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#Established personal values for finding my own happiness; embraced a more relaxed way of living #Volunteering in Portugal; learned how to give and receive love #Hope, Gratitude, Happiness
During the five weeks I spent volunteering in Portugal I was able to find my own happiness rather than the values society generally pursues. I learned to love others and how to get along with people from various cultures. Thank you, Gap Year, for giving me an unforgettable experience! A special volunteer program in Lisbon, Portugal — one of the most beautiful regions in the world! Choi Ji-hye — Gap Year participant, gapper (24, university student) / 5 weeks on the Gap Year |
# I chose to go on the volunteer trip to give and learn about love.
Hello. I''m Choi Ji-hye, a senior in university.
After consulting with the representative and receiving a recommendation, I chose the Portugal meal-service volunteer trip. Also I chose the volunteer trip to give and learn about love.Through the project I met various volunteers, and even though the time was short, I was happy we could become close. Rather than just traveling I thought it was meaningful and nice to travel around the country while volunteering.
* For Ms. Choi Ji-hye, who wanted new experiences and to find the direction of her life, Activities to enjoy with foreign friends, customized one-on-one personal missions about new experiences and challenges were provided daily, and a Gap Year Note was also given to help reflect and make plans.
# At first I was worried, but I felt reassured since I was going through the Korean Gap Year.
At first I was worried about staying abroad for an extended period. Since it was a place I didn''t know, I was concerned. However, you don''t have to worry. I understand Gap Year partners with trusted organizations. So the local organizations were warm and I stayed without worry, Staying abroad worried me at first, but I felt reassured because I was going through the Korean Gap Year.
Before departure, I prepared based on the materials sent by Gap Year. The materials sent by Gap Year were well-prepared enough that thoroughly reading and preparing with just those was sufficient.I went on an exchange program before, and when I went on exchange they didn''t give any materials like this, so I had to prepare everything myself from scratch, which was very difficult. Gap Year, however, seems to organize and provide the materials well.
# I lived following the values society pursues, but that didn''t make me happy.
What I wanted to change through Gap Year was myself. I used to be someone who was often depressed, so I didn''t want to be depressed; my days weren''t joyful and life felt overwhelming. I didn''t want to live, but on the other hand I also really wanted to live well. I didn''t even know how to live well or what values to pursue in life.
Living according to society''s values didn''t make me happy.I was always filled with worries and concerns and couldn''t move forward, feeling constantly stagnant. I wanted my relationships to improve and to find out what I wanted to do so I could take charge and work on my own things.
# While volunteering, I thought I too want to be someone who helps those who are struggling.
Through the project I participated in, I first learned to be more relaxed. Portugal is a very relaxed country. People live slowly and are very kind and warm. I realized that people work at an easy pace, drinking tea and coffee.It taught me how to relax, since I used to live in Korea always busy and valuing time.I felt the sunlight and realized it''s okay to be relaxed — it was nice. I wondered why I had previously rushed through everything, and I realized it''s better to work with a sense of leisure.
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What I liked was that, especially when delivering food to poor people, seeing them express gratitude made me feel good. I realized that helping others made my own heart feel warm.So it was more meaningful to interact with them while delivering in person than when working indoors.
The things I realized came from thinking about many things in various ways while doing the gap year mission. I used to strongly want to succeed and earn a lot of money, but these days I want to work with more ease and become a warm-hearted person. When I was struggling I received help and it felt warm to me,While volunteering, I thought that I also want to be someone who helps people who are having a hard time.
# I really enjoyed having deep conversations with foreign friends.
At the local organization, I met a wide variety of volunteers.Because they were foreign friends, their personalities were on a completely different level, and seeing that I learned that there are ways of life like that.A friend who is always positive and energetic, a hot-tempered friend, a timid friend, a friend who does whatever they feel like, a friend who complains a lot, an adventurous friend, a good talker, a caring friend, a fearful friend, a fun-loving friend. They were all like textbooks from which I could learn a lot.
It was relatively easier to open up to foreign friends because there was less concern about others'' eyes, they lived the way they wanted, and there was a culture of respecting different occupations. And when I talked, those friends confessed even bigger secrets.I really enjoyed having deep conversations with foreign friends.
# I saw, heard, experienced, realized, and learned many things.
If I compare before and after participating in the gap year project,First, I think I''ve become better at making decisions.I originally had serious difficulty with decision-making, so it was hard to make decisions on my own. I was very afraid that if I made the wrong decision something terrible would happen, but now I think I can make small decisions well.
Second,I think I''ve broken free from perfectionism.I always had long lists of things to do and felt I had to do them all well. So I tried to be perfect, but now I don''t squeeze myself trying to be perfect,I''ve learned how to let go. I try to do my best without constraining myself.
Third,I started approaching people first and striking up conversations.I originally thought I was a timid person, but I realized that I also like expressing myself and enjoy being with others. And because I wanted to get closer, I started reaching out first. I think I''m better at expressing myself now.
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It''s still ongoing, but I think I''ve improved in many ways. This is my third project this year, and with five months accumulated for the gap year period,I saw, heard, experienced, realized, and learned a lot.And I came to understand myself—what kind of person I am and what I find difficult. Knowing and recognizing the reasons feels less frustrating than struggling vaguely without knowing why.
# Through the gap year, I was able to become stronger on my own!
By stepping out of everyday life into a new environment and living away from my parents and the shadow of home, I became more able to listen to my own thoughts.Living on my own, I challenged and tried many things, and that gave me confidence.
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Through the gap year, I actually hoped that I would change into a completely different person by 180 degrees, but that was probably greedy. Still, it''s really hard for a person to change. For years life was too overwhelming; I worried a lot and always tried, but I stayed in the same place. But...Through my gap year I realized I could have hope too, I saw many of my positive qualities, and I came to understand who I am.Also, I didn''t have anything I liked before, but I discovered things I like.
That isn''t to say there weren''t difficult times while I had the gap year.My feelings of being confused and depressed were also part of me, and I think those times helped me become stronger.
I would definitely recommend a gap year to those who have lost their purpose in life. I''m so grateful to the gap year that gave me hope and helped me move forward. Thank you for always encouraging and supporting me.
What did a typical day look like on site?
At the volunteer organization where I was,we worked three hours from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM.Maybe because of that, I could sleep in and wake up leisurely, and it was very close to the accommodation. After work finished, I went home, had lunch, and had free time.
Work hours and commute were short, so I had a lot of personal free time. The local organization''s system is quite organized. It''s a system run only by volunteers, and there are people who volunteer every day and do it consistently.At the local organization, instead of throwing away food that is slightly past its expiration date from markets or restaurants, they bring it, sort it in refrigerators for storage, and then distribute the food to poor people, the elderly, and the homeless.
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My tasks were mainly putting bread into bags according to the number of people, going to markets to collect food, delivering food directly to poor people, putting food into containers, washing plastic containers and drying them, carrying food into the refrigerator when it arrived, and throwing away food that was in too bad a condition.
Because supermarkets collect many bags of food and bring them, you have to carry them all and they are quite heavy. But to receive them,poor people come, and when someone helped carry those heavy bags of food with me, I was so grateful and thankful.
People I met on site
The people I met through the project were firstly Portuguese locals who worked at the local organization. The volunteers who served varied by day of the week, and since I was on the morning shift I mainly worked with older retired people: the coordinator Anahita, Grandma Manuela who handled bread with me, Mr. Manuel who often teased me, and Charlotte, a French woman I worked with a lot. There were also many others like Francisco, Je, Charlotte, and so on.
I also met volunteers like me. Because we shared accommodation (for example, 10 people shared the room I used), it was easy to get close with the other volunteers. I mainly hung out with those friends. We went shopping, to clubs, traveled, ate together, and did tours run by the local organization. The nationalities were truly diverse, and because of that the personalities seemed more varied too.Even though I met various friends for a short time, I was really glad we could become very close.
After the gap year
Getting out of everyday life and being placed in a new environment, living away from the shadow of your parents and home, you become more able to listen to your own thoughts.Living on my own, I challenged and tried many things, and that gave me confidence.
Through the gap year I did hope that I would change into a completely different person 180 degrees, but I think that was greedy. Still, it''s really hard for people to change. For several years life was too overwhelming for me; I worried a lot and always tried, but I remained in the same place. However,Through my gap year I realized I could have hope too, I saw many of my positive qualities, and I came to understand who I am.Also, I didn''t have anything I liked before, but I discovered things I like.
There were hard times during the gap year, butmy feelings of being confused and depressed were also part of me, and I think those times helped me become stronger.
To prospective gap year participants
I would definitely recommend a gap year to people who have lost their purpose in life.I''m so grateful to the gap year that gave me hope and helped me move forward, and I hope you all get to experience it once too!
# My personal recommended places!
I went to Porto, Portugal.Porto is in the north of Portugal and you can get there from Lisbon by bus in about three and a half hours. The bridges in Porto are very beautiful. I think it''s good to stay for about one to two nights.
And I visited Cascais a lot.It''s a place you can reach in an hour from Lisbon by train. It has a beach and is a quaint little town, so it was very pretty and pleasant.
There is also Cabo da Roca. Many people also go to Sintra.I also visited the Belém Tower, and I think I often went into downtown Lisbon. The parks are pretty too. If you go in the summer (peak season), there seem to be more activities organized by local groups! I was a bit disappointed that I couldn''t do sea activities.
# My gap year TIP!
- Language
: Many volunteers from English-speaking countries come, so it would be good to study English before coming. It''s helpful to learn everyday conversation. Focusing on listening and speaking is recommended. However, even if you''re not good at English, if you have confidence you can somehow communicate. The important thing is confidence — not being discouraged and how much you initiate conversations matters more.
- Accommodation
: The accommodation was a shared dormitory (separated by gender). I stayed in a 10-person room. There were also 4-person rooms. The beds were bunk beds. Even though it was a shared room, it wasn''t uncomfortable. Sheets were changed and cleaning was done weekly, so it was clean and I was very satisfied with the lodging. However, it can be a bit cold in winter, so it''s a good idea to bring an electric blanket/heating pad.
- Meals
: Three meals a day are provided at the accommodation. Breakfast includes cereal, milk, fruit, and bread; lunch and dinner are Portuguese food. The food was very tasty. I think I ate really well every day. Fruit, snacks, tea, and coffee were always available, so I often had those as well. However, when I occasionally missed Korean food, I went to a Korean supermarket and a Korean restaurant in Portugal. If you go to Amahencer supermarcado, there is a Korean supermarket and a Korean restaurant!!
- Things to bring
: Since you might do shopping, I recommend bringing fewer clothes. Your luggage tends to increase on the way back, so it''s best to pack lightly. Having an electric heating pad, hairdryer, and cosmetics will make life comfortable. Also, if you go in winter, I recommend a jacket you can comfortably wear indoors. Be sure to purchase insurance as well.
My gap year was
Experience ★★★★★
: I had a variety of experiences. I met friends from many different nationalities and lived a life different from the way I used to live. I relaxed while drinking coffee and tea, went to clubs, and discovered aspects of myself I didn''t know. Looking back, I think I had many experiences I wouldn''t have if I had stayed in Korea.
Learning ★★★★★
: I often had conversations with people about what is difficult or worrying for me, and I learned a lot.
Environment ★★★★★
: Lisbon was such a beautiful city. The accommodation environment was clean, meals were provided, and it was comfortable. In fact, the environment was perfect.
Safety ★★★★★
: Portugal is relatively safe. There are pickpockets, but compared to other parts of Europe pickpocketing seems less common and it feels safe. Also, there were staff from the local organization, which made me feel secure.
Leisure ★★★★★
: There was so much free time that there was actually nothing to do and I was a little bored, but the advantage is that you can really have a lot of personal time outside of volunteer hours.
Capturing the growth journeys
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