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#Relieved feelings of depression and recharged my energy #Obtained a driver's license and became a Jeju guide #Felt the joy of life that challenges bring
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For me, who always replenishes my energy through travel, this project blew away my gloomy mood and allowed me to wander around as I pleased to recharge, leaving a very happy memory.
-Jeju! I want to live there, Gap Year Stay / Lee Hyun-kyung Gap-year family gapper / 8-week gap year |
You must seize opportunities when they come.
At first, I thought I would go to Jeju Island.When I thought that, I was very excited. Because I had only ever been to Jeju for travel, I worried, ''If I actually live there locally for two months, will I be disappointed?'' along with the expectation that ''because I''ll stay like a local, there might actually be more things to enjoy.''Those worries and hopes intersected. Still, since I had decided to go anyway, I resolved to make a quick decision and depart.
However, what amplified my anxiety even morewas the situation I was in. I was a fourth-year university student, and I was almost at the end of my college life.''The last summer vacation before graduation—while others are busy building their resumes during this period, can I go to Jeju and leisurely spend my time wandering Jeju to my heart''s content?''That thought kept circling in my head. But the final decision my heart made wasIf not now, I won''t be able to do it.That was it. So in the end, I went to Jeju.
Awkwardness, adaptation, and enjoyment
Of course, at firsteverything was full of things to get used to. However, as time passed I became accustomed to the guesthouse staff activities, and dealing with foreign guests, which felt burdensome at first, became enjoyable. The guesthouse host (aunt)''s consideration and kindness also played a part. She and her family even picked sea snails (bomal) together to eat and showed me around the five-day market, etc., so I was very...She took such good, attentive care of the staff that it felt as ifI was doing a homestay.She always prepared meals so deliciously and took such good care of me that I could be truly 100% satisfied with the food.
Staff activitiesIn that respect, during the peak season the work wastough at times, but stillthe host aunt helped a lot,so there didn''t seem to be any very great difficulties.Also, the staff activitieswere only four hourslong, so it wasn''t that much time, and because they gave tasks that could be completed within that time, if you worked hard you could definitely manage them.
Refilling my energy through travel
Staff activitiesOutside of staff activities, the time was solelymy own; I think I kept thinking not to waste this time. Wondering, ''While others are spending this important time investing in their future, what can I do?'' I couldn''t find my bearings at first, and the guesthouse host suggested that I start by getting my driver''s license.You''ll need it at some point when you enter society.When you have free time.They encouraged me to try that first.Thanks to that, I enrolled in a driving school to get a license and was ultimately able to obtain my driver''s license.I felt really happy.
Besides that, because I wanted to soothe myself while fully experiencing Jeju Island, I wandered around whenever I had time. I visited many beaches and did a lot of activities unique to Jeju—Seongsan Ilchulbong, the Jusangjeolli cliffs, kayaking at the seaside, walking forest trails, viewing nighttime scenery, buggy-car experiences, and more. Maybe because I kept traveling like this...For someone like me who always refuels with travel, this project blew away my depressed feelings and allowed me to wander around freely to recharge, leaving very happy memoriesthat remain.
Becoming a Jeju guide.
Also,meeting many different people made me realize that there are really a lot of people living with diverse experiences and values.I realized that. Even when staff work was difficult, I felt genuinely proud as if I were the host when new guests used the room and were satisfied, and the moments when I happened to have the chance to talk with guests were precious.
Seeing myself welcoming foreign guests well made me realize my language skills weren''t as bad as I thought, and speaking with them made me more interested in their countries. I also enjoyed receiving recommendations for beautiful places in each city. Seeing guests move according to the routes or places I recommended made me feel a sense of mission as a Jeju guide—even though I''m not a local—and I wanted to give guests more accurate and necessary information, which led me to study Jeju more closely.
So after my staff activities ended I tried to divide Jeju into east, west, south, and north routes and travel them. Especially for me, who had to travel on foot without a car, planning routes carefully gave me time to visit more places thoroughly. If you find it hard to plan routes, I recommend at least properly exploring the east.There are many pretty beaches and cafes, making it nice to sit and relax.It was good for spending time leisurely, and walking the trail around Hamdeok Beach, though a short course, was healing as you take in the beach and small hills.It was a very good place for that.
Challenge — another joy in life.
Now that I''ve finished my gap year, what I feel is, first of all, that applying for this projectand going there to participate in the project activities was the right choice.I can''t think of anything but that it was worth applying. I went to Jeju having lost a lot of energy, but I was able to accomplish things I could do easily, and my time in Jeju remains a dear and precious memory.I met good people, got to know Jeju well, and had plenty of time for myself, so even now that I''m back to reality I move and act energetically based on those good memories.
I highly recommend gap year activities to anyone hesitating. If you set your goals properly before you go, no matter when you come,it can be a great opportunity to achieve the goals you want and to build good relationships and experiences.Because of that, don''t be afraid to live somewhere other than the place you used to live—take on the challenge; I firmly believe it will bring another kind of joy to your life. Of course there will be difficulties, but learning how to resolve them there and gaining life wisdom will bea valuable lesson for living your life.
Having completed this gap year well, I became more interested in participating in another gap year activity, and I hope to have similar good experiences next time.
