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#Overcame weakness, became more outgoing #The specialness of everyday life, new experiences #My concept of money changed
Until then, I had only been at school and perhaps hadn''t experienced working in society, so I expected a horizontal structure. But in the production''s vertical hierarchy I was broken a lot and even got yelled at. It wasn''t so much that that was hard in itself; rather, it was more painful to think ''Am I this weak?'' and realize my own limitations.
- France, Paris — I want to live there / Jeong Ukjin, gap-year participant (gapper) |
Q.Please give a brief self-introduction~
Hello, I''m 24. I took a leave of absence from school and, after much wandering and thinking about what I truly wanted to do, I went to Paris to work as guesthouse staff and have returned — I''m Jeong Ukjin.
Q.What did you major in at school?
I majored in film/video, but I wanted on-set experience, so I moved up to Seoul and worked at a production company.
However,hands-on workI felt the gap between reality and ideals firsthand.
Q.How was it different?
Until then, I had only been at school and hadn''t experienced working life.Maybe because of that, I expected a horizontal structure. But in the production''s vertical structure I was broken a lot and even got scolded; rather than that being hard in itself, thinking ''Am I this weak?'' and...limitationsFeeling my limitations was even harder..
I was full of confidence that I could adapt sufficiently on set, but that confidence collapsed and I grew skeptical about the field. Since I had confined my interests and preparation to this area, I felt lost about what to do next or how to proceed, so I was wandering.
Q.In that situation, how did you come across gap year?
I came across the gap year really by chance. While working I traveled around the country, hardly slept, and my days and nights were reversed. When my routine suddenly changed, even when I was tired at dawn I couldn''t sleep, so I was browsing the internet and happened to find it. Feeling frustrated, I impulsively called KoreaGapyear the next day.
So I scheduled a consultation and spoke with CEO An Si-jun. During the consultation I was able to talk in depth about who I am and what my areas of interest are. The keywords that came up most were...artandFranceand ultimately I ended up going to Paris.
Q.Before starting the gap year, was there something you wanted to achieve or change?
At first there wasn''t anything particularly special. But the more I thought about ''what should I do from now on,'' the more I realized I didn''t even know what kind of person I was.So ultimately,Iwanted to know what kind of person I am. I had thought about my personality and what I''m good at, but I wanted to know the answers to the concerns that hadn''t been resolved.
Q.I''m curious how it felt when you arrived in the unfamiliar environment of Paris, France and started everything from scratch.
It was simply wonderful. There was only a little nervousness and no negative feelings. The feeling of excitement was the strongest. I found that surprising too. It felt like I had come to a place I was meant to come to someday. So I just enjoyed it.
Q.Please tell me about any difficult experiences you went through during your gap year.
I don''t have any memories of being distressed or having difficulties. I was grateful for and enjoyed experiences that I wouldn''t have had if I hadn''t been on a gap year in a completely new environment.
However, if I discovered one problem about myself, it was that after working for a monthI fell into a rut.As a staff member, dealing with customers and doing the work wasn''t as motivated as it was at the beginning. But I realized this problem applied to me throughout my life — I had never carried things through to the end with the initial mindset.
Q.Then on the contrary, what was the most rewarding experience during your gap year?
As a staff member I provided service to customers as a matter of course, but when customers expressed thanks or liking. Hearing someone say they were grateful was incredibly nice. In two months Iheard more expressions of gratitudethan I''d heard in my entire life.
Q.Did the process of ''getting to know myself'' go well?
Even before going to Paris I was unsure; when I was young I definitely seemed outgoing, but looking back I became much more withdrawn from high school onwards. Somy original personalitywas something I also worried about.
But after coming to Paris and living here I felt that I was someone who could speak entertainingly and coherently among people. Also, by spending time with many people Idiscovered my lively sideI came to discover.
Q.Do you think you returned from your gap year satisfied? If not, what do you feel was lacking?
The gap year I had in Paris was, in a word, great. To be specific, it was nice not only to meet people from various fields in a short time, but a special experiencethat I had was the best part. Actually, at first I didn''t think much about the experience I was having. But the guests who traveled to Paris listened to my story and ''I also want to have this kind of special experience''they all said in unison, and hearing that I was able to think, ''Ah, I really am having a special experience.''
In the past I would have let moments like this pass without feeling much specialness in everyday life, but this time it made me realize the specialness in everyday life.
Q. You safely completed your gap year and returned — what are your plans going forward?
MoneyI want to save money. My idea about money has changed a lot.
Before going to Paris, I had a negative perception about being close to money or being eager to earn money.
But during the gap year, seeing and talking with people who steadily saved money and spent it on trips to enrich their lives, and people who pursued what they wanted, changed the way I used to think.
Q. What is a gap year to me?
A new experience.
