I realized I am stronger than I thought. I can manage on my own, and there were many times I actually enjoyed being alone. Thanks to the gap year, I discovered the joy of traveling alone. I hope I won''t feel afraid of trying new experiences.
A special volunteer trip spent in one of the most beautiful regions in the world, a Portuguese resort. Han Yu-min, gap year participant (22, university student) / 4-week gap year |
# Broadening my perspective through diverse experiences and being able to get both travel and volunteering at the same time!
Hello. I am Han Yu-min, currently attending university.
I''ve always been interested in overseas volunteering and I like traveling, so I joined the project, and thanks to it I was able to gain a lot.
The reason I chose this project was that I wanted to have many experiences first. I often felt too confined to Korea,I wanted to communicate with people from other countries and share different cultures, experiences, and thoughts. Through these experiences in the wider world, I wanted to broaden my own perspective.
Second,travel and relaxationI wanted to do that. I had been very tired from university life and wanted to heal through the gap year.
Third, I was also very interested in overseas volunteering, so through this projectI wanted to pursue both volunteering and travelI wanted to do both.Above all, I also chose it because it was relatively cheap compared to other programs. Since I''m still a university student,spending a lot of money was somewhat burdensome.
Rather than being worried about staying abroad for a long time, I was actually pleased. I often thought, if not for this opportunity, when could I stay abroad for a long time? Also, since I was going anyway, I wanted to stay a long time and fully experience Portugal. I think my anticipation was greater than my worries.
The pre-departure preparations were greatly helped by the materials I downloaded through Gap Year. In particular, the checklist of items was very good. Not only that,I also took part in the Gap Year mission, and through it I was able to receive care even before departure. Thanks to it, I was able to depart without leaving anything out.
* For Han Yu-min, who wanted to broaden her perspective in a new environment and at the same time gain energy through healing,a customized 1:1 personal mission that allowed her to develop expression, rest, and create various memories with foreign friends was provided daily, and a Gap Year Note to reflect on herself and make plans was also provided.
# Daily life in Portugal with volunteers who shared each other''s experiences
All volunteers head to their assigned volunteer sites at the scheduled times. This can be adjusted. They try to accommodate volunteers as much as possible.In my case I had the 6–9 PM shift; I would travel in the morning and then go to the volunteer site by 6 PM to volunteer.On weekends when there was no volunteering, I took longer trips to nearby areas.
When I arrived in Portugal, there were other Korean gap year participants besides me, so I had fun with them. We shared our experiences and in the evenings we hung out with drinks or ramen.
I also went to see a fado performance with other volunteers. In addition, when volunteering I talked with the volunteers assigned with me and shared tips and favorite places in Portugal.Especially since I spent a lot of time with the volunteers, I often had conversations with them.
What I liked about carrying out the Portugal project was being able to fully enjoy Portugal''s beautiful scenery. I was moved more than I expected from the photos.Also, while traveling I met a variety of people, had many different experiences, and had a lot of fun.
Above all, most people in Portugal were kind and explained things in detail when asked. There were quite a few instances where someone greeted me first. I was especially grateful to a man on the subway who helped me until he got off.
# After my gap year, thinking about ways to live happily
Comparing before and after participating in the gap year program, before joining I had a lot of worries. I wondered if I would do well, and since it was my first month-long trip to Europe and my first solo trip, there were many first-time experiences that made me a bit scared. Above all, it was burdensome that if a problem occurred I would have to solve it on my own.
After participating, I felt that I was stronger than I thought. I could manage on my own, and there were many times I actually enjoyed being alone. Thanks to the gap year, I learned the joy of traveling alone.
It also had a big impact on my values. I had been busy living hurriedly, but I started to think about how I could live more happily by enjoying life more.
For those who will participate in a volunteer trip to Portugal in the future, I hope you won''t be afraid of having new experiences. I was very worried too, but because I approached others first and acted proactively, I gained a lot.
Also, you should be able to speak some English. I''m not particularly good at English, so I had trouble talking with other volunteers. Most of the other volunteers were kind, but they don''t wait until I can speak English. Because of that I felt the language barrier with them a lot. It made me realize again the necessity of English.
# My Personal Gap Year Tips
(How to get there)
There was no problem because they provided a pickup.
(Language)
Study English hard before coming. For volunteering, good listening is enough, but outside of that there are many opportunities to communicate with other volunteers.
(Accommodation)
The accommodation was generally comfortable. However, my room was connected to the kitchen and the terrace, so there were a lot of ants. It wasn''t just once or twice that I woke up to ants crawling beside my pillow. Also, foreigners often drank on the terrace, so it was noisy. If you''re a light sleeper it could be difficult.
(Meals)
The meals were very satisfying. They were tasty.
(What to bring)
- Item that was troublesome to be without: nail clippers
- Item that was convenient to have: charger. Be sure to bring a power bank!
My gap year is
Experience ★★★★★
I traveled a lot, and thanks to it I was able to fully see Portugal''s beautiful scenery.
Learning ★★★☆☆
While traveling, I had many conversations with other travelers I met and was able to broaden my perspective.
Environment★★☆☆☆
There were ants in the accommodation and it was noisy at night. Otherwise, it was fine.
Safety★★★★★
Very safe. Seems to be similar to the level of public safety in Korea.
Leisure★★★★☆
Volunteer hours aren''t long, so I often have personal time. There''s plenty of time to travel.
