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#Became physically and mentally healthier; experienced a break from routine #Valuable connections; appreciation for the value of household chores #Felt gratitude for being alive
I was truly happy and joyful there; like the word ''youth'', it was piercingly blue.If asked what color Jeju is remembered as, I''d answer ''black.'' On a pitch-dark night, if you look closely at the sky you can see the stars scattered across it. Jeju sparkled and was blue like those stars. -Jeju! I want to live there. Gap Year Stay / Seo Seon-young gap-year tribe 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; 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 issue that lacks practical methods and support, we aim to introduce the ''gap year'' to South Korea as well.
''Gap year (Gapyear)''is a period during which one either combines study and work or temporarily pauses to engage in various activities such as volunteering, traveling, interning, education, or starting a business,a time to set the direction for moving forward; it is a culture encouraged in the United States, Europe, Japan, and elsewhere.
#I wanted to try living in Jeju.
I worked at my first job for four years and then quit, and before turning thirty I wanted to try, one by one, the things I wanted to do. One of them wasto live in Jeju. Then I discovered this project and applied.My gap year goal wasto become healthy in body and mind.
#It was my first time living away from my parents, living alone in another place.
It was my first time living away from my parents in another place. When I caught a bad cold I was overwhelmed with sadness, but apart from that I had a really fun time. At home I had always been the good, dutiful daughter, but I also stayed out late and indulged in small rebellions, experiencing things quite different from what I had felt before.AlsoI discovered a different kind of fun.
I made friends in Jeju by chance, and because they were there I didn''t feel lonely away from home and I had fun. Thanks to those friends, the memories of Jeju are deeply engraved in me. I am truly grateful to them.
# 1Having used a room alone for over 0 years, I wasn''t used to sharing a room with someone, but gradually I was able to feel the closeness between people.
''What color will Jeju be remembered as? Maybe green or red, dark or bright.''
It was the first sentence I wrote upon arriving in Jeju.
As an introvert, I expend energy meeting people and recharge during my alone time. But when I arrived at the guesthouse, I felt suddenly alone, placed by myself in a living room occupied by countless kids.
''What is this?'' I didn''t know what to do when an aunt greeted me. Just then, the aunt from branch one and Seonjin, who had been working as a staff member before I came, were drinking makgeolli in the kitchen, so I joined them and chatted. I wasn''t yet accustomed, but I tried not to feel too out of place.
The room that served as the staff room also housed the aunt''s daughter in addition to the staff, and it was arranged so they shared bathrooms with other children, so it wasn''t independent. Because of that, it was very difficult to adapt at first.There was an unexpected snag: there wasn''t a suitable place to rest alone, so if I wanted time to myself I had to go outside.
But as time passed this drawback became an advantage for my introverted self. Having used a room alone for over ten years, I wasn''t used to sharing a room, but I gradually adapted as I realized the benefit of feeling closeness with others. In fact, it seemed like a great opportunity for someone with a similar temperament to mine.
All the beaches were wonderful!
Hamdeok Seoubong Beach, Gwakji Gwamul Beach, Hyeopjae Beach, etc. each have different charms, so I recommend visiting them one by one.At Gwakji Gwamul there''s the Handam Coastal Road that connects to Aewol, and that walking path is well laid out and pleasant.
In Jeju it takes about one to two hours to get anywhere, so at first I stayed near the city, but later I made a day trip all the way to Seogwipo.Whether it''s the city or Seogwipo, it takes about one to two hours.Seogwipo isn''t that far either, so it would be nice to go there.
#If you look closely at the night sky you''ll see it studded with stars. Jeju was as sparkling and blue as those stars.
The day after I arrived I started work for the first time. Since I''d never done household chores before, everything I did there was new to me. While cleaning and tidying the rooms I realized I had thought housework was trivial.Even though it was something that someone had to do, I didn''t want to do it.But actually doing the housework made me realize my thinking was wrong, and I came to see it as valuable too.
I happened to become close with friends who came to the guesthouse as guests, and we went out together and talked a lot. They were younger than me, but they were kind, deep-hearted friends I had a lot to learn from.
Thinking about the word ''chance'' that led me to meet those friends, I realized that if even one thing had gone differently we would have remained strangers forever. Human connections are truly mysterious — I realized that anew.It sounds cheesy, but while I was with those friends I felt that this was a moment when the word ''youth'' really applied.
My heart fluttered and ached over small things and swayed with the wind, but all of it spoke of youth. Nothing in life — the future or anything else — was guaranteed, but simply breathing in that moment was meaningful enough. I was unbearably happy.
I went to impossibly clear beaches to my heart''s content, strolled the streets at dusk like walking through music, drank beer at night, and even saw dreamlike fireflies dancing as if in ecstasy.
Originally I planned a ''Healthy Me PROJECT'' — to look into the deep wounds in my heart inwardly and to exercise diligently outwardly. But once I came to Jeju things didn''t go as planned. Especially the exercise... after a week I caught a bad cold and couldn''t do it.
I didn''t achieve the initial goals, but if life went exactly as planned I wouldn''t get to enjoy the surprises, so I decided to focus on what I gained in a different direction than I had intended.
I was truly happy and joyful there, as piercingly blue as the word ''youth''.If you ask what color Jeju is remembered as, I would answer ''black.'' On the pitch-dark night, if you look closely at the sky you''ll see it studded with stars. Jeju was as sparkling and blue as those stars.
# My tips
TIP1: You have to eat with the owner''s family when they have meals, so be sure to match the meal times.But if it''s uncomfortable, often buying your own meals is a good option.
TIP2: If you like the sea, a swimsuit or tube is essential.And there''s a library nearby, so you don''t need to bring many books.There was nothing that required a laptop, so if you brought one it would probably just be dead weight.
TIP3: If you really need time alone, it will probably be hard to adapt.That was my case — it was hard at first, but later I became close with those kids and ended up not feeling lonely and had fun.
My gap year Experience ★★★★★ It was so wonderful that I wondered if there would ever be another time in my life when I could fully enjoy being young while living in Jeju. I had many experiences and felt a lot. Learning ★★★★☆ Having always worked in office jobs, doing physical work like this was very helpful. Environment ★★★★☆ The location was in town so it was a pity there was no sea, but there were plenty of nearby conveniences. The guesthouse owner treated me like a close aunt and the kids were well-behaved, so I was able to live comfortably. Safety ★★★★☆ As long as you don''t go out at night, you can get around safely. Leisure ★★★☆☆ Because it takes at least an hour to get to the sea, getting anywhere took quite a bit of time. |
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