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#Lessened shyness; Discovered sociability #Made friends with foreigners; Gained a new understanding of myself #Moved, Joy, Self-discovery
Best value! Learn English safely in Malta in the European Mediterranean! Yang Hee-jin, gap year participant (24, university student) / 4-week gap year
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# Europe, Malta — study English at prices similar to Southeast Asia!
Hello, I''m Yang Hee-jin, 24 years old and about to graduate.
While doing an internship in my final semester at 24, I was looking for ways to boost my resume and accidentally learned about the gap year program.I was attracted by the fact that I could study English at a cost similar to Southeast Asia,At the time I was under mental stress and had some bad things happening, so wanting to escape, I impulsively chose the Malta gap year project.
Above all, I had a strong desire to heal my body and mind in a hot summer country. For pre-departure preparation, I thought ''Malta is an island so I''ll definitely be swimming a lot!'' and took swimming lessons for a month. I also went to a TOEIC Speaking academy and took conversation classes, preparing little by little.
Regarding staying abroad for an extended period, a year earlier I had spent a month in a Southeast Asian country. That month actually felt very long and tiring and I don''t have many fun memories from it, so I was a bit worried about life in Malta. Above all, because I thought I wasn''t a very energetic person, I worried a lot about how I would make friends.
Nevertheless,My top goal when leaving for the gap year was to find what I want to do and what I like, and the second was to make foreign friends. I wanted to fix my shy nature.
* For Yang Hee-jin, whose goal was to have time for herself and to overcome her shyness,daily missions were provided — missions to improve English by socializing with foreign friends and customized 1:1 personal missions for self-reflection, and a Gap Year Notebook to reflect on herself and make planswas provided.
# Life in Malta: I discovered a side of myself I didn''t even know!
My daily routine in Malta was: I would wake up around 7:30 and leave for the academy around 8:20 or 8:30. Luckily, the accommodation I stayed in was in Valletta and close to the academy, so mornings were relatively relaxed. I only took the basic classes, so classes finished at 12. ThenI would have lunch with friends and have a lot of free time, so we''d go to pubs for cocktails or take short trips to nearby areas.
Although it was a short period of one month, the best thing — and what I still think about — is that I made good friendsIt was. I met a German friend in the same class on the first day and we spent almost every day together for a month. We had many disagreements and fought a lot, but we also reconciled, and through the process of making up I realized we were really compatible friends and came to understand our cultural and mindset differences.
With this friend I went to the sea, traveled to other areas, and looked for good restaurants... Actually, all I really remember is drinking together every day, but my English improved a lot and it was a really great time. Memories of drinking all night near my friend''s house, sleeping over at their place, and taking the first train home in the morning are so fun and precious.
Secondly,meeting Korean friends who were younger than me but mature and had a lot to teach meIt is. Korean friends you meet abroad are much more welcome than those you meet in Korea. Although they were younger than me, they had firm ideas about themselves and there were many things I could learn from them.
The third friends I remember arethe Spanish friends who helped me and approached me without any prejudice, and my flatmate — the prettiest Brazilian in MaltaThey are. My flatmate greeted me warmly on my first day and made scrambled eggs and sweet potato for breakfast... I''m still so moved when I think about it. Afterwards she went to the market with me and even bought me gelato as a welcome ice cream.
Thanks to that friend I was able to fasten the first button right and adapt well. I remember filming videos and dancing together for the ''in my feeling'' challenge, learning Brazilian dance from that friend, and realizing through many conversations that we had similar wounds. Although our nationalities were different, I felt that people''s lives are basically the same. It was an opportunity to feel that.
Capturing the growth journeys
of our participants.
