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#Discovered a new side of myself and grew #Gained meaningful relationships and affection for Jeju #Had a dreamlike time in Jeju
On the plane returning from the dreamlike 43 nights and 44 days in Jeju, I ended up crying. The next day I slept deeply, woke up and stared blankly… I spent two days like that — listening to the music I used to hear there, reading letters and looking at photos written by people I love, crying, and falling asleep. When I opened the door and stepped outside, it felt as if the clear Hyeopjae Sea and Biyangdo would be right there. It was a short time in some ways, but that’s why Jeju settled deeply inside me.
- Jeju! Gap Year Stay — For those who need their own healing / Lee So-young, gap-year tribe gapper / 8 weeks of gap year |
My own gap-year story
When I arrived in Jeju it was already dark. I took the wrong bus and arrived at Hyeopjae much later than planned. I was dazed and it didn’t feel real. Jeju was warm. On my first visit at the end of October, I slept on the top bunk with the window open, listening to the waves of Hyeopjae and watching and hearing the fishing lights of the hairtail boats as I fell asleep.
The hardest part of working as staff at first was the mornings when it was time to say goodbye to the people I had laughed and had a good time with the previous day. I would sometimes escort guests from the second floor down to the entrance on the first floor out of regret, and I took photos. When the door closed behind the guests and the last guest checked out, one side of my heart felt empty and lonely. Because we didn’t clean on weekdays, that loneliness seemed to hit even harder.
Galchi soup, momguk, meat noodles, fresh sashimi, Hallasan soju, and Jeju’s unpasteurized probiotic makgeolli were great pleasures of life in Jeju. In Seoul I thought cinemas were everywhere and going to the movies was easy, but from Hyeopjae it took a full two hours to get to a movie theater. I even felt grateful to have watched Interstellar on a small screen.
Hyeopjae didn’t have the typical salty/fishy sea smell. It seemed like I rarely smelled that ocean scent at most of Jeju’s beaches. With no smell and magnificent scenery unfolding every day before my eyes, each day felt even more dreamlike.
Living in Jeju felt warmer because there was the owner, two fellow staff members, and people whose faces I saw every day. Unexpected encounters and connections, and the stories and memories I shared with them, all became my precious assets. Until now I had vaguely thought that once I turned thirty I would suddenly become a mature person. But through conversations with guests,I realized that such dramatic maturation doesn’t just happen — rather, it’s up to me to shape myself based on what I’ve experienced.Of course, life in Jeju for a month and a half wasn’t always dreamy and joyful, but even the moments of getting through hardships brought greater lessons than efforts on the mainland.
When I could draw the ridge of Biyangdo with my finger with my eyes closed, it was time to leave. I slowly looked back at the traces I had left, wrote letters, and organized photos. But the moment of parting was, as always, unfamiliar. I had booked an early flight, so while everyone else was asleep I left the guesthouse early with a friend I had worked with. As the cold dawn air filled my nose, those past days flashed by like film.
This experience in Jeju wasa time when I discovered new parts of myself.Until now I had thought that I felt more happiness maintaining relationships with comfortable people I already knew than from meeting new people.Through working as a guesthouse staff member I realized how excited and happy I get from new encounters.Jeju’s scenery and food were wonderful, but in the end it was the people. The ones I miss most and want to see again are the people I left in Jeju. I think I’ll return to Jeju soon. Although I may not be able to feel the same way as when I stayed long-term as staff, I want to tell Jeju that I’m grateful for giving me the opportunity to grow and reflect.
If you compare before and after participating in the gap year program?
I hadn’t traveled alone much before, and spending a month and a half in a completely unfamiliar place was a significant adventure and challenge for me. But sharing a simple life with the people I met there and finding joy in small things brought me more pleasure than I expected. A small flower by the roadside, a fallen pinecone, dew on a carrot field, clouds passing over the moon — things I used to rush past now hold my attention a little longer.
During the gap year period, please tell us about your personal travel route (recommended places and schedule, route).
I’m not someone who likes to tightly pack a schedule; I prefer to take it slow and stay in one place, so Daepyeong-ri suited me well. I loved the quiet, relaxed air of Daepyeong-ri, and the sunset at Baksugijeong felt different from Hyeopjae. The Handam coastal walk, which connects along Gwakji Beach, is so beautiful that words don’t do it justice. Saebyeol Oreum, the silver grass of Darangshi Oreum, and the sunrise at Jimi Oreum — and the eastern coast running Seoubong–Gimnyeong–Woljeong-ri–Hado-ri are each close but have their own distinct charms. I recommend staying one night on Udo. Snow-covered Hallasan was truly beautiful. The west — Hyeopjae–Geumneung–Wollyeong-ri–Sinchang-ri — is the area I love most.
