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#Discovered a new self; became more relaxed #Reflection on the self within society; sense of community #It was a time of learning about myself through others
A gap year places a heavy emphasis on learning about ''myself'' through others rather than from myself.This is especially true in places like guesthouses. Leave at home the habit of worrying about how you appear to others, and instead try to learn more from how others appear to you.
- A time to reflect on myself while looking at the sea — Busan Gap Year Stay / Im Ji-young, gap-year tribe gapper / 4-week gap year. |
Currently, South Korea is,
Each year 60,000 middle and high school students drop out of school; 346,000 people in their twenties are just idling with no dreams; and the one-year turnover rate after employment has entered the 40% range.Seventy-five percent of university students are not satisfied with college life, and more than eighty percent of office workers say they do not feel happy.Many people tell others to dream, but to address this problem that lacks practical methods and support, we aim to introduce the ''gap year'' to South Korea.
*What is a gap year?
A gap year refers to a period during which one suspends or combines studies while engaging in various activities such as travel, volunteering, internships, and education to discover one’s dreams and aptitudes.
*What is a Gap Year Stay?
It is a project in which participants pay a nominal fee to stay at a guesthouse, meet various people, and try out staff activities. The biggest advantage of this project is that participants can come into contact with diverse people and gain new inspiration.
#Starting with words isn''t really starting.
Week 1
Thanks to the guesthouse manager''s consideration, I was able to arrive at the guesthouse on the morning of the gap year and begin the day''s work. As soon as I arrived I started cleaning rooms, but I had been to concerts three days in a row just before coming to Busan, had only slept two hours, and had taken the early morning train (and the fellow passengers I rode with snored loudly so I couldn''t sleep properly…), so my energy was completely depleted.
After spending five years at work glued to a computer, shaking out futons after a long time made my body feel unfamiliar. I had only occasionally cleaned my own room and had never cleaned so many rooms at once, so it was even harder. But from the first day the owner helped a lot in replenishing my energy with grilled intestines (yang-gopchang), french fries, and patbingsu (shaved ice with sweet red beans).
From the second day I went to the beach after sunset and took barefoot walks, and from the third day I spent more time in the kitchen preparing meals. It was my first time deboning a frozen chicken, my first time making dakgalbi seasoning, and my first time boiling that much spaghetti. Previously an auntie prepared the meals, but after I peeked into the kitchen a few times, before I knew it I had become in charge of the meals.
Lesson: Keep up with exercise regularly.
Week 2
Dongju, who was in charge of the night counter, brought a violin and a guitar from home! It was nice to pick up instruments after a long time. They say the heart of a guesthouse is its parties, but this place didn''t have parties often, perhaps because many guests were families (each room had an attached bathroom).
I''m not usually one to enjoy parties, but I thought I should go at least once since I’d come all this way, so one day I attended on impulse and ended up staying awake until 5 a.m. We took instruments to the beach — Dongju with a guitar and I with a violin — and sang with the guests.
Busking regularly had been one of the items on my life bucket list, and I was truly grateful to be able to start it here in Busan. If I had stayed in Seoul, I would have only talked about wanting to do it and made excuses, so I never would have done it.
Lesson: Starting with words isn''t really starting.
Week 3
I went on a night view tour in the manager''s car. Busan has many bridges and they had decorated the bridges with pretty lights. While admiring the night view and eating an ice cream, I heard about a trip to Tsushima Island. They said it’s a good place for a day trip. After thinking for a day, I contacted my family to have my passport sent by registered mail, bought a ferry ticket right away, and went to Tsushima at dawn on my day off.
Instead of renting a bicycle, I walked 40 minutes from the port to Miuda Beach. After playing in the sea I took a bus to a supermarket and wanted to do the usual shopping everyone does, but after buying the medicine my mother had asked for I was already over budget...
This was my second trip to Japan, and each time I go I feel that Japanese people are very kind. Leaving aside the political and historical aspects, it''s a great country for enjoyable travel. In particular, I thought I''d like to rent a car and visit Tsushima later. There aren''t many cars and the speeds are slow, so even a novice driver like me could manage by driving carefully.And because of this trip I couldn''t participate in the preliminary round of the music festival. I probably would have been eliminated anyway, but it''s still a pity.
Lesson: Travel as much as you can while you''re still young.
Week 4
Originally, apart from visiting Yongmunsa, there were no other plans. When I learned the Busan International Comedy Festival was taking place, I immediately booked ''The Lee Kyung-kyu Show.'' It was sold out at first, but a few days later I checked and found three seats open, so I chose the seat closest to the stage.
At that time I was doing both cleaning and counter work, so as soon as my shift ended I rushed to Lotte Department Store Centum City. Of all days, a customer who had come earlier that day returned while I was gone and caused a scene, so Dongju, the manager, and the owner, who were covering the night counter, stepped in and chased those customers away. Because of that I couldn''t fully enjoy the show. I think it was really funny... It''s such a shame that because I was contacting Dongju about that customer I missed an obvious quiz I clearly knew the answer to and lost a golf bag right in front of me.
Lesson: Don''t book a room for people who don''t even know exactly how many are in their party.
Week 5
I signed up for a ''perfect shot'' event and started taking photos from 10 PM on Monday. Originally I planned to shoot for about 30 minutes, but the photographer—who had never seen such an enthusiastic model—said he wanted to ignite his artistic spirit and proposed evening and night shoots for two consecutive days. Thanks to that, over two days at Songdo Skywalk and the beach I sat, lay down, rolled, walked, and ran, taking many photos that you really couldn''t take while sober.
Passersby even asked if we were performance artists, and I had to keep explaining that we hadn''t been drinking, but it was a really enjoyable experience.Thinking it was the last week, I also diligently wandered around the city. I only got to see Yongdusan Park and the Yeongdo Bridge opening in the final week as well.
There was a book I used to really like called ''Tuesdays with Morrie,'' but after my aunt gave that book to a fellow patient who was battling cancer in the same hospital room, I never saw it again. I found that book in Bosudong Bookstore Alley and happily bought it. The book alley was smaller than I expected but had an atmosphere that reminded me of the old Cheonggyecheon. I''ll stop by again next time I go down to Busan.
Lesson: Joy is never far away.
# My recommended travel spots
I didn''t really go anywhere special, so nothing major stands out. Nampo-dong Street, Yongdusan Park, and Bosudong Bookstore Alley are memorable. The night market had less food than I expected and didn''t live up to my expectations. You should definitely visit Daemado (Tsushima) even as a day trip. Miuda Beach is really beautiful.
# My tips
Language
If you''re planning to do a gap-year stay at a guesthouse located in Busan,some basic Russianwould be good to learn.Subjectively, there seemed to be more Russian tourists than tourists from Japan or China.
Accommodation
Unless the gapper at the facility is there alone, it''s unlikely you''ll get a private room.When living together, it''s important not to make a show of being considerate or to act territorially just because you arrived a little earlier.If you live together with the mindset that you can tolerate being a bit more uncomfortable, you''ll continually have pleasant experiences together.
Meals
If the place provides ingredients, I recommend taking time to try different dishes. I prepared meals almost every day, and when my friends who helped and the owner enjoyed the food, I felt so proud and happy. Besides, if you wait until you''re home your mom will scold you for messing around with food, so while you''re at the guesthouse (even if not every day)I''d advise trying special dishes occasionally.
Luggage
I thought, ''Why would I need makeup there?'' and only brought the absolute essentials, which turned out to be the right choice. Pack as if you''re evacuating—bring only items you think you''d die without.Because your suitcase will usually be heavier on the way back, don''t pack it stuffed from the start.
Pro tip
A gap year is largely a time to learn about yourself through others.This is especially true in places like guesthouses. Leave at home the habit of being conscious of how you appear to others, and try to learn more from the ways others appear to you.
# Recently I spent some of the most beautiful times, and I encountered many moments where I wondered whether such times could come to me again.
Leaving without planning much actually benefited me.Actually, while I was here I had no free time because I was attending a Korean language teacher course, so I couldn''t do most of the things I had planned. But thanks to the kind owner, the manager, and my roommate Jaeyoung, I was able to go around the city and visit tourist spots with them.
Through my gap year, I became more relaxed.Right after quitting my job I thought ''well, it''ll work out somehow...'' but underneath that thought I was just worried I might end up unemployed long-term,Now I''ve become more forgiving toward myself. If you''ve suffered you should rest, and if you''ve worked hard there should also be times when work is easier.
The manager, who was running several guesthouses while also going to school. I was really envious that they found the path they wanted quickly, and I appreciated their friendly personality and honesty. Jaeyoung, who lived with me, helped in many ways—taking care of an older sister who isn''t used to cleaning—and often showed traits unlike a younger sibling, so I relied on them a lot during the month.
Dongju, who busked with me on the early-morning beach and even organized an ''epic photo'' event; Minsu, pretty, friendly, and cute, who always made me feel good when we talked because we shared interests; Gyeong-woo, the newly hired night counter staff; the ajumma who, although she had to recheck the messy cleaning, took care of us like family; and the owner—could there be such a generous person in the world? The owner is truly amazing. They''re the best.
I was in Busan.I was able to walk the beach with no thoughts, stare at the sea, and go into the water. And I could also feel how, over the past five years, I had been working among people who were very abnormal.When I went to the guesthouse, the people there were not just normal but truly good people.No matter where you are, people are the most important thing, and I realized with my whole being that my attitude toward those people is equally important.
I spent some of the most beautiful times recently and encountered many moments when I wondered whether such times could come to me again.I''m going back down to Busan in October. I''m already looking forward to what winter in Songdo will be like.
