"It made me realize how important it is to have some breathing room in my life, and it became an opportunity for me—who had been busy running only forward—to look around and have the leisure to go where I wanted." Bonjour! One-month stay in Paris, France |
# A gap year I joined because I thought I would regret that the only memories I''d have in my twenties would be job-hunting.
Hello. I am a 26-year-old job-seeker who graduated from university and is preparing for employment. To briefly introduce myself: people around me often say I''m very diligent. To others it may look like I keep working without resting and take care of what needs to be done on my own, but I think the truth is I don''t know how to relax comfortably or take a break.
Like many people, I enjoy traveling, watching movies, and reading books, but as people often say...I was so focused on building credentials for employment that I kept postponing the things I enjoy, and looking back, it seems I had no time for myself beyond building my resume.
Even when I opened a book or planned a trip, I would often put it away and start studying or working again because of impatience and anxiety that others would still be preparing for good jobs and that I was falling behind. I often felt that leisure and rest were not something to be taken for granted but rather a luxury or indulgence.
Actually, after graduation I wanted to give myself a year of rest. While at university, my semesters were a continuous series of so many assignments that I couldn''t even sleep properly, and even during the vacations I had, I never really enjoyed a proper break because of extracurricular activities and workshops.
Moreover, due to the many expenses of living on my own...I never took a break from part-time work throughout my university years, and especially while preparing my final graduation project, I was so physically and mentally exhausted that I ended up going to the emergency room about once a week.It was.
As I approached graduation and looked back on my college life and early twenties, all I could recall was my frantic pursuit of credentials for employment, and...I thought I would regret later that the only memories I''d have from my twenties would be job hunting.
So I planned to take about a year after graduation without thinking about employment and to give myself time to rest, but the habits I had maintained didn''t suddenly change, and I ended up spending the year as an extension of the university life I regretted—filled with work, TOEIC prep, competitions, and professional exams.
Feeling like I couldn''t go on like that, I was looking into traveling alone and learned about gap years, and discovered a project to live in Paris for a month.
I thought that in a new environment like Paris I could relax and enjoy myself without feeling anxious or rushed. I had visited Paris once before and felt it was too short even though it was just a week, so I chose this project without hesitation.I ended up choosing it.
# Boarding the plane and leaving without researching anything
I generally like traveling and go often, so I wasn''t worried about being in a new overseas environment. I had stayed in Rome once while doing an architecture workshop, and I didn''t have any difficult memories from that stay, so I wasn''t particularly concerned about staying for an extended period.
When staying abroad for a long time, people are usually most worried about food and the environment...With this project, because I stayed in a guesthouse, I could have Korean food every day and met Koreans often, so I had no time to feel homesick or lonely.
If anything, I was worried because there had been an attack in Berlin the day before I left, and I was very concerned about terrorism, but with police patrolling the streets and thorough bag checks whenever you entered places, those worries seemed to disappear as I went around Paris.
Normally when I travel I learn something about the country and do some basic research, but this time going to Paris I boarded the plane without looking anything up. It was my second time in Paris, so I also didn''t research because of that, and...When I make plans, I get trapped in the thought that I have to do something, and I felt I wouldn''t be able to truly enjoy a trip where I could relax.
Instead, I brought a few books I wanted to read and movies I wanted to see, and looked up the exhibitions in Paris that I wanted to visit. Personally I was most looking forward to the Palais de Tokyo, but it was closed until February for preparation of a new exhibition, which was very disappointing.
# What I liked most was being able to move entirely according to my own plans!
With the one-month stay in Paris project, I could act entirely according to my own plans, and I liked that very much.In my case, when I first visited Paris I had already been to the famous tourist sites, so rather than going around tourist spots I walked through Paris''s alleys, and I took a book and sketchbook and whenever I found a café that looked nice I would go in to read or draw.
Also, I''m not religious personally, but I tried sitting in a cathedral for a long time; seeing many people praying earnestly in the cathedral made me think a lot.
I also took random buses and sat in the back to sightsee the city, and the feeling when the Eiffel Tower suddenly came into view while looking around from the bus was indescribably wonderful.
I planned each day''s activities according to the weather; since Paris in winter was often cloudy and had many rainy days, on sunny days I mainly did outdoor activities like going to the Eiffel Tower with others or walking around parks.
For occasions like Christmas or New Year''s, I had special experiences you can only have in Paris: on Christmas Eve I attended a Christmas mass at Notre-Dame Cathedral, and on Christmas Day I went to Disneyland Paris — I had such a wonderful time that I can confidently say it was the happiest Christmas of my life.
Counting down to the New Year with many people at the Arc de Triomphe and watching the fireworks is also a memory I will never forget.
When you visit as a tourist, you try to see and experience many things in a short time, which makes the schedule exhausting and prevents you from fully enjoying the city itself.This project was about living in Paris rather than just traveling there, so I was able to experience the city more deeply than anyone.
One day, while arranging where to meet for lunch with people from the accommodation, we agreed to meet in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral, and I remember us bursting into laughter at how cool the meeting spot was.
There were also days when, because the weather was so nice, everyone suggested going to the Eiffel Tower together.When will the Louvre or Eiffel Tower—which I had only seen in movies or photos—ever become part of my daily life again? Just that alone made life in Paris exciting and joyful every single day.
# Paris became even happier memories thanks to people who treated me kindly and warmly with smiles.
Besides the people at the accommodation and local friends, I also spent a lot of time exploring alone, and each time I met many wonderful people.I remember a friend my age I met by chance at a hostel in Strasbourg, and the guys I met in Belgium—who were traveling with nothing but a backpack and no plan—stood out to me because it was something I never would have thought to do.
Once, while doodling alone in a cafe, a French man at the next table struck up a conversation. It turned out he was an architect active across Europe, and despite my limited English I was able to talk a lot about related studies and such.
Also, while choosing snacks to give as gifts at a supermarket near the accommodation, I asked someone what the jam flavor written in French meant, and a French couple walked around the store with me, giving me a mini French lesson—they left an impression.
Even when I only asked for directions, people smiled and treated me kindly and warmly, which made Paris an even happier memory.
# My gap year tips
(Prior information)
Among the information,the reviews left by participants who actually took part in this project were the most helpful to me.
(Language)
Since Paris is a city famous for tourism, English is generally understood in most places. Still, if you learn basic French such as greetings and numbers,you will be able to live a much richer life.
(Accommodation)
The facilities themselves were fine: the women''s dormitory I stayed in was spacious and comfortable, and there were plenty of showers and toilets, so there were no inconveniences. However, it was a bit inconvenient that you always had to transfer at least once to get to any tourist site and that the accommodation is quite far from the station.
(Meals)
The host lady at the accommodation cooked Korean food for breakfast and dinner, and I think I ate more and tastier Korean food than I did in Korea. Eating out in Paris is somewhat expensive, but providing breakfast and dinner saved a lot on food costs, which was great.
Lunch wasn''t provided so you have to handle it yourself, but in Paris any bakery you go into is delicious so I often filled up with bread, and sometimes, wanting to try local food, I ate set menus at inexpensive restaurants.
(What to bring)
Paris in winter tends to rain often, and it can start suddenly, so the umbrella I always carried came in very handy. Also, winter in Europe is cold and windy, so if you bring hand warmers (hot packs) you''ll find them very useful!
As for clothes, I only packed a few items I was willing to discard, thinking I''d buy most things locally, but I ended up not buying a single new piece and even lost some of the clothes I brought, so I had nothing decent to wear — which I regretted a lot.
It was especially disappointing when I looked at the photos I took in Korea. Of course it''s important to bring warm, comfortable clothes for activities, but since you''re already going all the way to Paris, I recommend bringing at least one nice outfit so you can take at least one pretty photoI recommend it.
Also, Paris has a relatively high incidence of thefts of valuables. In that respect, if you take out travel insurance you can feel more secure against possible theft.
(Tip)
If you don''t use social networks like Facebook or Instagram, it might be a good idea to create accounts and start using them before your trip.
In my case, I''m not very active on social media, but I found that people I met by chance tended to exchange social media accounts more often than phone numbers.Because I''m not good at using social media, I regret that I couldn''t keep in touch.
(Travel)
My gap year took place during the peak Christmas market season, so I visited Strasbourg and Colmar, famous for their markets. Christmas in Europe definitely felt different from Korea — not only the markets, but shops and homes were beautifully decorated with their own Christmas ornaments, so I had no chance to hurry because there was so much to see.
Also, Belgium isn''t far from Paris, so I went by bus; personally, I found Ghent and Bruges much more beautiful and memorable than Brussels.Many people do day trips to Belgium, but since its night views are more beautiful than expected, I recommend staying at least one night!
# What made me, who was always busy running forward, take the time to look around
My gap year goal included rest, but I was also very curious about what other people think and what goals they live for.
Fortunately, the best thing about travel was being able to hear a lot of people''s stories when I met new people.
It''s not common to hear about someone''s life from a person you just met, but when you ask about why they came to the place while traveling, you naturally end up hearing about their life. I found that people live very diverse lives, so listening to them was interesting and taught me a lot.
Conversely I was able to share my own story with many people, and through telling it I learned things about myself I hadn''t known. I thought I lived a boring, confined life, but seeing people take interest in and find my life interesting made me appreciate my life more and gave me more confidence in myself.
That doesn''t mean everything in Paris went as planned. But even if food at a random restaurant I walked into wasn''t tasty, I was still very happy in its own way, and when my umbrella was stolen and I got soaked in the rain, I was still completely joyful.
Looking back now, I think it was all good because I had the leisure to enjoy those moments. After participating in the project my life didn''t change dramatically, but like this I realized how important it is to have some leeway in life, and it became an opportunity for me, who had been busy only running forward, to take the time to look around.
My gap year was
an experience ★★★★★
Paris, where everything—the place you stay, the people, the language—is completely new, seems like the perfect place to have a different kind of experience.
Learning★★★★★
Meeting a variety of people and talking with them, and directly trying new experiences made me realize many things and was a continuous process of learning.
Environment★★★★☆
The accommodation itself wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was a bit far from the tourist spots, which was a shame. Within Paris, the distances between tourist sites are relatively short, so it was convenient to get around.
Safety★★★★☆
Although incidents like theft occur frequently, if you learn the common tricks—pushy bracelet sellers, groups asking for signatures, pickpockets—and stay careful, it should be okay.
Leisure★★★★★
There was plenty of time for leisure because I could spend it entirely according to my own plans.
