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#Now pursuing steady, composed progress instead of impatience #Gained a broader view of the world and confidence in solving problems #A sense of accomplishment and pride from breaking free of others' expectations
My original idea was, quite literally, to go somewhere completely new where no one knows me, and have time to calmly sort out my thoughts without being swayed by others'' opinions or expectations.
-A place I''d like to live at least once: Busan! Gap Year Stay / Gwakmyeong Gap-Year Family, Gapper / 8-week gap year |
A trip not for others'' expectations, but entirely for myself.
I applied to this program because I wanted to, but I worried that I might not have as many varied experiences as I''d hoped and might end up just spending time at a resort..Truly brand-new, to go to a place where no one knows me My original thought was to take time to slowly organize my thoughts without being swayed by others'' opinions or expectations..Half anticipationI boarded the bus to Busan half excited, half worried..Middle school3rd yearIt was my first time coming to Busan since 3rd year of middle school, and I was finally able to enjoy a real trip..
Busan: that place, and the people.
I went on a territory-hopping trip, visiting places from nearby Haeundae to those farther away..Haeundae, Dongbaek Island, Centum City, Igidae, Songdo Beach, Dalmaji-gil, Taejongdae, Nampo-dong, etc...... I liked Busan because there were so many places to explore.. Among them, my favorite was Gamcheon Culture Village..
At the top of the village When looking down over the village, a spectacle of streetlights and the glow of indoor fluorescent lights, the moonlit mountain, the distant Nampo-dong downtown and the sea of Busan, and even the bridge spanning that sea..... It was like a single painting..
A painting is created on a white canvas by an artist who imagines everything and transfers it onto the canvas as planned, but a city where people live is actually a picture that''s already been drawn on., Moreover, because this beauty is created through endless planning and revision on top of a picture that was originally drawn carelessly without regard for beauty, its accidental nature is greater and it''s a beauty that''s not easily seen, which made it all the more appealing..
I visited various places like that, I even met a foreigner and we spent two days touring Busan together, a chicken-and-beer party at the guesthouse, Encounter with a Busan girl I met while wandering alone in Nampo-dong, A flirtation (not quite a romance) with a young woman who came to Busan on a trip. What I felt through the Busan gap year I spent via Korea Gap Year was that you should do what you want to do as you live, and that the world we know is not all there is., that the world is so vast., I learned that because there is so much uncertainty, I shouldn''t fall into despair when I''m sad, and even when happy or when good things happen, I don''t have to get carried away.
A gap year in Busan? The question mark turned into an exclamation!
I became someone who can grow at a relaxed pace rather than be impatient without real progress.I realized that the world I didn''t know is very large, and it was a trip that gave me confidence that I can solve problems when they arise. It was an opportunity to step away from others'' expectations and perspectives and consider what I truly want.
If I get the chance next time, I''d like to go abroad and experience a gap-year stay. I think I could feel something new. With this stay I gained many of the things I had aimed for, so it was rewarding and fulfilling.It was an experience that turned question marks into exclamation marks.
