The best thing about the gap year program was the encounters. I really liked that I happened to meet people I hadn''t known before and that those meetings became precious connections. Through the people I met, my thinking opened up and I discovered parts of myself I hadn''t known. Sometimes I was disappointed in how lacking I was, but I was grateful that I at least came to recognize my shortcomings myself. - Paris, France — I want to live there / Choi Dae-eun, gapyear tribe gapper |
Language
What was your French ability before participating?Only greetings
At the time of joiningNo problem
- My personal tip about the language?!
I think studying French in advance will be a great help in expanding your language skills while you''re there.
What to bring
Items I found inconvenient not to have:Long dress
Items that were convenient to have:Zipper bags, a journal, sunglasses, a blanket
- My personal tip about packing?!
Don''t pack too many things. If you hesitantly ask yourself, "Will I need this?", don''t bring it for now — it''s best to buy it locally if needed.
Q.What was the best part of the gap year program you participated in?
The best thing about the gap year program was precisely encountersIt is.
I really liked that I happened to meet people I hadn''t known before and that those meetings became precious connections.
Through the people I met, my thinking opened up and I discovered parts of myself I hadn''t known. Sometimes I was disappointed in how lacking I was, but I was grateful that I at least came to recognize my shortcomings myself.
I still can''t forget the people who felt sad with me on the day I left. Reading the letter the staff member wrote on the plane and recalling, one by one, the people I met at the guesthouse made me realize again that there are happy tears.
Q.Please tell us about the people you met during your gap year who left an impression on you.
The staff I met during the gap year program will be remembered as precious connections for life. Being of similar ages and having similar worries, we listened to each other''s stories and saw worlds we hadn''t known through one another, and we learned a lot. Also, living with the aunt who worked at the guesthouse made me feel many things.
One might think the most important aspect as staff is the relationship with guests, but I think it''s the relationship with the aunt.As staff, you are the person closest to the aunt working alone in a different place who can, even a little, ease her loneliness and homesickness. If you build a good relationship with her, she will naturally come to enjoy spending time with the staff at the guesthouse, and I believe that energy will have a positive effect on the guests as well.
Q.What changed when you compare before and after participating in the gap year program?
By meeting people from various professions and personalities, I came to see a new world and think new thoughts. This process may have widened what had been narrowmy mind, and helped me view people in more diverse ways.I also learned a sense of acceptance in interpersonal relationships that I hadn''t experienced before.
And above all, Ilearned how to be grateful to my parentsI learned. Previously, I might have taken for granted my parents who were always by my side and supported me. But now I feel more grateful to my parents than anyone else, and I express that gratitude to them.
Q.Tips for future participants.
There is something my mother always told me.
You never know when you''ll meet someone again, so always do your best for the person you meet.That''s what she said.
While doing gap year activities, I was able to deeply understand what my mother told me. Before the activities, I understood my mother''s words as meaning not to leave a bad impression because you never know where you''ll meet someone again. After the activities, her words melted anew in my mind: you might never see the person you are meeting now again in your life, so you must do your best.
This is the advice I want to give to those who will participate in the “I Want to Live There” program. Unlike other programs, this one has you meet a lot of people. Among them are people you see for a day or two and then part ways with, and people you are with throughout the activity period. Regardless of how long you are together or what kind of person they are, if you do your best for everyone you meet, there will be positive changes in yourself afterward.
Q.Please tell us your own travel route you discovered during your gap year.
Before starting the activities, I had already traveled for about two months. I started in Serbia in Eastern Europe, passed through Tunisia in North Africa, and arrived in Paris. I began my trip with a one-way ticket to Belgrade, so I was able to travel without pressure or burden about my itinerary and I was very happy during the trip. While traveling, I met many people and discovered attractive places I didn''t know. If you travel with an overly tight schedule, you won''t be able to go somewhere you want along the way, so I recommend leaving with a reasonable plan.
Q.Tell us about your personal gap year story in Paris.
I didn''t take a leave of absence to have a gap year. I took a leave to travel, and during a long trip I did gap year activities. I chose to work as guesthouse staff as a means to sort out my thoughts and rest in one place.
Of course, as planned, I stayed at the guesthouse for about 80 days, had personal storage space, and lived differently from my previous travels, which was comfortable physically and mentally, but the time at the guesthouse left more space in my heart that I needed to fill myself than any time before.It left a lot of space inside my heart that I needed to fill myself.
First, a space of timeIt is. Traveling from age twenty to twenty-one, I did not meet many people younger than me or my peers. Most were working adults or seniors with only their final semester left. Meeting people who had experienced the world longer than I had taught me a lot. Seeing various people who spend time differently, what I realized most deeply was about ''time''.
Question 1.Why are there so many people born in 1994 around me? Why did we all graduate elementary, middle, and high school in the same years and now end up at university together?
Tentative answer 1.One day I happened to think this, and I realized that there is no single correct answer when it comes to time. Just because everyone has the same amount of time doesn''t mean they have to use it the same way. Yet in our country, most people use their time in similar ways at similar stages. Perhaps that''s why people of similar ages have similar worries. Maybe using time in each person''s own way is the right answer.
Secondly,Meeting spaceIt is the "meeting space." Up to now in my life, while staying at guesthouses I have met the largest number and the most diverse people. The people I met this way...How many of them will be remembered? How many people will I be able to continue meeting? In the space of meetings there are countless faces and names, but I have long known that there won''t be many people among them with whom I will keep meeting. However, until now I used to remember people I met even once for a long time, and even if not often, I would, by my own will, continue those meetings for a long time. But seeing the guests I met through my activities, I began to think that perhaps I can''t continue meeting everyone, and my thoughts about meetings were newly established after the gap year period.
Question 2.I''ve met so many people in such a short time that I''m worried about how I''ll continue these relationships in the future. Will I be able to keep remembering the people who are now in my memory?
Tentative answer 2.Chance encounters can become meaningful relationships, but sometimes chance remains just chance. Trying to make every coincidence into an everlasting connection might be foolish. When you meet many people, sometimes let that meeting be naturally left alone. The end of physical meetings may not be so heartbreaking or despairing.
Thirdly,Family spaceIt is the "family space." During my travels, the times that hurt me the most were when my family worried about me. I must always reassure my parents. To parents, their children are more precious than anything. My own path is important, but I hope I won''t forget that there are parents who always worry about me.
Question 3.My life is mine to live—so why do I have to get my parents'' permission?
Tentative answer 3.Parents always want their children to do well. When making decisions, do not strip your parents of their parental rights. They are the ones who listen to their children''s worries and, when a child is hesitating between two paths, suggest a direction as a proposal rather than by force.
So far I have talked about the three spaces I need to fill.
These spaces are neither completed nor empty right now. They are not spaces I must finish or clear in the future. They are simply spaces I should not forget and should fill by adding my thoughts one by one.
There are so many small meetings and episodes during the gap year that I didn''t know which to introduce, so instead of writing about travel itself, I only...what I felt during my gap yearI wrote them down. The tentative answers are my current thoughts and may change in the future. Therefore they are not absolute answers.
