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#Less obsession with what I can't do #Life counseling, a letter #Felt a sense of letting go and tranquility
And in the Philippines I experienced about two slumps because I couldn’t quite find my goal or get a feel for things; each time I sought counseling (back then it was really hard for me to speak in class).I received serious life counseling, and in English at that!!! I took it diligently. - Study English enjoyably without stress — that’s it!/ Jeong Eunji gap-year family gapper/ 12 weeks of gap year |
I made a big decision and left during the toughest time of my life.
Hello, I’m Jeong Eunji. I left for the world with one semester left in my senior year of university. If not now, I thought I wouldn’t be able to study English for a long time or try a gap year,I made a big decision and left during the toughest time of my life. As if this year were my last chance!
I had consulting four times, and on the fourth day they picked three projects that suited me. Considering durations and combinations, I decided to try 3 months in the Philippines + 2 months in Hanoi.I had been thinking about a language study in the Philippines, but I didn’t expect to go through a gap year. Many gap-year projects require English communication, so it seemed that many participants commonly start with 3 months of language study in the Philippines.
When I was getting a lot of consulting I started excitedly thinking, “Wow, something’s happening! The Philippines, Vietnam — everything will be fun!!” But after transferring all the money, attending the orientation, and with about a one-month gap until departure, it gradually became scary.
Rather than the idea of staying abroad long-term,I think it happened because I forgot the reason I had decided to take a gap year during that period.I wasn’t that good at English, and before going to the Philippines I didn’t even do any research — I just hurriedly packed. I don’t know why I didn’t worry about being away from my family/home during that time, haha.
Time flew by so quickly from the end of the second semester to departure that I couldn’t prepare much.If you pack according to the checklist in the gap-year pre-materials, you can live without forgetting anything. The basic missions were provided two weeks before, so I started the gap-year missions then.
I didn’t even have the energy to fill out the pre-materials, but the checklist and unique cultural-experience missions I did then helped me get somewhat mentally prepared. I didn’t study English separately; I watched Sherlock seasons 1, 2, and 3 many times while waiting for the semester to end.
I was too obsessed with what I couldn’t do and spent a lot of time practicing how to let go.
Through this gap year I...wanted to reflect on myself and think about what kind of person I want to be going forward.I wanted to think deeply about many things and find my own answers. It would have been great to improve my English skills, but I didn’t have high expectations — I set out with the mindset of just having fun and traveling around.
Even though I went with that mindset, once I entered the school environment I became greedy to do well and couldn’t study English or enjoy myself properly. Chased by the class schedule, I fell into a slump thinking I wouldn’t be able to find myself in the Philippines, so I asked the gap-year mission coordinator for advice and
“Don’t be too impatient, and if you had many goals, let them go for now.”
That was the reply I received.In the Philippines I was overly fixated on what I couldn’t do, and I think I spent a lot of time practicing letting go.
(Three months felt long and tedious for studying English, but I think it was mostly insufficient for practicing how to let go.)
# Daily schedule in the Philippines
As you can see from the schedule, classes usually start at 8 and end before 5. The timetable is made based on first-week level-test results, so you might get extra breaks, have lunch and nap, or finish classes earlier than others — you never know. Still, you can always coordinate your timetable with your buddy teacher to create the most ideal schedule!
After class you can go out (weekday curfew is 10? It’s a bit early — I don’t really remember the curfew), go swimming, hang out with foreign friends, do homework, or review. Still, the best thing among those is to talk with foreigners again and go out to have fun.
At first I was a bit confused about whether to focus on studying English, the gap year, or making friends, so I spent a lot of time studying in the study hall, and I think I also spent a lot of time consulting the mission coordinator/teachers/placement mates about my concerns.
There are plenty of things to eat, enjoy, and do in the Philippines, so I hope you don''t focus too much on studying and leveling up.
The beer is awesome…!!
# Serious life consulting, and in English too!!!
Meeting the same teachers and friends five days a week, I felt a huge burden wondering, "How can I always come up with new things to say?" But after going on a Bohol trip with the Emma&Ace family and Vivian, I found myself excitedly answering the Monday opener "How have you been?" with "I did this and that."
And in the Philippines I had trouble finding goals or a sense of direction and went into a slump about twice; whenever I talked about my worries then (at that time it was really hard to speak in class)...I seriously received life counseling, and in English!!! I took it to heart.
Also, before I left for my gap year last year I had received lots of supportive letters from friends in the back of my diary as a guestbook, but this year there''s going to be about a half-year gap, right? I showed that to my buddy teacher and jokingly said, "Write me a letter~," and they actually filled two pages with tiny, meticulous handwriting.
They even made a video out of the photos I posted on Facebook..!It was my first time receiving a letter in English; I got choked up reading a few lines and ended up crying...
(As I wrote in the letter, I''m getting worse at being the one to reach out first, but that''s partly my communication style, and I''m so grateful when they video call me sometimes. Coming to Vietnam has made my English a bit more natural, so video calls are more comfortable now, which is great.)
I promised myself after that that I wouldn''t cry until graduation, and in fact I was so busy with the graduation speech and the hastily formed PPAP dance team that I didn''t even have time to shed tears lol.
To the many friends who put together an unexpected graduation celebration performance in the last week: I was worried no one would show up, but when I urged people to come out, surprisingly many did, and I''m really grateful. It would have been nice to thank each person and take a group photo (I''ll capture it from the video) hehe. My graduation speech is too embarrassing to watch again, but I did check the dance footage before leaving the Philippines lol.
# For prospective participants
If you chose this gap year project to study English or for a language study in the Philippines,
the biggest thing you can gain from this language school is the large presence of foreigners!I only came to realize the strengths of this academy after leaving the Philippines: the teachers are passionate and the class quality is pretty good.I hope you can make the most of that environment.
In the Philippines, everyone is there to study,and since everyone says they aren''t good at English, don''t worry about making mistakes—practice speaking out loud first,If you make multinational friends, endless possibilities arise, like showing them around Korea later or traveling to their country!
Don''t worry too much. This is advice I heard from the project manager: the Philippines is one of the projects with many reviews, so you can get a lot of help by reading them. If you do the things you can and enjoy them one by one, three months will pass quickly... well, not exactly quickly, but you can spend it well. Still, three months is too long—friends who come for one month often leave just as they''re getting used to it—so I think 6 weeks or 2 months is appropriate!!! lol
I feel like I''ve already given a lot of advice in other sections,so don''t get all worked up about English or needing to level up for tests,and focus on having fun!!
I didn''t notice it while I was in the Philippines, butif you speak all the time, your English improves little by little, but...if you suddenly use a lot of Korean for a day or two, you can lose it quickly, that''s the strange little anecdote I heard.
It''s just that I''d been so withdrawn for a long time.The next participants will all do well.I think it''s common to feel a sudden wave of worry at the beginning. It might be helpful to share your concerns with the fellow gappers you live with.
# My gap year TIP
Jeong Eun-ji''s review of her language study in the Philippines
Capturing the growth journeys
of our participants.
