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#Developed a passion for studying English #Realized the joy of learning #Satisfaction; became a more confident person
"There''s no higher or lower in learning; learning is a joy!!"I learned that. Whether the other person is younger or older, through conversation, "Ah — in this situation that person uses this expression, and in that situation I can say it like this!!" I realized that!!
Don''t stress about English anymore! Enjoy learning English while having fun in Cebu! Kim Seong-sik, gap-year participant (29, gap year for career exploration) / 12-week gap year |
After leaving the military, I chose the gap-year project so I wouldn''t waste my time.
Hello!! I''m the spirited young Korean man Kim Seong-sik!! I''m 29 years old.
I actually served as a professional soldier for eight years. I enlisted at 22 and served until I was 29, dedicating that time to my country. Still, I had things I wanted to do outside, so I decided to leave the service.
It wasn''t an easy decision... but Ichose the gap-year project so I wouldn''t waste my time after discharge.
* For Mr. Kim Seong-sik, who strongly wanted to change himself, customized one-on-one personal missions focused on self-reflection, aptitude, and career were provided daily, and a gap-year notebook was also given to help him reflect and plan.
My goal was to build confidence and eliminate my fear of English.
I only started preparing seriously to leave one week before my departure. Before that, I just wanted the departure date to come quickly. I searched online to see what I needed and packed my bags, checking things off one by one.
What I wanted to change through this gap year was to build my confidence and get rid of my fear of English.
I hadn''t studied or used English since high school—at least until before I was discharged... soI wanted to become a competitive, impressive person by learning English.And my goal was to absolutely not speak Korean!! I failed... I didn''t speak Korean for a week, but there were limits to expressing my thoughts and ideas in English, so I ended up using Korean.
So if you decide not to speak Korean, you have to be really determined!!
A day in the Philippines
Um... there are classes from morning to evening: regular classes, 1:1 classes, 1:4 classes, special group classes, and morning andevening Sparta (intensive) sessions.
06:40–08:00, 19:00–20:35. As for the schedule... you''ll understand it better by looking at the timetable on the gap-year website than by my explanation!!
"There''s no higher or lower in learning; learning is a joy!!"
First of all, the best thing about this gap year was being able to use English, because I could speak in English with my teachers and foreign friends!!
What touched me was that someone wrote me a letter in English!!I received an English letter for the first time in my life. Not to brag, but about six letters..?? haha What I learned is "There''s no higher or lower in learning; learning is a joy!!"I learned that. Whether the other person is younger or older, through conversation you realize, "Ah, this person uses this expression in this case, and in that situation I can say it like this!!"
What I realized was…I realized that English isn''t something you just learn — you have to say it out loud and put what you''ve learned to use!!
There were so many people I met and spent time with!! Everyone who talked with me is probably scattered now and living their own lives, right?? HahaAnd I have many friends in Saudi, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, China, and Russia, and when I think of them we check in with each other through social media.I''ve only chatted in Korean for 29 years, after all haha
# After the gap year project
After this gap year project, my desire to learn English burned even more brightly!!
I set a goal: "I''ll master English, talk with foreigners like a native, and converse fluently with foreign friends and teachers!!" I also want to show up the friends who looked down on me for not speaking English, haha
# My personal gap year TIP
- Meeting point
After getting off at Cebu airport and going outside, you''ll see many people holding placards, and among them you can easily find the person holding the placard for the prearranged meeting place!
- Currency exchange
They said it''s better to exchange won to dollars to pesos in Korea, so I exchanged $500 in Korea and then exchanged it again at a mall after arriving in Cebu, Philippines.
- Language
Use YouTube!! (It''s effective because you can study English in spare moments anywhere.) If you don''t know the basics, watch lots of beginner videos. (Can you just go and dive in?? You can, but you''ll experience a meltdown... so watch many basic English videos beforehand!!)
- Accommodation
People adapt quickly, so you''ll adjust once you get there ^^ However, since the Philippines is very hot you''ll use the air conditioner, so live with a roommate you get along with to avoid trouble. The reason is electricity in the Philippines is somewhat expensive!!
- Meals
Well... sometimes the food is tasty and sometimes not; it''s mixed, so if it comes out tasting bad you can just bring instant cup noodles to eat.
- What to bring
Because clothes are cheap in the Philippines, I thought I''d buy and wear them there... I was tempted by that and brought only a few outfits and regretted it. It''s good to bring an appropriate amount of your own clothes, because it''s hard to find pretty clothes... but not too many.
- To prospective participants
I want to advise: don''t ever be scared or afraid—if you''ve decided once, just go and give it a try.
# My Cebu travel spots
The places I recommend are two islands: Siargao and Palawan. You have to fly to both places... but it takes about an hour, so think of it like going to Jeju Island. As for the itinerary and routes: if you''re traveling independently it''s good to rent a scooter, and if you go through an agency you don''t need a separate route—just get on the van according to their schedule and comfortably move from place to place, taking photos and sightseeing as you go!!
My gap year is
Experience★★★★★
Being able to talk with people of various nationalities and become friends with them — it''s a special experience!!
Learning★★★★★
It''s up to how much effort you put in — if you want to learn, the classes are fun and you''ll get a lot out of them!!
Environment★★★★★
The environment for learning English is good. You can make many foreign friends, and you speak in English every day with the teachers'' foreign friends, do homework, and go on trips together on weekends, so it''s great that you can use English on the weekends too!!
Safety★★★★☆
In my opinion it''s safe as long as you don''t go alone to secluded, sparsely populated places late at night!! Still, it''s better to go with at least one other person wherever you go ^^
Leisure★★★★★
It''s up to you. In your free time you can exercise, have dinner or drinks with foreign friends — it''s perfect for using English even after class.
"There''s no higher or lower in learning; learning is a joy!!"I learned that. Whether the other person is younger or older, through conversation, "Ah — in this situation that person uses this expression, and in that situation I can say it like this!!" I realized that!!
Don''t stress about English anymore! Enjoy learning English while having fun in Cebu! Kim Seong-sik, gap-year participant (29, gap year for career exploration) / 12-week gap year |
After leaving the military, I chose the gap-year project so I wouldn''t waste my time.
Hello!! I''m the spirited young Korean man Kim Seong-sik!! I''m 29 years old.
I actually served as a professional soldier for eight years. I enlisted at 22 and served until I was 29, dedicating that time to my country. Still, I had things I wanted to do outside, so I decided to leave the service.
It wasn''t an easy decision... but Ichose the gap-year project so I wouldn''t waste my time after discharge.
* For Mr. Kim Seong-sik, who strongly wanted to change himself, customized one-on-one personal missions focused on self-reflection, aptitude, and career were provided daily, and a gap-year notebook was also given to help him reflect and plan.
My goal was to build confidence and eliminate my fear of English.
I only started preparing seriously to leave one week before my departure. Before that, I just wanted the departure date to come quickly. I searched online to see what I needed and packed my bags, checking things off one by one.
What I wanted to change through this gap year was to build my confidence and get rid of my fear of English.
I hadn''t studied or used English since high school—at least until before I was discharged... soI wanted to become a competitive, impressive person by learning English.And my goal was to absolutely not speak Korean!! I failed... I didn''t speak Korean for a week, but there were limits to expressing my thoughts and ideas in English, so I ended up using Korean.
So if you decide not to speak Korean, you have to be really determined!!
A day in the Philippines
Um... there are classes from morning to evening: regular classes, 1:1 classes, 1:4 classes, special group classes, and morning andevening Sparta (intensive) sessions.
06:40–08:00, 19:00–20:35. As for the schedule... you''ll understand it better by looking at the timetable on the gap-year website than by my explanation!!
"There''s no higher or lower in learning; learning is a joy!!"
First of all, the best thing about this gap year was being able to use English, because I could speak in English with my teachers and foreign friends!!
What touched me was that someone wrote me a letter in English!!I received an English letter for the first time in my life. Not to brag, but about six letters..?? haha What I learned is "There''s no higher or lower in learning; learning is a joy!!"I learned that. Whether the other person is younger or older, through conversation you realize, "Ah, this person uses this expression in this case, and in that situation I can say it like this!!"
What I realized was…I realized that English isn''t something you just learn — you have to say it out loud and put what you''ve learned to use!!
There were so many people I met and spent time with!! Everyone who talked with me is probably scattered now and living their own lives, right?? HahaAnd I have many friends in Saudi, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, China, and Russia, and when I think of them we check in with each other through social media.I''ve only chatted in Korean for 29 years, after all haha
# After the gap year project
After this gap year project, my desire to learn English burned even more brightly!!
I set a goal: "I''ll master English, talk with foreigners like a native, and converse fluently with foreign friends and teachers!!" I also want to show up the friends who looked down on me for not speaking English, haha
# My personal gap year TIP
- Meeting point
After getting off at Cebu airport and going outside, you''ll see many people holding placards, and among them you can easily find the person holding the placard for the prearranged meeting place!
- Currency exchange
They said it''s better to exchange won to dollars to pesos in Korea, so I exchanged $500 in Korea and then exchanged it again at a mall after arriving in Cebu, Philippines.
- Language
Use YouTube!! (It''s effective because you can study English in spare moments anywhere.) If you don''t know the basics, watch lots of beginner videos. (Can you just go and dive in?? You can, but you''ll experience a meltdown... so watch many basic English videos beforehand!!)
- Accommodation
People adapt quickly, so you''ll adjust once you get there ^^ However, since the Philippines is very hot you''ll use the air conditioner, so live with a roommate you get along with to avoid trouble. The reason is electricity in the Philippines is somewhat expensive!!
- Meals
Well... sometimes the food is tasty and sometimes not; it''s mixed, so if it comes out tasting bad you can just bring instant cup noodles to eat.
- What to bring
Because clothes are cheap in the Philippines, I thought I''d buy and wear them there... I was tempted by that and brought only a few outfits and regretted it. It''s good to bring an appropriate amount of your own clothes, because it''s hard to find pretty clothes... but not too many.
- To prospective participants
I want to advise: don''t ever be scared or afraid—if you''ve decided once, just go and give it a try.
# My Cebu travel spots
The places I recommend are two islands: Siargao and Palawan. You have to fly to both places... but it takes about an hour, so think of it like going to Jeju Island. As for the itinerary and routes: if you''re traveling independently it''s good to rent a scooter, and if you go through an agency you don''t need a separate route—just get on the van according to their schedule and comfortably move from place to place, taking photos and sightseeing as you go!!
My gap year is
Experience★★★★★
Being able to talk with people of various nationalities and become friends with them — it''s a special experience!!
Learning★★★★★
It''s up to how much effort you put in — if you want to learn, the classes are fun and you''ll get a lot out of them!!
Environment★★★★★
The environment for learning English is good. You can make many foreign friends, and you speak in English every day with the teachers'' foreign friends, do homework, and go on trips together on weekends, so it''s great that you can use English on the weekends too!!
Safety★★★★☆
In my opinion it''s safe as long as you don''t go alone to secluded, sparsely populated places late at night!! Still, it''s better to go with at least one other person wherever you go ^^
Leisure★★★★★
It''s up to you. In your free time you can exercise, have dinner or drinks with foreign friends — it''s perfect for using English even after class.
What makes this project special
