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#Discovered myself, increased initiative, set goals #New experiences; learned how to inspire and move others #Realized that happiness depends on one's mindset
I learned a great deal about my life.Whenever I thought of something, I tried to give it a try.I didn''t just think, ''It''ll change'' — I put in the effort. Whether it changed or not, because I made the effort I gained something. It wasn''t about sitting still wondering what to do. Building a village in Chiang Rai, Thailand with foreign friends — tinkering away / 8-week gap year / Baek Seung-yeop, gap year tribe ''gapper''. |
Currently, South Korea is,
each year seeing 60,000 middle and high school students drop out, 346,000 people in their twenties just idling because they have no dreams, and the one-year turnover rate after employment has entered the 40% range,75% of university students are not satisfied with college life, and more than 80% of office workers report not feeling happy.Many people tell them to dream, but to solve this problem that lacks practical methods and support, we want to bring the ''gap year'' to South Korea as well.
''Gap year (Gapyear)''is a time to either combine or temporarily pause study and work and, through various activities such as volunteering, travel, internships, education, and starting a business,set the direction to move forward — a cultural practice encouraged in the United States, Europe, Japan, and other places.
#Through the gap year, I had time to get to know who I am.My goal was to discover myself.
I didn''t know how to do anything and hadn''t properly learned anything; having accumulated a lot of experiences, I felt I needed to find what I should do next, so right after discharge I went abroad without any proper preparation.I believed hope was outside; I thought something would change if I went out, and I felt that if I did the same as others in Korea, I wouldn''t be able to keep up.
Rather than being worried, my heart was excited. It was a new beginning. At 27, it was my first time going abroad.I thought that people live the same everywhere and the only differences would be in culture, and that if I didn''t know something I could just ask.I had that thought.
I didn''t prepare anything before leaving. ''I''ll just buy the necessary items and go, bump into things, and learn.''''That was my thinking. Can I say I was mentally prepared?''Through the gap year, I had time to get to know who I am.My goal was to discover myself.
#While carrying out this project, I felt like I was traveling.I felt that I was traveling.
The workday starts at 9. Before that, there is a meeting at 8. At that time,the manager tells us what work we''ll be doing today. After finishing breakfast, we all gather at 9 and start work.It''s hard to say definitively since there''s always work, but we dig the ground to gather soil and demolish buildings.We also build new buildings, make water systems, do painting, and work in the fields—there''s so much.
There are many places that need volunteers'' hands. Usually the workday ends at 4 p.m., and once every two weekswe did homestays, staying at a local Thai family''s home from Monday to Friday and helping where the village needed help.We did that work.Also, through volunteering I met many friends from various countries: Europe, the UK, the US, Latin America, etc.I felt like I was traveling while doing this project.
#A gap year is not a time to hide yourselfbut a time to discover and find yourself.
Language use was a problem here. Because the managers are American and Australian, there were difficulties communicating.There were some difficult parts. In my life, what I''d done to learn and use English was a three-month language course and two months of volunteer work in Vietnam.So I had never met Americans or Australians before. But these people used many difficult words andthey spoke very fast. Someone like me would go crazy; communication would just break down.
So I spoke up. I said I had only studied English for three months, and that the English I learned in Vietnam for three monthswas what I''d tried to use to get here, but I''m still lacking and couldn''t understand. Could you speak more simply?Then they asked me if I''d consider switching from an English-teaching program to an outdoor labor program.I said, "I want to continue with the program I''m doing as it is.I learned basic English properly, so I don''t think teaching would be a problem," and they said they''d checked my resume andthey tried to persuade me, saying that in their view it would be better to change to an outdoor program. Would that be okay?
Thinking about it, since I''d already done an educational volunteer program in Vietnam, maybe here I could change to a new outdoor work programto try a new experience? I thought. So I said OK and chose the new experience.If you don''t understand while communicating with foreigners, don''t be embarrassed—say so.
They''ll just suggest a better directionand even try to teach you. You''ll feel their consideration. Don''t be afraid.A gap year is not a time to hide yourselfbut a time to discover and find yourself.If you hide even small parts of yourself, you won''t be able to discover yourself,I think.
If there''s a memorable joy from this project, it''s that when I worked hard, they told me I was crazy.and praised me, asking where on earth that strength comes from, and even a friend who used to slack off and not work said when he saw you I...he said he couldn''t help but work.I directly felt that I had moved someone in my life.
An American friend told me this directly.
"dude you’re a machine. keep inspiring people be it in travel or insane work ethic."
Translated, it means: you''re really amazing. Whether it''s travel or work ethic, you keep inspiring people.I will carry this token on my chest for the rest of my life. I will never be able to forget it.Have you ever heard something that touched your heart?
# My own travel destination!
I didn''t have my own travel route. I just walked wherever my feet took me and tried taking buses.If there was somewhere I was interested in or wanted to visit, I went without hesitation.Just go.And think about where you went today and things like that. Then you''ll know what you like.You''ll find out.Of course planning is good, but I didn''t want to spend each day as if I were working according to a plan.I didn''t. If it''s independent travel, I recommend traveling as freely as the trip implies!
# My tips
(Accommodation)
As for advice about lodging, it''s a house called a bamboo house built in traditional Thai style.It can be more run-down than an old grandmother''s house where they used to make fires. The washing machine for doing laundry doesn''t work well.You need advice from people who used it before to be able to use it. The water system only provides cold water. Because it''s in a mountainous area...there are many mosquitoes and insects. You know Thailand is extremely hot, right?I would say it''s a place that will make you miss your own home a lot.
However, I thought of it positively as a place where you can see Thailand in detail. As you walk you''ll see bananas hanging from trees...and if you''re hungry pick and eat them; pineapples roll around, so if you want to eat one, try it.It was the sweetest pineapple I''ve ever eaten in my life.If you go, don''t just look at the surface; look closely...Look carefully. You''ll find that your complaints disappear and you become accustomed to that way of life.
(Meals)
Meals are often home-cooked dishes common in Thailand. From a Korean perspective they can seem meager and not to one''s taste...It might not suit you. But if you eat it every day, you''ll find yourself looking forward to mealtime.That simple flavor strangely keeps drawing me in. You''ll know if you try it, right?For reference, I''m writing this as someone who dislikes tom yum goong.
(Luggage)
As for what to bring, pack clothes that are easy to wash. If you''re bringing a laptop, bring a power strip. You''re going to be using electronic devices a lot...so you''ll need it. And because clothes are hard to maintain, it''s fine to bring clothes you don''t mind throwing away. At the market...There are many pretty, cheap clothes at the market, so I think buying them there, wearing them, and throwing them away before you leave could be a good idea.If you look at group photos, most people are dressed like this.
#Nothing has changed, but I learned important parts of life.
I took a three-month language course in the Philippines to communicate with the world, and I volunteered in Vietnam and Thailand to learn and experience things, but nothing changed. And people everywhere think the same way.
I wondered, ''Am I doing something wrong?'' When something I wanted to try came to mind, I''d make a plan impulsively and put it into action, but it felt like I was just flailing. At some point I suddenly realized I was standing in the middle of a wasteland with nothing... Nothing had changed.What needed to change was myself, and after coming abroad and learning about society firsthand I realized the only thing that truly had to change was my own mind—like the focus of a camera lens... Nothing changed, but I learned important parts of life.
Happiness wasn''t out there; it was in my mindset.
I also clearly learned my strength: my ability to take action is stronger than others''!Even if nothing changes, you discover and think about a lot. You could call it time to get to know yourself. When I get obsessed with something I dive into it like crazy. People are surprised and ask how I did it. But where there''s an advantage, there''s also a disadvantage, right? I get bored quickly. But this also...Taking a gap year made me understand why.
At first I thought it was due to a lack of patience, you know?But...When I went all out on something, I realized I had no goal. But when I set a goal and worked toward it, it got completed. I tasted egg coffee in Vietnam and went crazy for it—I ranked the famous cafes in the area and visited them all. My goal was to learn how to make egg coffee. So I visited about 15 cafes asking them to teach me. Since we couldn''t communicate, I brought translations in Vietnamese. I was rejected by every single one.
Of the 15 cafes I picked the three that tasted the best and decided to focus on them. Two of them didn''t have the owner in the shop, and since I''d worked before I knew the staff couldn''t help. At one place the owner was working, so I showed the translated paper again and asked them to teach me, but they refused. What could I do? We didn''t even speak the same language... I ordered coffee and sat there with a look that said ''I won''t leave until you teach me,'' and they eventually told me to come over and taught me—they gave up resisting.
By achieving one goal abroad and learning Vietnamese food, I used that experience to go to university and find interpreters and achieved all the goals I wanted. It was really fun. Challenging myself like that was also hard. Repeated rejections wear you down. Your self-esteem drops. But I learned very important lessons for my life.I tried to do anything that came to mind.I didn''t just think ''I''ll change, right?''; I made the effort. Whether I changed or not, by making the effort I gained something. I wasn''t sitting still wondering what to do.
If someone asked me to do something, I always said yes and did it, and if I didn''t know how, I asked.With no time to worry and loving to use my body, I kept moving. Before leaving for my gap year I had goals.I thought I''d give TED-style talks, write a book, etc., but I ended my gap year early.
I had planned for about two years.I had a project I was preparing, but I gave it up. I hadn''t properly learned much, but I''m the type who has very big dreams, you know?Maybe that''s why everything feels big. When I work, I tend to take on only big tasks.But there is an order to doing things, and I learned that order. Of course you can do things without an order—some people set off traveling to write a book; there are so many different kinds of people.
Dreams aren''t something you just catch. You know dreams aren''t easy to achieve, right? And someone like me who lacks patience needs a reason why that dream is the one and a precise goal. Otherwise I quit halfway.
Now I know how to do things. By recklessly throwing myself at them I got a lot of scrapes and learned a lot. It''s all experience. Now I plan to follow this order and use the experience to leap again.I''ve planned about a two-month trip to Europe. When this trip is over, the ''gap year'' label will finally come off of me.
If there''s something I want to try here I''ll just dive in. I haven''t prepared at all. I''ll go where my body leads me, and along the way I''ll probably end up in places I like. Though maybe I''m not really the type who enjoys traveling?But there are so many new things—things I want to try—so I''m going traveling again.
Thank you. Thank you for sending me not just a language course but an intensive (''Sparta'') language program, and for giving me the chance to do overseas volunteer work with only 12 weeks of English training.If you''re preparing to take a gap year, I think instead of focusing on change, it might be better to focus on growth. Our life—MY WAY. Fighting!
My gap year is
Experience★★★★★
For experience I''d give five stars. I did OUTDOOR volunteer work and got to do various tasks.I interacted a lot with Thai people. We did a homestay once every two weeks—sleeping in local Thai families'' homes and therewe cooked our own food, had campfires, and swam in the river. I think you''ll have a really fun time.I believe so.
The work is a bit tough, but because it''s hard we bond well and have fun. Since the accommodation is in a mountainous area, there isn''t much to do.So there''s nothing to do. That leads to lots of serious conversations with the other foreign volunteers and gives you plenty of time to think.If you come to this place, I guarantee everything will be a new experience.
Learning★★★★★
I met many friends from various countries—Europe, the UK, the USA, Latin America, etc. While participating in this program I felt like I was traveling around.How could I have the chance to meet so many friends?After talking a lot with foreign friends, they all said they''re happy and satisfied with their present lives.
If you ask them why, they clearly know what they like. That''s all there is to it. They also have dreams—they want to do something,but they don''t get stressed about it. They know how to enjoy the present. The future exists too, but the present was important.These conversations completely changed my way of thinking.
Environment★★★☆☆
Mosquitoes. There are too many bugs. The weather is also very hot, which makes it annoying. If the facilities were improved a bit, it would be 5 stars.That''s it!
Safety★★★★★
Very safe.
Leisure★★★★★
Capturing the growth journeys
of our participants.
