While working on the project I met many people and had to express myself to them; they understood and empathized with my story and actions. All of those processes were so enjoyable. Those times gave me faith and confidence in my choices, and I think they showed me that living a life I choose myself is happier than following others'' choices.
[Philippines Cebu/Language Study Review] Enjoy without stress—have fun and study English, that''s it! Kim Dahye, gap year participant (25, gap year after quitting job) / 8-week gap year |
# After graduating college and getting a job—this really wasn''t the life I wanted
Hello~ I''m 25-year-old Kim Dahye. After graduating from university, I worked for about a year and a half in a field related to my major, but feeling that I needed a new experience, I quit my job and joined the gap year project.
Until I got a job I followed society''s usual path. I studied to get into a good university, and to avoid falling behind others I started job hunting right after graduation and got a job in the year I graduated. Thus...While working at the company I felt that this really wasn''t the life I wanted, and although I wasn''t sure exactly what, I thought I needed to move into some new environment.Then I happened to learn about the gap year and joined the project through Korean Gap Year.
As I mentioned earlier, after working at the company for about a year I realized this really wasn''t the life I wanted, and although I thought I should start something new, I couldn''t figure out what to begin.
Even after learning about Korean Gap Year I kept worrying about which project to join, and then I found out there was a one-on-one counseling program, so I decided to get counseling.At first I thought it would just be counseling to pick a suitable project, but the consultant carefully reviewed my overall thoughts and situation and recommendedone for me.
Maybe because I''d never stayed abroad for a long time, or because I already knew detailed information about the project, I wasn''t overly worried. I was just a bit dazed because everything was new.
In a new world I had never seen before, I had no idea what would happen to me. For the moment, shaking off the many complicated thoughts and baggage and leaving Korea to escape the dull situations even for a while made me feel very relieved.
I prepared by checking the common necessary items and the list of things to bring provided by Gap Year.The Gap Year page and the orientation materials you sent were a big help in preparing before participation and seemed to be sufficient. Thanks to that list, which had everything necessary listed, I was able to prepare without lacking anything.
I couldn''t guess how much budget I''d use locally, so I exchanged a modest amount of dollars just for living expenses for the time being, planning to withdraw from ATMs when needed. Preparing like that allowed me to live there without difficulty.
I was a little worried if I''d prepared correctly, but thinking ''it''ll work out somehow when I go,'' I did as much preparation as I could and left.
# I wanted to become someone who knows what I like and want
My biggest goal in wanting to change through the gap year was to become a person who knows what I like and want.I had lost confidence in my own choices and had nothing I wanted to do or liked. I had lived with a very indecisive personality. Making a choice on my own was too difficult, so I just followed the common choices others made.
But I felt that living the rest of my life in that way would be too hard, and I felt very frustrated with myself. I thought new experiences would give me the answer, and...During the project period I actually learned what I needed through many experiences. For the first time in a long while I felt I wanted to learn something on my own.
# Life in the Philippines where every one of the 24 hours of the day was enjoyable
I took nine class periods a day. I would wake up, eat breakfast, then take 45-minute classes from 8:00 to 12:00; after a one-hour lunch break I took four more classes and then classes were over. All classes ended at 5:00 PM, and from then you could leave the school.
I really enjoyed attending classes; especially the one-on-one lessons allowed me to talk a lot with the local teachers, and everyone was so kind and fun, so it was enjoyable.And after class my daily routine was laughing and chatting with friends, going to eat delicious food, just having fun and then falling asleep.
Every single day was enjoyable all 24 hours.
I met many friends and many of them accompanied me. I met Korean, Taiwanese, and Japanese friends who always traveled with me and were a great support during the project, teachers who always brought me happiness, café staff I visited so often they became friends, and many others.
I considered myself quite introverted, and I never expected to become close with so many people in such a short time. Thanks to them—who accepted my silly acts and foolish words and always paid attention to and watched over me—I became more confident,Thanks to them, I was so happy that I kept saying, ''This moment is the happiest moment of my life.''
# Belief and confidence in my choices; feeling the happiness of a life I chose myself
I felt and learned a lot through the project. The biggest thing I learned was that ''I think I can now choose what I want by my own power and live satisfactorily.'' I, who used to be indecisive, chose to take a gap year myself and invested money I earned to have time for myself for the first time.
During the project I met many people and had to express myself to them; they understood and empathized with my stories and actions. All of those processes were so enjoyable.Those times gave me belief and confidence in my choices, and I think they taught me that living a life I chose myself is happier than chasing others'' choices.
Comparing myself before and after participating in the gap year project, as I mentioned earlier,Through the project I realized the need to live in the world by my own strength and will.Until then I used to think at school and at work, ''Why do I have to endure and put up with these things?'' Now I think, ''I should find the work I want and live the life I want.''
The experience of enjoying and successfully accomplishing things I chose by my will seems to have taught me, ''I can live a happy life through the things I choose in the future too.''Of course I''m still not used to challenging something and going out into the world on my own and I''m a bit worried, but I believe the experiences and memories from the gap year will give my future self courage.
* For Kim Da-hye, who wanted to challenge new experiences and find her career path,missions that break existing thinking and tailored one-on-one personal missions about new experiences and career concerns were provided daily, and a gap year notebook to reflect on herself and make plans was also providedIt was provided.
# Advice for those considering a gap year
I think the Philippines is truly a country where you can feel happiness. Because it''s a country that hasn''t developed much yet, you might think it could be difficult to live there, but there''s no inconvenience in living there at all, and I guarantee you''ll learn and gain more from them.
Of course, English too! I only knew really basic elementary-level English, but I tried to talk a lot with foreigners for two months, and now I can handle everyday conversations.If your current self and daily life feel uncomfortable or unsatisfactory, you should take a gap year without hesitation.
# My own gap year tips
(How to get there)
À ma sortie de l’aéroport, quelqu’un tenait une pancarte avec le nom de l’école de langues, ce qui m’a permis de la trouver tout de suite.
J’ai ensuite pris un taxi de l’aéroport jusqu’à l’école et je suis arrivée sans encombre.
(Language)
Bien sûr, le tagalog est leur langue maternelle, mais presque tous les Philippins savent communiquer en anglais. À l’école du projet, les enseignants utilisent bien sûr uniquement l’anglais.
J’ai suivi un cours axé sur la conversation. Si vous étudiez au préalable les bases de la grammaire et du vocabulaire anglais, vous progresserez plus rapidement pendant le projet. Plutôt que d’apprendre les bases sur place,il semble plus pratique d’apprendre à utiliser dans de vraies conversations les notions de grammaire et de vocabulaire que vous connaissez déjà.
(Hébergement)
J’avais une chambre pour trois personnes, qui était bien plus confortable et agréable que je ne l’avais imaginé. Chaque chambre du dortoir est équipée d’un climatiseur (au début, je doutais qu’il fonctionne correctement à cause de son apparence, mais il marche très bien). La literie peut être changée toutes les deux semaines et le ménage est fait chaque semaine. Si quelque chose est cassé dans la chambre, on le répare immédiatement.
En revanche, si vous confiez votre linge à l’école, il est lavé à la main puisqu’il n’y a pas de machine à laver. Pour une raison ou une autre, les vêtements reviennent rêches, mais cela ne gêne pas du tout au quotidien. Chaque chambre a un balcon avec un étendoir : vous pouvez donc laver vos vêtements à la main et les étendre vous-même.
(Repas)
Les repas de l’école étaient principalement coréens, donc je n’ai eu aucun mal à manger. La boutique de la cafétéria vendait même des en-cas et des nouilles instantanées coréennes, alors la cuisine coréenne ne m’a pas manqué. De plus, il y avait beaucoup de délicieux restaurants près de l’école, ce qui me permettait de savourer des plats coréens et philippins quand je le souhaitais.
(À emporter)
J’avais glissé des cintres encombrants dans ma valise, mais il y en avait beaucoup dans les chambres du dortoir : vous n’aurez probablement pas besoin d’en apporter.
J’ai apporté le sèche-cheveux que j’utilisais en Corée, mais la tension électrique n’était pas compatible et il a explosé… À cause de cela, ma chambre a été privée d’électricité et je me suis sentie vraiment mal vis-à-vis de mes colocataires. Plus tard, quand j’en ai parlé au responsable coréen, il m’a dit que c’était une mésaventure fréquente chez les étudiants coréens.On peut en acheter à bas prix sur place, alors achetez-en un là-bas ou récupérez-en un laissé par un étudiant en fin de séjour !
(Destinations recommandées)
Je recommande deux endroits faciles d’accès depuis le campus.
1. Excursion à Bohol (1 nuit, 2 jours)
- Premier jour : plage d’Alona (excursion d’île en île, plongée avec tuba)
- Deuxième jour : collines de Chocolate Hills (point de vue, quad) > tyrolienne
2. Excursion à Cebu
- Premier jour : chutes de Kawasan (plongée : j’avais trop peur et je n’ai pas osé, mais essayez !) > Moalboal (plongée avec tuba : le banc de sardines et les tortues sont inoubliables.)
- Deuxième jour : Oslob (prendre des photos avec des requins-baleines)
Mon année de césure :
Expérience★★★★☆
Apprentissage★★★★☆
Environnement★★★★☆
Sécurité★★★☆☆
Loisirs★★★★★
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