A special Nordic working-holiday gap year: learning about the world and protecting the environment

Author: Kwon Ye-hee
Country / City: Europe/Norway/Lillehammer
Views : 2517

#Became more relaxed, change in perspective #Impressed by social democracy #Realized the value of the process

Gap year is still an unfamiliar word in our country, and although it''s organized by Korean gap-year participants rather than institutionally, taking an interest in gap years...''My happy life''If more people would think about ''my happy life'' even once!

I think this could gradually change our society''s atmosphere and produce positive results.

-A special Nordic working holiday that learns about the world and protects the environment / Kwon Yehee, gap-year tribe gapper

# I need to focus on myself and find what I truly want to do.

Hello. After finishing the first semester of my senior year at university, I really wanted to take a break before graduating!I''m Kwon Yehee, taking a gap year in Denmark. I vaguely wanted to take a leave of absence and go abroad before graduating, and then I happened to find the gap year website...I came across it.

At just the right time, a project related to my major was created and I applied! The biggest reason was that I could earn money myself to cover the costs of the whole project.

Through this gap year I wanted to tackle two things: finding my future career path (life planning! Is that too grandiose? haha) and studying English.I said I applied because it''s related to my major, but actually I''m still worried about whether my major suits my aptitude...I continue to be concerned about it.

With the vague goal of focusing on myself for a year and finding what I truly want to do...I have that goal.Haha

# I''m spending happy times with good people.

My current daily routine is
I work as a kitchen assistant in the school kitchen from 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM.
When I finish and come home, the rest of the time is all personal time.
I take naps and spend my leisure time doing everything I can like studying English, reading, and exercising.

It''s summer in the Nordic countries now, so the sun sets at 10 PM. The days are very long, so there''s nothing I can''t fit in for lack of time!Maybe I''m lucky, but I''m spending happy times with good people at a good workplace.

# I was deeply impressed by Nordic social democracy. (The most impressive thing in the Nordics)

Living here, I was deeply impressed by Nordic social democracy.

Social democracy, politically, seeks to pursue democracy and Economically, it is a form of society that aims for socialism/communism. Because of that, the tax rates are very high.

However, people are highly concerned about living well together, and trust in the government is strong, so many There is little complaint about paying taxes. The basic tax rate starts at 38%, but because income levels are high, overallpeople''s satisfaction with life is relatively high. Also, work–life balance is well maintained. The statutory working hours are 38 hours per week, and working hours are fairly flexible.

Of course, the historical background, environment, and culture are different, so it may be possible because of those differences, but the effort to create a society where everyone can be happyis something I think we should learn from.

# I''m realizing that even if I don''t achieve results, there is value in that itself. (Newly learned point)

During my gap year so far, although I tend to be impatient, I''ve become a bit more relaxed. When I return to Korea, I might have to deal with practical problems again, butat least for now I feel that I am very relaxed. The social atmosphere itself is laid-back, so I too am becoming influenced by it haha.

Also, I find myself thinking about living well together. I used to be someone who always valued results, and I thought it was natural to evaluate people based on their achievements. However,the processes are just as important as the results,and I''m coming to understand that even if you don''t achieve results, there is value in that itself.

# I''ve written down my thoughts on the gap year.

Lastly, this isn''t my personal anecdote, butI''ve written down my thoughts on the gap year. Gap year projects are very diverse and have different purposes, so I''m not sure if one of my experiences will be of much help. hehe
Instead, for those who are contemplating taking a gap year! I''d like to offer a bit of advice?!

First of all, what I felt when coming to Denmark is that it''s a country where you don''t have to worry about tomorrow!Because the state guarantees basic living rights such as education and healthcare, people live doing their best today without worrying about tomorrow.So they are happy in this very moment!

Of course, Danes also have their own concerns (even though it''s the happiest country in the world, the suicide rate is reportedly high). Everyone will have practical problems within their everyday lives.But they know what they want to do and do the work they want to do. That''s because they take the time to find it.

That time is the gap year (GAP YEAR)!

A gap year refers to a period when one temporarily pauses or combines studies to directly experience various activities such as volunteering, travel, education, internships, or starting a business, and through this sets one''s future career path. In our country, it even became a topic when former US President Barack Obama''s daughter said she would take a gap year before entering Harvard University.

The ''gap year'', first introduced in the UK in the 1960s, was created for students who might otherwise quit their studies because the academic path did not suit them. Ireland also has a ''transition year'' where students spend one year gaining various experiences before advancing to higher secondary education to find a suitable career. In other European countries as well, the number of students seeking the world beyond the classroom before entering university is gradually increasing.

Thus, a gap year does not refer to a specific educational course or school, but to a period when students engage in diverse experiences to discover a career path that suits them.

Denmark, where I am living, also has an alternative education system. They say Denmark''s alternative education began with the aim of helping students design their lives through a variety of experiences. In Denmark, adolescents who have finished middle school can attend a special school called an efterskole before entering high school; because these schools focus on specific fields, they are sometimes referred to as a kind of ''specialized school.''

Efterskoler are mainly operated as boarding schools in rural areas outside the cities. Each school has different curricula and content. Students themselves find a school that offers a curriculum that suits them. The educational content is similar to Korea’s alternative schools. However, unlike Korean alternative education, efterskole does not replace the regular education system but complements it, and it is an official program recognized and supported by the government.

The period of attendance at an efterskole is legally recognized as equivalent to time spent in public school. In other words, students spend the 10th grade at an efterskole instead of a regular high school. Parents pay only one-third of the tuition, and two-thirds is covered by the government’s education budget.

Efterskole is also nicknamed a ''life school'' or ''life-planning school.'' This is because it is institutionally guaranteed to give students a chance to pause at an important crossroads in life and to get a sense in advance of the path they want to take.

These special schools teach basic subjects, but they put more emphasis on arts, physical education, other subjects, and various activities. They particularly stress time spent interacting with teachers and classmates. The purpose of the efterskole is to let students feel and learn what they need for high school and life afterward during a year in which leisure and distinctiveness coexist.

- Source: Naked Denmark

As mentioned above, several countries encourage students to take a break, and governments institutionally support that gap period.Because of this, students live at a slower paceand seek what they truly want to do.

On the other hand, students in our country believe that staying within a fixed framework and moving forward in order is the path to success. They follow a path someone else has made rather than pursuing what they want to do. Even as they follow without purpose, they consider it growth and success.

Thus, names are important and people are evaluated by numbers. Because of this social atmosphere, taking a break in the middle or going through a process of self-discovery is looked upon negatively. Also, since it is not recognized as a formal educational program, finances can become a major obstacle if there is no income during that period.

I, too, worried a lot before leaving Korea. I was taking a two-year leave of absence and going off to find myself rather than preparing for a job. My parents said, ''Aren’t you just going to have fun? Isn’t it just a long one-year trip?'' They even gave their own kind of advice, saying I should just take a short trip during the break and hurry up and graduate.

Still, what allowed me to decide on a gap year was

''What do I want to do?''

—that single curiosity. In fact, I might return without finding it. Then someone might say I wasted time and only wrapped it up as a gap year to rationalize it.

But I believe that these new experiences while traveling and the memories of wandering will become a stepping stone to finding my true self. I want to reflect on life and understand myself, placing meaning on the process itself rather than on the outcome.

Even if I can’t name it, even if I can’t say I accomplished something,

it will ultimately remain in the life of ''Kwon Ye-hee''.

It will become a book that explains what kind of person I am, won’t it!?

Although the term ''gap year'' is still unfamiliar in our country and it’s carried out by Korean gap-year groups rather than institutionally, if people take an interest in gap years''my happy life''and if more people take a moment to think about it!
I believe this will gradually change our social atmosphere and produce positive results.

So, to those wondering whether to take a gap year or not!I want to say it’s a fun little escape worth trying at least once. What’s wrong with starting work a year later? Just live one more year. haha

If you start a gap year,

you will definitely be different from who you were at the beginning!