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#Increased Confidence in English, Pride in My Homeland #Valuable Connections, Confidence #The Importance of Living in the Moment
I don''t know if a moment like this—being with friends of all different jobs and ages from around the world—will ever come again in my life. Although our languages and appearances are different, it was amazing that we could come together through work, food, song, and dance.
- Cheerful English-teaching volunteer activity with foreign friends in Chiang Rai, Thailand / Kim Hae-in, gap year participant / 8 weeks of 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 one-year job turnover rate has entered the 40% range,75% of university students are not satisfied with college life, and over 80% of workers report not feeling happy.Many people tell them to dream, but to address this problem that lacks practical methods and support, we want to introduce the ''gap year'' to South Korea.
''Gap year (Gapyear)''refers to a period in which one balances or temporarily pauses studies and work to set direction through various activities such as volunteering, travel, internships, education, and startups,a time to set the direction for the future, a culture encouraged in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and other places.
#Because I went without many expectations, I think I was able to be more present in each moment.
Hello! I majored in industrial design, and after finishing my third year I took a year off~ After doing eight weeks of volunteer work teaching English to children in Chiang Rai, Thailand, I spent a week traveling in Laos and Bangkok, and then traveled Europe for three weeks. Now that the gap year program is over I''m back, enjoying the swan life (albeit a little poor).
I''m very interested in environmental issues. I decided to take a leave to find out how I could work in the environmental field through my major. While searching for environmental volunteer work, I found the Korea Gap Year website, and since there were so many options I applied for a project consultation visit.
After about an hour-long consultation I chose a Southeast Asia education volunteer program. If I had had more money and been better at English back then, I might have gone somewhere else lol. But looking back now, the coordinator listened to my situation and seemed to recommend an activity that suited me well. At that timeIf I hadn''t gone to Thailand, I wouldn''t have met those angelic children and friends from around the world.
I didn''t have any particular goals or clear wishes for this gap year like other people. Besides wanting to live somewhere different among strangers for a while and wanting to volunteer for others...? ButBecause I went without much thought, I think I was able to be more present in each moment.I could simply focus on volunteering with thoughts like, ''I really hope these kids learn English well,'' and ''I hope they enjoy having class with us.''
#The charm of this program seems to lie in enjoying and becoming close with other volunteers and Thai locals.
I once talked with a participant who had been on a Cambodian gap year project, and they mentioned things that are hard to find in other programs.The charm of this program seems to lie in enjoying and becoming close with other volunteers and Thai locals.
In particular, it was surprising how international interest in Korea has increased recently—many foreign friends approached us showing interest in Korean culture, the Korean language, and Korean cosmetics. Even with my limited English, I was glad to be able to briefly introduce Korea''s history, lifestyle, and culture to them. I also felt proud seeing them treasure a paper note with their name written in Korean.
If I had to pick the most memorable night during the gap year, it would be the night we took turns singing songs from each country and hummed along together even though we didn''t know the meanings. I can''t forget that night when we all sang ''Arirang'' together and filmed a video.
As for the most memorable day, it was the day we held a sports day with the children. Playing and talking with the volunteers were unforgettable memories during the program, but what made the program truly meaningful to me were the children.
For the children I had grown attached to over the month, I prepared various games and prizes and handmade Styrofoam medals and went to see them. Playing games together and sharing snacks, I felt even happier seeing the children enjoy themselves more than ever. At the final session, when everyone came forward to sing an English song, it was a proud moment to see how much the children''s skills had grown after learning English little by little over the month.
The coordinator recommended this project, saying that it takes time to adjust and it''s best to participate for more than eight weeks. I was glad to be able to have many varied experiences over eight weeks, but I saw many people who had applied for longer periods (2–3 months) leave partway through.It may seem like nothing, but having to experience farewells and readjustments each time was a bit difficult.
Besides, I think it''s also because a similar routine repeats. Volunteers tend to do tasks given on a weekly basis rather than long projects, so the students they teach often change each time; that makes it hard to form attachments or see their skills improve, which was a bit disappointing.
#I gained a lot of confidence in many ways during this project.
To describe a typical day: at 8 a.m. we start breakfast along with the morning meeting in the dining hall. The meeting isn''t anything special; we just hear the day''s schedule. Around 9 we take a truck to the morning activity site! After teaching the kids energetically, we come back and have lunch. After lunch we head to the afternoon activity site, then return and have an afternoon meeting at 4. Teams are usually split into 2–3 classes, so this is a time for volunteers to exchange information about how the day''s classes went.
After that it''s free time—usually we spend it at the base camp and sometimes call a songthaew to go into town. There''s plenty of free time, but if you prepare for the next day''s classes or upload class results to the website, there are times you end up staying in the office until late at night.
I gained a lot of confidence in many ways during this project. The first is confidence in my English.When I first arrived and they held orientation, I couldn''t understand about half of it, so I felt quite intimidated. At that time..."That''s really good considering it''s not your mother tongue!" (They actually told me my English was amazing, haha)I gained a lot of courage from the foreign friends who said things like that!
The second is confidence in our country.I had no idea Korea was this famous or that so many foreigners liked Korea. I was really surprised that Thai people, as well as friends from China, the U.S., and Europe, were interested in the Korean language, Korean songs, dramas, movies, and cosmetics.
Finally, confidence in myself!Maybe volunteering for others made me learn to love myself? Or being with angelic kids made me happy? Maybe being complimented that Korea is a great country and that Korean women are really pretty made me feel good? I don''t know the reason, but an unfounded confidence welled up inside me even among South American friends with big, striking eyes who give off goddess vibes. Could I have imagined at the start of the project that I''d be the one greeting new volunteers in the morning first? Haha
Honestly, I don''t expect that coming to Korea will change my life or my personality. But when faced with a moment of choice, remembering this gap-year period might revive my confidence and give me the courage to act.
# Be sure to come to the Songkran festival~
If you go to Thailand, I recommend the Songkran festival! I happened to be in Thailand during the Songkran water festival! These days Songkran has become so famous that many people plan trips to Bangkok or Chiang Rai for it. I spent that period homestaying in a highland village during my volunteer stint, and it was a fun and special experience in its own way.
At first I did feel a bit disappointed that I couldn''t enjoy the festival in a big city. After all, you can''t experience the flashy city festivals in a small village. But now, if I meet someone who wants to go to Thailand to enjoy Songkran, I''d recommend spending the festival in a rural village.
During this time people just spray water like crazy. Whether on people or on cars, while you''re eating or passing by, they drench you with water, so I thought isn''t this just a crazy festival, but it turned out......it''s actually a meaningful Buddhist ritual of the Thai people to wash away impurities for the New Year and pray that the year goes well, haha.
Being invited to the village feast and being served a banquet, and seeing everyone from children to adults spraying water, I felt I could sense a bit of the true meaning of the Songkran festival. In big cities this essence seems to have faded a lot. Of course, things might be different if I fully enjoyed the festival in Bangkok or Chiang Mai, haha.
#I don''t know if a moment like this—being together with friends from all over the world with all sorts of jobs and ages—will come again in my life.
I met so many wonderful people. Each volunteer had such distinct personalities and strengths that it''s hard to pick just one.I don''t know if a moment like this will come again. Although we each have different languages and appearances, it''s amazing that we could come together through work, food, song, and dance.
It also made me think that people are really all the same. There are so many memories: lying in bed at night with the girls talking about food until we fell asleep from hunger, taking turns singing sad songs from each country and getting emotional, stumbling over English while telling scary stories and then turning back in the middle of a walk because it was too scary, and so on.
The people I felt most sad to part with were, of course, the children. At least with the other volunteers you could keep in touch, but when saying goodbye to the kids I felt like I''d never see them again. The children aren''t good at English, so it''s hard to have conversations. Even so, the kids come up to you first and try to become friends. In that way they are better than adults.
And the most important person: my friend Bukmi (nickname). While eating together in Myeongdong we said, ''Shall we do a gap year? Shall we? Since we''re going anyway, shall we add a trip to Europe? Shall we?!'' (After calculating the money..) ''We can do it!!! Let''s go!!!!!'' We became a trio bound by fate for three months. Our gap-year coordinator and everyone around us were very worried.
Before leaving we heard many worried voices like, ''Aren''t you going to fight when you''re there?'' or ''Won''t you be unable to travel properly?'' Of course, it''s nice to have time alone in a foreign place to feel, learn, and grow! But there are certainly things you can do because you''re two.
And the best thing is having someone to share and continue to reminisce about this precious gap-year experience with, and that person is my closest friend. You can always travel alone, but being able to do it with a friend like this felt like luck.
# Tips for those going on a gap year!
The preparation notes say to bring smart clothes, but it was so hot I couldn''t wear slacks or similar pants. In fact, locally it wasn''t a problem to wear knee-covering pants and a short-sleeve shirt (as long as it''s not too short or too low-cut). It''s best to bring breathable pants and comfortable T-shirts. If you don''t have comfortable long pants, you can buy them cheaply once you arrive.
The schedule isn''t as busy as I expected. After the evening there''s not much to do, so you''ll have free time.Even on weekdays volunteers sometimes hire a songthaew and go into town. Usually once during the week, sometimes twice. You can buy needed items or food you want to eat. Simple items like detergent, shampoo, mosquito repellent can be bought at shops near the accommodation, so you don''t need to bring them.
Electricity is better than expected, but the Wi‑Fi isn''t good. I heard that using a hair dryer in the morning might trip the power, but there weren''t major restrictions on electricity like in Korea. Both hair dryers and straighteners worked. Sometimes heavy rain causes power outages, but it''s not frequent (maybe two or three times in two months?).
Wi‑Fi conditions are always variable. Sometimes it''s good enough to use in the accommodation, but usually it''s only available near the office and the bamboo hut. However, depending on the weather and the number of users, it often becomes unreliable.
There aren''t major problems teaching the children. I felt my lack of English mostly when talking with other volunteers or receiving instructions. But if you ask people to speak slowly, most foreigners kindly explain again and speak clearly in simple words.
Of course it''s good to be good at English, but even if you''re a little lacking, I think it''s important to have the confidence of ''I''m not from an English-speaking country, so this is pretty good!'' when you talk.If you really want to do pre-study, I recommend getting used to British accents. I''m used to American pronunciation, so when British volunteers spoke quickly it was often hard for me to understand.
Not recommended for people who absolutely hate bugs. Humans adapt, and most participants adjusted well to everything. Many people initially struggled with differences from Korea — summer without air conditioning, insects, mosquitoes, cold showers, turtle‑speed internet, lizards, civets, etc. — but everyone eventually adapted. For many women, the only thing they couldn''t get used to was bugs coming into the house.
In the bedding list it says ''thick sleeping bag'' so many people might think, ''Huh? A thick blanket? Isn''t Thailand hot?'' You can bring one as written, or not bring one at all — it''s not a big problem. (Blankets are provided by default, and if a sleeping bag is needed at a homestay, the organization sometimes lends a donated sleeping bag). I brought a thin blanket and never used it, and ended up donating it.
A friend I went with used the blanket spread over the mattress to sleep on; if you want to use the bed cleanly, that seems fine. There''s usually a thin fabric sheet on the mattress.
I worried a lot about whether to bring a laptop and camera. Even though they make your luggage heavy and are cumbersome, it''s nice to have them. But give up the idea of using the internet at the accommodation with your laptop. There might be days when it''s possible, but many, many more days when it''s not.
In my case I used hostel Wi‑Fi on weekends to upload/download backlog files. The most rewarding use of the laptop during the week was when we all bought peanuts at the supermarket and gathered to watch a movie. I also took photos during class with my camera, edited them on my laptop, had them printed at a photo shop on the weekend, and gave them to the children as a gift on the last day. That''s when I first thought ''I''m glad I brought a camera.''
It would be good to bring souvenirs or hobby activities that can share Korea. If you stay for eight weeks, you end up seeing off a lot of friends, and each time I regretted not having a souvenir to give.
One friend asked me for just one Korean bill, but the smallest bill I had was 5,000 won, so I wrote a letter on it and gave it — haha (so bring a 1,000 won bill. Giving 5,000 won felt a bit painful for me lol). I had studied calligraphy a bit before I went, so I brought a brush pen and wrote each departing friend''s name in Korean calligraphy on the back of their letters! It wasn''t much, but it felt like a much more meaningful gift than just a letter.
Capturing the growth journeys
of our participants.
