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)
När jag kom ut från flygplatsen stod någon med en skylt med språkskolans namn, så jag hittade dem direkt.
Jag tog en taxi från flygplatsen till skolan och kom fram bekvämt.
(Språk)
Tagalog är förstås deras modersmål, men nästan alla filippiner kan kommunicera på engelska. Lärarna på projektskolan använder förstås bara engelska i skolan.
Jag gick en kurs med fokus på konversation, och om du studerar grundläggande engelsk grammatik och ordförråd i förväg kommer dina kunskaper att utvecklas snabbare under projektperioden. I stället för att lära dig grunderna på plats,verkar det mer praktiskt att lära sig använda den grundläggande grammatik och det ordförråd du redan kan i riktiga samtal.
(Boende)
Jag hade ett trebäddsrum, som var mycket bekvämare och trevligare än jag hade förväntat mig. Alla studentrum har luftkonditionering (först tvivlade jag på att den skulle fungera ordentligt med tanke på hur den såg ut, men den fungerar mycket bra). Sängkläderna kan bytas varannan vecka och städning görs varje vecka. Om något i rummet går sönder lagar de det direkt.
Tvätten tvättas dock för hand om du lämnar in den på skolans tvättinrättning, eftersom det inte finns någon tvättmaskin. Av någon anledning kommer kläderna tillbaka stela, men det påverkar inte vardagen alls. Varje rum har en balkong med tvättlina, så du kan tvätta kläderna för hand och hänga upp dem själv.
(Måltider)
Skolans måltider bestod främst av koreansk mat, så det var inga problem att äta. I cafeterian såldes till och med koreanska snacks och snabbnudlar, så jag saknade inte koreansk mat. Det fanns också många goda restauranger nära skolan, så jag kunde njuta av både koreansk och filippinsk mat när jag ville.
(Vad du bör ta med)
Jag packade ner skrymmande galgar i resväskan, men det fanns gott om dem i studentrummen, så du behöver förmodligen inte ta med några.
Jag tog med hårtorken jag hade använt i Korea och använde den, men spänningen stämde inte och den exploderade ... Rummet blev strömlöst och jag kände mig verkligen skyldig gentemot mina rumskamrater. Senare frågade jag den koreanska föreståndaren, som sa att det här ofta händer koreanska studenter.Du kan köpa en billigt på plats, så köp den där eller ta emot saker som studenter som tagit examen har lämnat kvar och använd dem!
(Rekommenderade resmål)
Jag rekommenderar två platser som är lätta att ta sig till från campus.
1. Resa till Bohol (1 natt, 2 dagar)
- Första dagen: Alona Beach (ö-hoppning, snorkling)
- Andra dagen: Chocolate Hills (utsiktsplats, fyrhjuling) > zipline
2. Resa till Cebu
- Första dagen: Kawasan Falls (dykning: jag var för rädd för att våga, men prova!) > Moalboal (snorkling: sardinstimmen och sköldpaddorna är något jag aldrig kommer att glömma.)
- Andra dagen: Oslob (ta bilder med valhajar)
Mitt sabbatsår:
Upplevelse★★★★☆
Lärande★★★★☆
Miljö★★★★☆
Säkerhet★★★☆☆
Fritid★★★★★
Hem
