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#Recovered self-esteem; a more positive mindset #Jeju's beauty; greater self-understanding #Relief from the constraints of mainland life; appreciation for people
Every morning when I opened my eyes, it felt strange that I was in Jeju. It wasn''t a place where the sea could be seen from the window, but if I quietly closed my eyes in the early dawn I felt like I could hear the sound of the waves. Riding the bus along the coastal road and seeing the emerald sea would, by itself, clear the many thoughts in my head and make me feel at ease.
-Jeju! I want to live there / (I''ll) do it* Gap-year people, gapper / 8-week gap year |
Currently, South Korea is,
Each year 60,000 middle and high school students drop out, 346,000 people in their twenties are just idling because they have no dreams, and the one-year turnover rate after employment has entered the 40% range,75% of college students are not satisfied with university life, and more than 80% of office workers say they do not feel happy.Many people tell others to dream, but to solve this problem that lacks practical methods and support, we want to introduce the ''gap year'' to South Korea as well.
''Gap year (Gapyear)''is a time to either balance or temporarily pause studies and work and engage in various activities such as volunteering, travel, internships, education, and start-ups,a period to set the direction for the future, and a culture encouraged in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and elsewhere.
#Sudden resignation, and the start of a two-month gap year
I suddenly resigned and sought the gap year I had been postponing for a long time.
I had always wanted to live in Jeju, so I didn''t worry much about going, but because I had applied thinking it would be for one month, when I found out it was a two-month program I thought, ''Wouldn''t that be a bit long?'' People around me reacted skeptically, saying, ''Two months?'' butby then my heart was already in Jeju, and that was that.
#A long trip for the first time
I booked my plane ticket and even struggled with packing for this long trip I was taking for the first time.Because I had never packed for two months before, I packed absurdly haphazardly. Seeing that enormous pile of luggage and knowing I would be staying in a guesthouse, I thought, ''They''ll have this, right?'' and began taking things out one by one. Sending my bags to a place I''d never been and where I knew no one felt strange, but on the way back after sending the package it suddenly hit me that I was really going.
#The beauty of Jeju I didn''t know on school trips
I finally arrived in Jeju.
It was my third time arriving in Jeju—the first was a school trip, the second was a trip with friends.
Why did I hate getting off the bus so much on the school trip? If I''d known this beauty then, I would have come to Jeju more often...
The beauty of Jeju that I first discovered while traveling with friends always left me wanting more because a four-night, five-day schedule was too short.
So I made two promises before coming to Jeju: one, wake up early every day! I thought that if I overslept and woke up late, my day would start late and I wouldn''t be able to travel properly. The other, go out every day! Two months might be long, but I felt that just resting at the guesthouse would be meaningless. I was also afraid that if I rested one day because I was tired and another because the weather was bad, I''d become lazy. So even if I wanted to rest, I promised myself to go out and find another place to relax.
#My guesthouse life in Jeju
The guesthouse, located within 10 minutes of the airport on a main road, was easy to find. The owner was straightforward and cool, and I met three kids for the first time. I hadn''t expected children to be staying there, butthanks to the affectionate and sociable kids, I was able to adapt to guesthouse life more quickly without getting bored.
Cleaning time was set at four hours, but in reality if you moved quickly the cleaning was finished before 2 p.m.Since I traveled by bus, I scheduled a relaxed itinerary of at most three places a day, usually two. Also, the intercity bus terminal—the starting point for traveling on foot—was nearby, so after cleaning there was enough time to go sightseeing.
#Every morning it amazed me that I was in Jeju
Every morning when I opened my eyes, it felt strange that I was in Jeju.It wasn''t a place where the sea could be seen out the window, but if I quietly closed my eyes in the early dawn, I felt like I could hear the sound of the waves.Riding the bus along the coastal road and looking at the emerald-colored sea alone made countless thoughts in my head disappear and left me feeling calm.
I hadn''t left with any particular worries, but after leaving I realized I had been weighed down by many thoughts and glances on the mainland. I kept focusing only on my shortcomings, my self-esteem was at rock bottom, and I was really hard on myself.
#The opportunity to get to know myself: a gap year
But during my gap year I met many people, and through interacting with them I naturally came to understand my strengths and weaknesses.
I discovered a new side of myself I didn''t even know, and getting to know myself became an opportunity to become closer to myself than anyone else. Iam, after all, someone precious to someone, a being who is loved, and I vowed to cherish those dear people in my life.And I came to believe that someday when I returned to the mainland, these memories would surely give me great strength.
In a short time I met many people from different regions and age groups. Talking about the lives they''d lived and their futures happened almost like greetings, and through those conversations I learned about what each person considered a valuable life. Hearing about it indirectly and feeling it directly—this, too, might be one of the joys you can gain from travel.
#My own travel route
The place I most want to recommend is, without a doubt, snow-covered Hallasan.The night before I decided to go to Hallasan, snow was falling little by little and the website kept showing the mountain closed to entry. The owner, Jeju residents, and taxi drivers all told me to give up, saying I wouldn''t be able to climb the next day. But in the early dawn of the day, as if it were a lie, the trail information changed to the Seongpanak Course ''summit'', andI can''t forget the moment I ran to the intercity bus terminal at that dawn.Now I truly understand why people go to the mountains when it snows.
Another place I want to recommend is Hwansang Forest!
If you just pass through it''s the same trees, grass, and forest path, but here there is a special forest guide. There''s an explanation once every hour, and the guide explained things so cheerfully and entertainingly, like a storytelling performance, that I didn''t notice how time passed. After hearing the explanation,I was amazed and surprised that even a single tree or a single leaf has a reason for the direction it grows in, and that the law of the survival of the fittest exists here as well.If someone asks me to recommend a travel destination next time, I would definitely recommend this place.
My gap year is..
Experience ★★★★★
If I had been on the mainland, I don''t think I would have even attempted so many things on my own.
Learning ★★★★★
How to get around alone, how to read a map, how to get along with people you don''t know — these may seem trivial, but there are many things you naturally learn while you''re here.
Environment ★★★★★
I loved that the sea, which you couldn''t see in Daegu, is just a short bus ride away and can be seen almost anywhere.
Safety ★★★☆☆
A little after 5 o''clock it suddenly gets dark, and outside tourist areas many places are sparsely populated and poorly lit, so it''s dangerous to be out too late.
Leisure ★★★★★
Because cleaning time is short, I think there''s enough time to travel. You can also experience both guest and staff roles, and if you go in summer you can enjoy various water sports, which sounds great.
▼▼▼ Want to see more projects? ▼▼▼
▼▼▼ Wondering which gap year is best for you? ▼▼▼
<Clean Comment Campaign>
We love gappers who are taking a gap year!
Even if a gapper''s activities or experiences during their gap year differ from your expectations,Please don''t leave malicious comments.!:(
For the protection of Gappers'' dignity and rightsindiscriminate malicious comments targeting Gappers
will not only be managed and deleted internally, butwill be actively and strongly addressedThis will be carried out.
