I joined parties with the staff, greeted many different people, and had enjoyable conversations. Besides that, I met many new people and heard new stories, so my perspective feels a bit broader than before. - Haeundae! I want to live there, the place full of youth! / No Eun-sol, Gap Year family gapper / 4-week gap year |
Q.My personal gap year story spent in Haeundae
Hello, I am ''Haeundae — I want to live there'' — I went there.
I applied to make the last month of my vacation meaningful, and it was surprising that the things I expected and imagined came true; it was also surprising to be able to experience working as guesthouse staff.
I visited Haeundae in August, the hottest time of year. Unusually this summer, typhoons hit Busan, which meant there were various tasks like repairing old parts of the guesthouse. But there were also many enjoyable things. Normally I seldom had reason to go to Busan and had only been once with my family, but this time I filled the month with things I wanted to do and carried them out, and I was able to feelfun.
At first, because I wanted to take a lot of photos, my friend and I wandered around every corner of Busan taking pictures. We planned a photography travel route together and traveled while taking photos like amateur photographers. Also, my friend majored in oriental painting and I majored in fine arts, so we could evenpaintingsfor the guesthouse.Carrying out a self-planned projectand the experience of having to concentrate and finish paintings in a short time was a preciousmemoryand a valuableassetto me.
Also, the guesthouse I worked at had the advantage of offering night-view tours, and when it didn''t rain and the weather was good the night views looked even brighter and more beautiful. When we followed the guests on a night-view tour and climbed Hwangnyeongsan in Busan to look out over the wide-open city, I would really stare in awe and could shake off all my complicated thoughts.
Now that quite some time has passed, thememoriesfrom Haeundae come back to me from time to time. I remember breaking a guesthouse chair, going to Ganjeolgot with the staff and taking funny photos in front of the mailbox, eating ramen on the rooftop while playing games, having barbecue parties and chicken parties with the staff and guests — we had so many parties, ate a lot, talked happily, and those were such, such fun times.
It was amazing to stay in Busan for a month. Although I had never bathed with a friend, I went to Dongnae Hot Springs to bathe and get scrubbed, visited the area around Busan National University to see the campus, ate mango shaved ice and inexpensive jajangmyeon, jjambbong, and sweet-and-sour pork, acted as a tour guide for friends who came to Busan, and even though I didn''t know baseball I went to Sajik Baseball Stadium and was able to watch and enjoy a game. Shopping in Seomyeon and Nampo-dong was fun, browsing department stores in Centum City was enjoyable, and I could see the International Advertising Festival at BEXCO, which featured exhibitions related to my major, so I was very happy.
Above all, the memories of living considerately and cooperatively with the friends and the staff (older sisters) so as not to cause trouble for each other, and the memories of looking out at the sea so much and reflecting on myself,will be a great help in living my life going forward..
Q. What did you like most about the gap year program you participated in?
What I liked was, "When else would I have the chance to come to Busan and stay for a month?" I really enjoyed being able to stay for a long time in a place away from my home. I was also moved by going on night-view tours and looking at the night scenery, and sometimes living and enjoying myself like other travelers rather than as staff.
Q. Tell us about someone you met during the gap year who left an impression on you.
It would of course be the staff I worked with.Staff membersSometimes I joined parties with the staff, greeted various people, and had fun conversations. I was also able to meet many new people and hear new stories, so I think my perspective has broadened a bit compared to before.
Q. As a previous participant, what advice would you give to those who will join the gap year program?
It''s good if you usually help with household chores, but even if you don''t, just be polite and agreeable! Also, it''s good to travel quickly and explore every corner. You should get up early and move quickly.A monthgoes by quickly!
Q. If you compare before and after participating in the gap year program?
I liked being able to travel around Busan for a long time, gaining knowledge and collecting many stories from the experience.
Q. Please tell us about a place you discovered during the gap year that became your own.
Sajik Baseball StadiumBe sure to go! I don''t know much about baseball, but if you go with someone who knows baseball well, you can enjoy the game more.
* And recommended travel route!
[ Haedong Yonggungsa - Dongbaek Island - Guesthouse ]
For an itinerary: take a bus from Haeundae Station in the morning to Haedong Yonggungsa, then stop by Songjeong Beach to look around and swim, go to Dongbaek Station to visit Dongbaek Island, and then take a leisurely walk from Dongbaek Island back to the guesthouse.
[ Gwangalli - Centum City - BEXCO ]
Gwangalli is close to Haeundae, and the area has nearby shopping centers; it''s good to visit BEXCO too, which has sights to see. It''s ideal to check what exhibitions are on at BEXCO before you go.
[ Busan National University - Dongnae Hot Springs - Seomyeon Shopping ]
You can visit Pusan National University to tour the campus, shop in front of the university, have lunch at an inexpensive Chinese restaurant, take a refreshing bath at the Dongnae hot springs, and enjoy shopping in Seomyeon.
