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#Experience of living alone, gained confidence #Good people, a reading habit #A precious time of self-reflection
During a month that could be considered long or short, I did a lot of things on my own. If I were told to go live alone somewhere else for another month right now, it would be difficult because there are many things I wasn''t able to do during that time.If, after some time has passed, someone asked me ''Do you want to leave again?'', I think I would ask back whether this time it could be for more than a month. |
A time to reflect on myself while looking at the sea, Busan Gap Year Stay
Choi Ji-won — gap year family, gapper
A 4-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 idling with no dreams, and the job-change 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 happiness.Although many people tell them to dream, to solve this problem that lacks realistic methods and support, we aim to bring the ''gap year'' to South Korea as well.
''Gap year'' (Gapyear)refers to taking a break from or balancing studies and work and engaging in various activities such as volunteering, travel, internships, education, and starting a business,as a time to set the direction for moving forward; it is a culture encouraged in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and other places.
#I was curious what life would be like living alone in an unfamiliar place.
While attending school, I was always tempted to take a leave of absence. Thinking about leave, shortly before finals while browsing the internet I learned about the gap year project and applied.
I didn''t particularly want to change myself through the gap year.I simply wanted to leave behind doing simple part-time jobs or staying at home during vacation and live alone in another unfamiliar place to see what kind of life it would be.
#I thought, ''I''ve really come to a great place.''
After applying for the project and being selected as a participant, I spent each day looking forward to what activities I would be doing during the project. As the participation date approached and I rode the KTX down to Busan, I felt an excitement or anxiety unlike usual.
Although I usually lived away from home, the distance back home wasn''t that far, so I could easily come and go if I wanted, and it was my first time living alone without anyone I knew. When I arrived at the guesthouse, it was different from any guesthouse I''d been to before. It was so large you could even call it a small hotel — it could accommodate nearly a hundred people when everyone was there.
On that first day, with the anxious thought that I would be doing a tremendous amount of activities here, I went to bed earlier than usual to wake up early the next morning. But in reality, the staff activities I did there were few; there were many days when there were none at all.I really thought I had come to a great place. The manager was nice, and the staff I worked with all happened to be the same age, so I was able to get along well with everyone.
#If, after some time has passed, someone asked ''Do you want to leave again?'', I think I would ask back whether this time it could be for more than a month.
The place I visited most was the department store. In the early part of the trip there was heavy rain due to the monsoon, and later the heat was intense so I couldn''t easily go outside. For me, the ideal place was the department store. It had everything to enjoy — a movie theater, bookstores, restaurants, cafés — and I especially frequented the bookstore.
What surprised me in Busan was that many bookstores (the ones I visited) had desks and chairs set up so you could comfortably read books. Usually when I go to a bookstore I can only find a few seats or end up sitting on the floor to read, but the bookstores here had lamps and chargers that made it truly comfortable to read. Thanks to that, even though I hadn''t read much in recent years, I read many books during this period.You might think ''What are you doing in Busan if you''re not visiting tourist sites?'', but not only wandering here and there for long periods, having time to read books was also a great help to me.
Also, due to the nature of the guesthouse, I met a lot of people. Most were ''naeil-ro'' travelers who stayed only a day or two, so if our times at the accommodation didn''t match we often didn''t meet, but as my stay lengthened, even meeting small numbers of people added up and I ended up meeting many people.
I''m usually very shy and found it difficult to start conversations, but because of the atmosphere here I could really speak to people comfortably, and thanks to that I got to know the thoughts of various people. Our guesthouse held a party every week, but each time the party got so crowded that, due to space constraints, the staff inevitably had to stay out— which was a bit of a shame.
During the month—long if you want, short if you want—I did a lot of things by myself. If someone told me to go live alone somewhere else for another month right now, it would be too much because there are many things I hadn''t been able to do.If some time passes and someone asks, “Do you want to leave again?” I think I would reply by asking whether this time it could be longer than a month.
# My own travel destination!
I recommend the Igidae Coastal Walk. The walking sections are well laid out and the scenery is outstanding. It''s near Kyungsung University–Pukyong National University Station, so it''s also convenient for eating out.
# My tip!
(Language)
Since it was a domestic project, there wasn''t a major language barrier, but there were quite a few foreign guests. Some conversational ability is essential to talk with foreign guests!
(Accommodation)
The accommodation was really huge, so it never felt small or uncomfortable.
(Meals)
We cooked meals together with the staff, but I didn''t know how to do anything… I just played the role of an assistant at their side.
(Luggage)
I had to use a laptop during the participation period, so I brought one. As expected, the laptop was quite large and made me uncomfortable. I also worried that someone might take it... but I could play with it when bored and it could handle tasks that are difficult on a phone. It was convenient to have, but also inconvenient.
Since it was Busan, it was easy to get anything. Items I forgot to bring could be bought at Daiso or replaced with supplies available in the guesthouse.
(Pro tip)
At first I thought a month would be really short. But a month spent alone felt very long. Looking back now, it passed before I knew it... Still, because I had so much time, I was able to read several books over the month even though I hadn''t read in about three years. You can''t hang out with strangers every day, so it''s good to bring something to entertain yourself alone.
#I think I lived here for a month not as a typical tourist but as a Busan local.
Through the gap year project I was out every day. I''m naturally a homebody who needs to be at home 5–6 days a week, so this activity was really hard. Going out every single day... As days passed I found myself thinking, “Has it already gotten to this point? I should hurry and go out!” Going out every day became a habit. But I went out so much that there were many times when I actually had nowhere to go.
I originally liked wandering around alone. Watching a movie alone in elementary school was my first experience of deciding to spend time by myself. Since then, if meeting friends is a 4, spending time alone is about a 6 in my life. That''s the ratio — I''m a total homebody who even finds it hard to go out once a week. But I do enjoy wandering around alone...
Anyway, even I think it''s strange, but after coming here I really wandered around a lot. Later, the heatwave lasted for days so I couldn''t wander around as much as I had planned.I truly think I lived a month here as a Busan local rather than as an ordinary traveler.
My gap year is |
Experience★★★★★
Learning★★★★☆
Environment★★★★☆
Safety★★★★★
Leisure★★★★★
Spending a month in an unfamiliar place and being around strangers was really difficult, but meeting many good people eased that worry. Also, being able to spend a lot of time entirely for myself is another big advantage.
