain way to gain good friends.
Also, friends I met through Korea Gap Year. Korean friends who were mature and from whom I learned a lot. We argued a bit, but by sharing our worries we became best friends—my roommate. Willow from Vietnam! Vietnamese friend Mervyn who took the lead in looking after me when going out late or taking taxis or jeepneys, and Vietnamese friend Ryan who told me not to be afraid to speak English and even recommended graduate schools abroad.
Japanese friend Airi who said Korean sounded so nice and asked me to speak in Korean.
There are so many people I remember.
What I remember most now are the times I sat and talked with friends by the school''s swimming pool.
I returned from the Philippines on September 7. I stayed for about six weeks from July 28, and even though more time has passed than the time I stayed, we keep in frequent contact. We do video calls and talk about our difficulties. Thanks to that, my spoken English has improved a lot.
After finishing the first exam I''m preparing for next year, we decided to meet in Vietnam around April. Mervyn will be joining us too — the three of us ^^When you have honest conversations, I think you can understand each other more fully and empathize.
To those who will participate in a gap year, if I have the chance I''d definitely like to say this.There are so many new places to see abroad and it''s really wonderful to enjoy them, butI hope you''ll try, at least once, to have lots of conversations with a foreign friend you’re always with ^^ I visited many tourist spots, but what remains in my memory is the times I sat with friends by the school pool and talked.
# It was in the Philippines, not Korea, that I discovered my drinking tolerance.
I never drank at all in Korea, so this was truly the first day in my life that I let myself drink.
At first, because I didn''t want to forget the friends I met in the Philippines, I kept taking videos and photos. I told the friends I was with that I''d teach them drinking games and even sang enthusiastically while teaching, but I ended up getting the most penalties.
Friends shouted ''Your last day!!'' while continually pouring drinks... ^^ After that, my thoughts aren''t very clear, but when I woke up the next day, so many things had happened. On my phone''s camera there was even a video of me crying at the school pool while drunk...
My friends left many videos on my phone. I discovered my drinking tolerance in the Philippines, not Korea. Apparently I greeted the security guards five times saying, ''Hello, I''m Korean.'' My roommate in the morning: ''I''m very tired. Because of you....''
When I went to the school cafeteria, friends I didn''t remember well said to me, ''Minnie, are you okay? Yesterday you drank a lot^^'', and the security guards even knew my name^^;;
Thanks to that, I was able to make unforgettable memories with my friends.
# I''m a better person than I knew or thought.
After my gap year trip I developed a hunger for travel. Maybe around 2021, I might become ''Minnie'' the world traveler. Also''I''m a better person than I knew or thought.''I had that thought.I gained confidence in myself and was able to set higher and broader goals.Before starting, my goal was ''study hard and get a good job'', but now that goal has become just a secondary thing that''s naturally expected, and I was able to make many new bucket list items.
# To prospective participants
''Just, be honest and don''t be afraid of things you haven''t tried.'' I think that''s really good advice. I shared my worries with my roommate,We became really close by talking about the things we went through in each other''s countries.
I honestly told many things to friends that I couldn''t say in Korea.When I became honest... my friends also treated me with real honesty. Through those conversations I gained confidence and felt happy and joyful.
# My own gap year TIP
- Language
There are many good English learning materials on YouTube. Before participating in the gap year, although my purpose wasn''t to go study English, as I got closer with friends I gradually became more eager to improve my English. Bringing books might be a bit impractical, so it would be very helpful to know at least one YouTube video you can watch there.
- Things to bring
- Convenient/inconvenient item: phone ring.
I had never bought a phone ring before. However, since I was going abroad and thought I might get tired if I lost or dropped my phone, I got one and it proved really useful. I recommend taking as many zipper bags as you can. Because there isn''t a separate refrigerator, they''re useful for storing leftover snacks. They also turned out to be useful for various other purposes.
- My advice to future participants about what to pack
Digestive medicine (antacid), headache medicine, anti-diarrheal, laxative, probiotics (supplement), multivitamins, antihistamines, fever reducers, painkillers, artificial tears. Even if you didn''t take them regularly before, it''s best to prepare any medicines you''ve taken in the past. Because of differences in weather, meals, and other aspects compared to Korea, your stamina can drop a lot.
# My personal Philippines travel TIP
Willow and Mervyn (Vietnamese friends), who were always with me, emphasized local life… so we almost always rode jeepneys. There were times when we struggled, changing jeepneys eight times a day. If someone asked me, I''d tell them, ''Ride jeepneys as much as possible.''
Because it''s the surest way to learn about the country''s culture. You can take taxis or other vehicles in Korea too, so the destination doesn''t really matter. Traveling solely by the country''s local transportation was itself the journey. I also rode a long-distance bus heading to a local area in the Philippines. There were many bewildering moments, but what I remember most now are the jeepneys, Philippine highway buses, and local markets.
''I''m a better person than I knew, better than I thought.''I had that thought.I gained confidence in myself and was able to set higher and broader goals.
Let''s stop stressing about English! Learn English while enjoying ourselves in Cebu!
Yoo Min-hee, gap year participant (gapper) (24, university student) / 6-week gap year |
I wanted to gain confidence in myself.
Hello!! I''m 24-year-old ''Yoo Min-hee,'' who wants to work as a customs broker, traveling the wide ports. I''m a university student, currently preparing for the customs broker exam.
Recently I''ve become very interested in English speaking and watching travel YouTube videos. In two years, I plan to sling a backpack and go on a world trip. (2020–2021)
The reason I joined the project was that there was nothing to make me laugh,I couldn''t even find things to laugh about. I wanted to bring change to myself, who was filled with anxiety about the future.I felt that if I did this project now, everything I do in the future would be better than now. I also thought that experiencing a gap year would let me proceed on the path I chose with more confidence. I wanted to discover a different version of myself and gain confidence in myself.I needed reassurance that I am doing well enough and that I will be able to do well in the future.
For Yoo Min-hee, who wanted new experiences and to regain self-esteem, missions for self-reflection, missions to view herself objectively, and customized 1:1 personal missions for new experiences and challenges were provided daily, and a gap year notebook was also provided to reflect on herself and make plans.
At first, everyone thinks that way.
I had a lot of worries before leaving. It was my first time going abroad. (I got my passport this year.)
Even right up until boarding the plane I couldn''t quite believe it. Moreover... I had heard that security was not as good as in Korea... so I was very anxious. Thinking ''it''ll be fine,'' I went through things one by one, and before I knew it I had arrived at the place where the project was being held. It was difficult and I was very lacking, butAt first, everyone thinks that way. They''re just hiding it. There are more people who help you and good people than you think, so I hope you find the courage.
I wanted to make myself a bit stronger through this gap year. If I continued living like this, I felt I might even lose the confidence I was barely holding onto. I also had an experimental spirit. ''Can I really do things like this? Is there a side of me I didn''t know?''
Becoming someone who can greet others cheerfully first, not shrinking back. Discovering my own good points. Expressing likes and dislikes. Trying things in Korea I hadn''t tried but wanted to. There are so many. Just!! Living in a new place!! I think that''s the most accurate way to put it.Then I was sure that I could approach everything I''m preparing for in the future brightly, positively, and confidently.
I didn''t have any special preparations before leaving; I prepared by looking over the materials provided by Gap Year for the project. I''m prone to minor ailments, so I packed medicine very carefully.
A typical day in the Philippines
From Monday to Friday there are classes until 5 pm. After 5 pm, we have dinner and sometimes go out briefly with friends. Many students rest or finish up studies they couldn''t do earlier.
I just spent time with friends. Just walking, going to a nearby cafe, going to the supermarket. Things that are nothing in Korea were so happy and enjoyable. Just going to the nearby market, riding the jeepney, going to Starbucks, going out for ice cream, things like that.
I spent a lot of time sitting around the pool with my friends. We drank beer and did simple, small things that I wanted to do at the time and that made me happy.
For example, having dinner and taking the jeepney to go to Starbucks for coffee was one of the big plans for me and my friends. ^^ (I didn''t take taxis; I mostly rode jeepneys. ^^)
Friends I met locally
Being able to laugh and chatter so happily with foreign friends. We talked so much that I can''t mention it all.I don''t think I can. In the process of talking with friends, I was able to learn their ways of thinking—approaching first and greeting...Through having conversations I gained confidence and was able to meet good people.
Personally, there was a time when my roommate and I had many misunderstandings due to a lack of communication. Then, by chance while sitting together, we began to candidly share stories about our lives in our respective countries. Stories about family, life in our twenties, worries about the future. I thought my English was terribly clumsy, but as we kept talking I was able to say a lot.
We were the same age, and there were more than a few similarities. She had a younger brother, she was the eldest daughter, and had grown up under a patriarchal father''s upbringing, so there were many commonalities. She had even dropped out of the university she had been attending and enrolled in a new school to pursue what she wanted. It also seemed that she had to overcome others'' opposition when making that choice.
Having gone through similar situations, we both felt we should live better and work hard. Despite being of different nationalities, it was amazing that we could be this similar, and I was grateful to have time to talk like this.
Mervyn, who had been listening to my and my roommate''s story beside us, said one thing."Listening to your stories makes me look pathetic. I''m living off pocket money from my sister."I remember the three of us then going out to drink beer.
"Minnie! Do you know? Our character is very similar. That’s why we’re roommate."
It was something my friend said often.
Having conversations and speaking openly about my life without hiding things. I think that''s the most certain way to gain good friends.
Also, friends I met through Korea Gap Year. Korean friends who were mature and from whom I learned a lot. We argued a bit, but by sharing our worries we became best friends—my roommate. Willow from Vietnam! Vietnamese friend Mervyn who took the lead in looking after me when going out late or taking taxis or jeepneys, and Vietnamese friend Ryan who told me not to be afraid to speak English and even recommended graduate schools abroad.
Japanese friend Airi who said Korean sounded so nice and asked me to speak in Korean.
There are so many people I remember.
What I remember most now are the times I sat and talked with friends by the school''s swimming pool.
I returned from the Philippines on September 7. I stayed for about six weeks from July 28, and even though more time has passed than the time I stayed, we keep in frequent contact. We do video calls and talk about our difficulties. Thanks to that, my spoken English has improved a lot.
After finishing the first exam I''m preparing for next year, we decided to meet in Vietnam around April. Mervyn will be joining us too — the three of us ^^When you have honest conversations, I think you can understand each other more fully and empathize.
To those who will participate in a gap year, if I have the chance I''d definitely like to say this.There are so many new places to see abroad and it''s really wonderful to enjoy them, butI hope you''ll try, at least once, to have lots of conversations with a foreign friend you’re always with ^^ I visited many tourist spots, but what remains in my memory is the times I sat with friends by the school pool and talked.
# It was in the Philippines, not Korea, that I discovered my drinking tolerance.
I never drank at all in Korea, so this was truly the first day in my life that I let myself drink.
At first, because I didn''t want to forget the friends I met in the Philippines, I kept taking videos and photos. I told the friends I was with that I''d teach them drinking games and even sang enthusiastically while teaching, but I ended up getting the most penalties.
Friends shouted ''Your last day!!'' while continually pouring drinks... ^^ After that, my thoughts aren''t very clear, but when I woke up the next day, so many things had happened. On my phone''s camera there was even a video of me crying at the school pool while drunk...
My friends left many videos on my phone. I discovered my drinking tolerance in the Philippines, not Korea. Apparently I greeted the security guards five times saying, ''Hello, I''m Korean.'' My roommate in the morning: ''I''m very tired. Because of you....''
When I went to the school cafeteria, friends I didn''t remember well said to me, ''Minnie, are you okay? Yesterday you drank a lot^^'', and the security guards even knew my name^^;;
Thanks to that, I was able to make unforgettable memories with my friends.
# I''m a better person than I knew or thought.
After my gap year trip I developed a hunger for travel. Maybe around 2021, I might become ''Minnie'' the world traveler. Also''I''m a better person than I knew or thought.''I had that thought.I gained confidence in myself and was able to set higher and broader goals.Before starting, my goal was ''study hard and get a good job'', but now that goal has become just a secondary thing that''s naturally expected, and I was able to make many new bucket list items.
# To prospective participants
''Just, be honest and don''t be afraid of things you haven''t tried.'' I think that''s really good advice. I shared my worries with my roommate,We became really close by talking about the things we went through in each other''s countries.
I honestly told many things to friends that I couldn''t say in Korea.When I became honest... my friends also treated me with real honesty. Through those conversations I gained confidence and felt happy and joyful.
# My own gap year TIP
- Language
There are many good English learning materials on YouTube. Before participating in the gap year, although my purpose wasn''t to go study English, as I got closer with friends I gradually became more eager to improve my English. Bringing books might be a bit impractical, so it would be very helpful to know at least one YouTube video you can watch there.
- Things to bring
- Convenient/inconvenient item: phone ring.
I had never bought a phone ring before. However, since I was going abroad and thought I might get tired if I lost or dropped my phone, I got one and it proved really useful. I recommend taking as many zipper bags as you can. Because there isn''t a separate refrigerator, they''re useful for storing leftover snacks. They also turned out to be useful for various other purposes.
- My advice to future participants about what to pack
Digestive medicine (antacid), headache medicine, anti-diarrheal, laxative, probiotics (supplement), multivitamins, antihistamines, fever reducers, painkillers, artificial tears. Even if you didn''t take them regularly before, it''s best to prepare any medicines you''ve taken in the past. Because of differences in weather, meals, and other aspects compared to Korea, your stamina can drop a lot.
# My personal Philippines travel TIP
Willow and Mervyn (Vietnamese friends), who were always with me, emphasized local life… so we almost always rode jeepneys. There were times when we struggled, changing jeepneys eight times a day. If someone asked me, I''d tell them, ''Ride jeepneys as much as possible.''
Because it''s the surest way to learn about the country''s culture. You can take taxis or other vehicles in Korea too, so the destination doesn''t really matter. Traveling solely by the country''s local transportation was itself the journey. I also rode a long-distance bus heading to a local area in the Philippines. There were many bewildering moments, but what I remember most now are the jeepneys, Philippine highway buses, and local markets.
What makes this project special
