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#Less fear about the future; increased desire to pursue what I want #Filled in my shortcomings; overcame my fear of English #I was grateful every single day
Everyone I met during the gap year told me that since I''m still young, I should do everything I want to do.Listening to their stories eased my vague fears about the future and made me want to do even more.And I realized that when someone asks what I will do later, it''s more accurate to answer ''many things.''
- Paris, France, Gap Year Stay / Kim Eun-bin, gap-year participant (gapper) / 9-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; the turnover rate within one year after employment has entered the 40% range,75% of university students are not satisfied with college life, and over 80% of workers say they do not feel happy.Many people tell them to dream, but to address this problem that lacks practical methods and support, we aim to introduce the ''gap year'' to South Korea.
''Gap year (Gapyear)''It is a time when, by combining or temporarily pausing studies and work and engaging in various activities such as volunteering, travel, internships, education, and startups,you set the direction for your future — a culture encouraged in the United States, Europe, Japan, and elsewhere.
# The reason I applied to the Paris gap-year stayThe biggest reason was that I wanted to see and feel every corner of Paris in person.
During the three years I attended school, I ran almost without rest. During semesters I was always buried in assignments and lived busily, and during breaks the vacations weren''t real vacations because I was doing other things.Living like that, I think I really forgot how to rest.
There were so many things I wanted to do, but it wasn''t easy to do them while in school. In the end, with one year left, I chose to take a leave of absence to try all the things I hadn''t done. When I decided to take a leave, a friend recommended a gap year, and on the day I went to the website thinking ''let''s find out what it is,'' I immediately applied to the ''Paris, France, Gap Year Stay.''
After I was accepted into the gap year, something I had said when I was young came to mind. ''''I want to live in France for about three months.'' I don''t know why I said that, but as a child I vaguely liked France. I also wanted to learn French, so I used to go to a French school every weekend to study the language. As I grew older I just forgot about it, so it was surprising that I was suddenly going to France like this.
The biggest reason I applied to the Paris gap-year stay was that I wanted to see and feel every corner of Paris in person. While staying there for two months,I wanted to experience Paris''s unique charm that can''t be felt on a short trip.Also,I wanted to put aside the intense daily school life for a while, rest, and have time to reflect on myself.
My gap year goal was to try a variety of experiences. I wanted to step out of familiar places, experience new things, and meet diverse people to learn perspectives different from my own that I had never considered before. I also wanted time to rest and better understand myself.
# Meeting and talking with people of various ages and who do different kinds of work made me think I should do as many of the things I want to do as possible.
As an upperclassman at school I inevitably felt some impatience, and although I said I wasn''t worried, anxiety would arise without my realizing it. However,During the gap year program, I met and spoke with people of various ages and in different jobs, and I realized I was still quite young and felt I should do all the things I want to do.
Just because I was in Paris didn''t mean every day was special; I lived ordinary, everyday life like in Korea. However,the leisure I felt in that ordinary daily life, the realizations gained from nightly conversations, made each day a time to be grateful for.
Whether it was sunny or rainy, the Eiffel Tower I always visited, Montmartre where music played from somewhere and the city could be seen at a glance, the many parks where I would lie down and "photosynthesize," the staff and guests I spent time with, every place I went in Paris, and everyone I met remained good memories for me.
# By sharing our lives and being considerate of one another, we grew closer, and having each other made the gap year period even more enjoyable.
The staff I worked with and spent the most time with are the ones I remember most. Everyone was different in age and in the work they did back in Korea. But meeting through the gap year program in Paris and working and playing together will truly be unforgettable memories.
Of course we each went there to pursue our own things, but being with them made me feel it was also a community, so I tried to share my heart freely.Everyone shared their lives and showed consideration for one another, which brought us closer, and having each other made the gap year period more enjoyable.
# My personal recommended place,Parc de Sceaux located on the outskirts of Paris!
I enjoyed feeling relaxed in parks while in Paris, and among the many parks, if I had to recommend one that I really liked, I''d recommend Parc de Sceaux on the outskirts of Paris.
Parc de Sceaux, called the ''Petit Versailles,'' can be reached by taking the RER B and getting off at the ''parc de sceaux'' station. I went with a staff senior I worked with and we brought packed lunches; not only are there no restaurants nearby, but the park is very, very large, so once you go in it can take hours to get out—so be sure to pack a lunch!
A design bookstore with a red sign you come across while walking along the Canal Saint-Martin! (I don''t know the exact name, but the red sign says ~~~ DESIGN BOOKSTORE.) I visited many design bookstores, but this one was the best! There were many types of books and pretty little items, and not only the bookstore but the shops around it were unique too!
# I realized that the answer ''many'' is more appropriate to the question ''What will you do later?''
Soon after joining the gap year program, what I liked most was being able to meet various people and have conversations with them.As a student, the people I could meet were limited, but I met a wide range of people—from those who had quit their jobs to come, to people working or attending school in France, and to those who came to Paris for their dreams.
The time spent talking with those people was truly enjoyable and precious.I usually thought, ''Let''s live doing what I want,'' but with only one year left until graduation, when people around me asked what I''d do after graduating, I naturally felt anxious.Being an upper-year at school made me feel older, and I felt like I had to decide something quickly.
But hearing the stories of the people I met in Paris made me realize I''m still very young and that it''s okay to live doing all the things I want.Before coming to Paris, when people asked what I''d do after graduation I answered ''I don''t know.'' I only knew what kind of person I wanted to be and couldn''t answer the question of what I would do with a single, definite answer.I wanted to do this and that, and choosing just one of them was impossible for me.
After answering ''I don''t know'' to people, I sometimes felt like there was something wrong with me. But the people I met during the gap year told me I was still young and to do everything I wanted.Listening to their stories reduced my vague fear of the future and made me want to do even more things.And I came to realize that the better answer to ''What will you do later?'' is ''Many things.''
# If I were to summarize my gap year in one sentence, the gap year was a time to fill my ''lacking parts.''
First, I really, really hated English. I wasn''t good at it, and my school was full of overseas students and had classes in English, so I think I came to dislike English even more. I even had something like an aversion to English... Before participating in the gap year, during orientation the person in charge asked me to write 30 things I wanted to do during the gap year.One of the things I wrote was to study English.
At that moment he asked me whether I really wanted to study English. When I thought about it, studying English was something I felt I had to do, not something I truly wanted to do. He advised me to do the things I really wanted to do and said to study English when I wanted to, so fortunately I left for my gap year with less pressure about English.
However, once I actually went to Paris there was no problem communicating with foreigners. When my friends asked how I was able to converse in Paris, I—who had disliked English so much—felt embarrassed to say I was speaking in English, so I said that everything could be communicated with the heart, butThatin that place, even though it wasn''t perfect, English came out naturally and everyone could understand me, so I was very happy. From then on my fear of English disappeared and instead I developed a desire to study it more.
Second,I learned to keep doing things consistently.I can''t stick with one thing consistently. It''s not that I have low concentration, but I tend to try this and that. Someone once said that I lack perseverance. I buy a diary every year but only write for a few days and then it ends up sitting on the bookshelf.
But during the gap year I vowed to write in a diary every day as a way to end the day, and it was successful. After finishing wine parties with guests the day''s work was done, so the finishing time was the same every day and I was able to keep it well. Sometimes I didn''t want to write, but by holding back and writing the diary it eventually became a natural way to end the day.Seeing myself change little by little made me proud and grateful that I could change.
Third, I learned what real relaxation is.While attending school I lived busily every day and even during breaks I was always doing something. Of course, because I was doing things I liked, they didn''t come as stress to me, but if you keep working continuously, there inevitably comes a time when you get tired.
During the gap year I learned what it means to take a full rest and recharge. Paris was always full of leisure and I learned how to live leisurely there.The best time in Paris was sitting while looking at the Eiffel Tower and feeling the breeze. Doing nothing and just sitting alone recharged me and allowed me to think a lot.
Through the gap year I set out on just to ''have various experiences,'' I gained many unexpected things. I was able to fill my shortcomings, met various people and learned a lot through conversations, and thinking about my future made me want to do even more things.
At a glance my life hasn''t changed. No, it doesn''t seem to have. However, during the gap year my life and myself clearly changed, and those parts gather and will continue to change; I''m looking forward to how I''ll change going forward. Before participating I didn''t know how to spend my rest time fully to recharge myself. After joining the gap year I came to know real relaxation and how to rest.
#My Paris Gap Year Stay Tips!
Tip 1: You''re usually in the living room or out, so you''ll hardly be in the room except when sleeping. It can be a bit noisy when sleeping, so if you''re sensitive, bring an eye mask and earplugs~
Tip 2: At the supermarket you can find ingredients that are hard to get in our country very easily! I liked that part most because I like cooking, so if you like cooking I recommend cooking with ingredients that are hard to find back home!
Tip 3: Keep your suitcase as empty as possible! By the time you return to Korea your luggage will have increased hehe. Clothes and shoes are cheaper and prettier than in our country and you can easily get household goods at the supermarket, so only pack what you really need!
I hope you don''t focus too much on ''Paris''. When I first applied, my biggest desire was to live in Paris, but after the interview I realized work comes first, so I went to Paris thinking I should work hard there rather than have expectations about living in Paris.
Once you go, if you focus solely on Paris and expect only that, you might be disappointed. I hope you don''t only look forward to partying or traveling.
My gap year is
Experience★★★★★
Leaving familiar places and dropping myself into a completely different environment was a new experience. Everyone I met was new, and everywhere I went, everything I saw and heard was new. It was a meaningful time to experience things I had never encountered before.
Learning★★★★★
Meeting new people every day and talking with them made each day a succession of learning. Rather than learning that develops a particular ability of mine, I learned much by thinking through people''s words and also by living with them and learning from their lives.
Environment★★★★☆
The place I stayed was a bit away from the city center, but since Paris is small it didn''t feel that far. There was a park right in front of the house which was great for exercising, and the best part was the large supermarket in front of the station!
Safety★★★☆☆
Paris has a rather notorious reputation, but if you are careful it''s not dangerous at all. It''s good to learn beforehand about common scams and pickpocketing methods, and as long as you don''t wander around late at night there''s nothing to be afraid of.
Leisure★★★★☆
Except for the set working hours and the 2–3 ''keep'' times per week, you can use most of the time as your own. Whether you feel you have a lot of leisure time or not depends on how you choose to use the time given to you.
