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#Became more mature; gained a broader perspective; increased patriotism #Meeting a variety of people; experience as a tour guide #Reflected on having been narrow-minded; developed freer thinking
When I see people who think thoughts I hadn''t even imagined, people who are successful, or people who succeeded but are challenging themselves again, I both think that everyone is living their lives diligently and reflect on what I am doing.
- Paris, France, Gap Year Stay / Yoon Yoo-jin, gap-yearer (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 without dreams, and the job turnover rate within one year of employment has entered the 40% range,75% of university students are not satisfied with college life, and more than 80% of office workers say they do not feel happy.Many people tell them to dream, but to solve this problem that lacks practical methods and support, We want to introduce the ''gap year'' to South Korea.
''Gap year (Gapyear)''It refers to combining study and work or taking a break and engaging in various activities such as volunteering, travel, internships, education, and startups,as a time to set the direction for the future — a culture recommended in the United States, Europe, Japan, and other places.
# I wanted to become a mature person, not a predictable student who only works part-time during a leave of absence.
I didn''t want to become the predictable leave-of-absence student who only does part-time jobs,I needed time for myself.I needed time to seriously think alone once more about my dream, which I had hesitated about in the face of reality, and I wanted to break away from daily life and broaden my thinking by meeting various people. I also wanted to try the experience of staying in a guesthouse because I thought it wasn''t something anyone could commonly do. I wanted to have a broader perspective and travel. Overall, wanting to become a bit more mature, I applied to the Gap Year Stay project in Paris, France.
As soon as I arrived, what I noticed was that the auntie''s cooking was really delicious. Thebibimbap I tasted on the day I arrived was fantastic. After that, for a week I sleptlittle while receiving the handover; to be honest, that period was a bit tough. But I met good people and was able to get through it well.
Considering my future working life, I had deliberately done various part-time jobs, but this place was different from a part-time job. So at first there were a lot of troubles and complaints. But as I gradually adapted, changed my thinking, and coordinated with people while working, it wasn''t too hard. It made me think that it really depends on your mindset.
# The wine party where I could meet people from all walks of life
At the wine party I got close to people and heard a variety of stories. This is probably the part I''m most grateful to the gap year for. I don''t think such an experience is easy to have anywhere.
I met a very diverse group of people: model friends, chefs, magazine staff, pharmacists, designers, people who love travel, students on leave, unemployed people, and so on. While hanging out with these people we traveled together, became close, and often had wine parties all night.Thanks to that, it was two months full of both joy and stress.Meeting many people leads to as much learning and many new thoughts.To put it simply, there were many reactions, from "I should emulate that" to "I must not become that kind of person."
And luckily, the activity I was assigned was being a tour guide,While doing tours I saw night views, chatted with people, studied to help people understand better, and learned a lot through various trials and errors. This is something you wouldn''t know without experiencing it.I had experiences I never imagined..How likely is it to be able to work as a tour guide at my age? I am truly lucky.
What I learned from this is that there really are a wide variety of people, and that not everything ever goes the way I want... While I was here I almost got pickpocketed, was kissed by a woman, had gypsies rush at me, and experienced various other shocking incidents — there were more than a few. Based on these experiences, I think I''ll be able to handle things better next time.
And sometimes I feel like a frog in a well.When I see people who think in ways I never imagined, successful people, or those who succeeded but are challenging themselves again, I both think that everyone is living diligently and reflect on what I am doing.How narrow-minded I was... there were more than a few times I felt ashamed.
Tour-guide activities that naturally helped me develop patriotism
And thanks to the tour-guide work, I, who used to get lost and even get confused in Seoul, came to know the layout of Paris fairly well; while explaining many buildings and works, I learned a lot and became more interested. I also learned and felt the preciousness of our country''s cultural heritage and the national pride that people here have. And then...My patriotism naturally grew, and along with my existing dream I was able to have another dream. Working in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, I want to truly cherish our country''s culture and perhaps make people feel patriotic.Long live Korea!
Also, romantic Paris has many festivals. While I was there I attended many events like the Gay Festival, the July 14th Bastille Day celebrations, the eve-of-revolution festivities, and more, and thanks to that I became a bit more open-minded. I learned a little about customs and traditions of these people that you wouldn''t know unless you lived here, and seeing how free they are made me a little freer, at least in thought.
So what I felt, first of all, was a great sense of gratitude that such an opportunity was given to me. Of course it was very hard. Many aspects were different from what I had thought, and the gap that resulted from that was inevitable. However...It''s clear that through these various experiences I learned a bit more and had time to reflect on myself.
Two months in France where I naturally learned French
Even though I had enrolled in the French Language and Literature department, I didn''t study much, so I didn''t know much about the culture or language; what I knew was mostly stuff I crammed during exam periods. But coming here and seeing with my own eyes, speaking, and teaching others, it naturally became learning for me.
And when I tried to study French by listening to tapes, it didn''t go well,Since I lived in Paris, whenever I went outside I heard native pronunciations, and opportunities to try speaking were everywhere at all times, so I liked that my listening practice naturally improved a bit.(Of course, my French skills are still... very poor.)Anyway, in this regard, I think it''s a good opportunity for anyone who is truly interested in France.
Gap year, and the indispensable travel
During my gap year, in Paris I visited famous tourist spots like Montmartre, the Eiffel Tower, and the Marais district to my heart''s content, and I had the opportunity to go to Chartres, which was wonderful.
And using days off I took buses to Belgium and the Netherlands, which remained very fond memories. While on a gap year I recommend you at least visit these two countries. There''s the advantage of traveling without a suitcase, and you can taste the thrill of breaking away from guesthouses. If you use Megabus or Eurolines you can go at very low cost. However, sitting for a long time might make your butt a bit sore.After the gap year ends I plan to visit Paris, Nice, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Austria.
I didn''t travel much at the beginning so I couldn''t visit the French provinces (I really wanted to go to Strasbourg but couldn''t, which is such a shame...), and that remains a big regret.What I definitely want to tell future participants of the gap year stay is: while you''re here, go out and travel as much as you possibly can.
The three goals I had during my gap year
I had exactly three goals during my gap year.
First, dieting - I failed miserably.My aunt''s cooking was so delicious that it''s no wonder I gained weight... losing it was difficult.
Second, to make a firm decision about the hesitation I had regarding my dream.- I eventually decided on this. I gained a lot through many conversations with the older girls and people I worked with here. Above all, quite a few people who came here boldly quit what they were doing and returned to pursue their dreams.Seeing this, I thought that if you don''t challenge yourself with what you want to do, you''ll end up regretting it, and even if the wall of reality is high, I felt we should try and then decide. In the end my conclusion was to just give it a shot.
Third, to become a little more mature.- I don''t think I can judge that. I learned and felt a lot, but I can only hope it was a gap year that helped me become a bit more mature.
Two months.. it was a time both short and long. In a way, during that period...If I had been in Korea, as a student on leave it would have been tight even to just do part-time work, but thinking about all the things I went through during that time makes me proud that I spent it so fruitfully.
# Tips for future gap year participants
If you want new experiences, enjoy being with other people, and are confident you''ll work hard, I recommend coming.However, if you come simply because of a romanticized idea of going abroad...I''d say it could be tough. If you really need time to yourself or want to backpack, I think it''s better to shorten the schedule or earn more money so you can travel separately.
But if you''re eager for new experiences, I recommend participating.
My gap year was
Experience ★★★★★
I experienced many things I would never have experienced if I''d only stayed in Korea.Different people, working as a tour guide, working at a guesthouse, dangerous moments, being pickpocketed, using days off to visit countries other than France, trying to converse in French... in terms of experiences, it''s almost perfect.
Learning ★★★☆☆
I tried to study French, but the conditions weren''t right. I intended to study consistently, but because of the nature of the guesthouse, even if you can have personal time, it''s hard to secure quiet time. However, besides that I think I learned a lot about how to deal with people, what my weaknesses and strengths are, what I need to fix, and what I should emulate. I think especially those who aspire to work in service jobs will gain a lot here.
Environment ★★★★☆
Environment has many aspects. Since it broadly includes atmosphere, scenery, people, etc., it''s hard to pinpoint one thing. The scenery is, without question, good; being separated from family and friends meant longer times alone, there were stressful things, parts that made studying difficult, and an environment where it''s hard to completely get away from guesthouse duties — when you include all of these, there were both good and hard aspects, so I gave it 4 stars.
Safety ★★☆☆☆
We are foreigners. Unless you''re a local, foreigners are inevitably vulnerable in terms of safety.Especially East Asian women even more so.
Of course, if you''re careful you can travel safely, but overall security isn''t better than in Korea.You need to always be cautious.
Leisure ★★★★☆
Once days off are given or during leisure time outside my working hours, it''s up to each person how they use it. Being able to, if you wish, experience tourist spots that ordinary people can''t easily visit was great, but sometimes leisure time wasn''t completely free (guests keep asking questions, there''s a big cleaning, problems arise at work, etc.), which was a bit inconvenient. So I give leisure 3.5 points.
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