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#Recharged depleted energy and gained new inspiration #Completed massage training and made friends with foreigners #Realized the importance of experiences outside of work
For four years I devoted myself entirely to work at the company without even having the leisure to try anything else, and I strongly felt I was being worn out.So the goal of my gap year was to replenish my energy and find new inspiration through experiences completely unrelated to work.
-My own secret to make loved ones smile: learning traditional Thai massage / Jo Hyeong-geol, gap-year participant / one-week gap year |
Last April, after working nonstop for four years, I was able to take a one-month break for the first time.
It was the first break I had after working as an expatriate in Hong Kong for four years.During that gap period, while traveling in Thailand and wanting to try a program that could fulfill me, I searched online and learned about ''gap year'' programs.
For four years I devoted myself entirely to work at the company without even having the leisure to try anything else, and I strongly felt I was being worn out.So the goal of my gap year was to replenish my energy and find new inspiration through experiences completely unrelated to work.
So I went to Salaya in Thailand (a town about an hour and a half from Bangkok).
The gap-year program I joined was to complete a one-week ''General Thai Massage'' course. We would wake up, have breakfast, do a short meditation, and then the schedule ran from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
We had eight hours of practical classes a day—three hours in the morning and five hours in the afternoon—and on the last day we took a written and a practical exam; if we passed, we received a certificate and the program ended.
The period I visited Thailand coincided with Songkran, Thailand''s national festival. There were no classes on Monday, so some foreign friends I took the class with and I rode on a truck around the town having water gun fights. It felt awkward at first to socialize and play with people I''d just met while getting splashed, but that day actually helped us bond faster and helped me adapt.
During the course, meals were provided at the massage school''s cafeteria with three Thai-style meals a day. Most of the foreign friends, including myself, remember enjoying every meal very much. There was a pool next to the dining hall, so when the heat got to us we would jump into the cool water, and there was also a gym nearby where we exercised in our spare time.
The accommodation was double occupancy and had air conditioning and other facilities well-equipped, so there were no problems living there. I had been worried about the shared showers, but there were more shower stalls than participants, so we could use them without inconvenience.
After the day''s schedule ended, we would all gather in the meeting room on the first floor of the accommodation to chat and practice the massage techniques we had learned that day.
Communication was basically in English, but because it''s a massage school we teach and learn from each other more through actions than words, so you don''t need to be afraid of the language barrier.
On the last day I worried whether I could take the written and practical exams successfully, but since I followed the instructor''s directions well, my body remembered the techniques and I was able to complete them without much difficulty. Of course, because the written exam must be written in English, you need at least very basic language skills.
Finally, due to time constraints I completed the short ''General'' course, but personally I would recommend the ''Professional'' course. Some friends staying in the accommodation who took the professional course for more than a month had become as close as family and even traveled together, which I really envied.
If I have the chance, I would like to participate in another course through a gap year again. I want to sincerely thank Korea Gap Year for helping me take this gap-year time and enabling me to have such a valuable experience.
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