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)
我走出机场时，有人举着写有语言学校名称的牌子，所以我一下子就找到了他们。
我从机场打车去了学校，轻轻松松就到了。
（语言）
当然，他们的母语是他加禄语，但几乎所有菲律宾人都能用英语交流。项目学校的老师当然也只在学校使用英语。
我参加了侧重口语的课程。如果提前学习基础英语语法和词汇，在项目期间进步会更快。与其在当地学习基础知识，不如学习如何将已经掌握的基础语法和词汇运用到实际对话中，这似乎更实用。
（住宿）
我住的是三人间，比预想的舒适、漂亮得多。每间宿舍都配有空调（刚开始我看它的样子，还怀疑能不能正常使用，结果制冷效果很好）。床上用品每两周可以更换一次，每周也会打扫卫生。房间里有什么东西坏了，他们会马上修好。
不过，由于没有洗衣机，如果把衣服交给学校洗衣处，就只能手洗；不知为什么，洗好的衣服会变得硬邦邦的，但完全不影响日常生活。每个房间都有带晾衣绳的阳台，所以也可以自己手洗、晾晒。
（餐食）
学校的餐食以韩餐为主，所以我吃得很习惯。食堂的小卖部甚至还卖韩国零食和方便面，因此我一点也不想念韩国菜。另外，学校附近有很多好吃的餐馆，我想吃的时候，韩餐和菲律宾菜都能尽情享用。
（需要带的东西）
我把 bulky 的衣架塞进了行李箱，但宿舍里有很多衣架，所以应该没必要带。
我带了在韩国用的吹风机，结果电压不匹配，吹风机爆炸了……因此房间断了电，我觉得很对不起室友。后来我问韩国管理员，对方说韩国学生经常会遇到这种情况。当地就能买到很便宜的吹风机，可以在那里买，也可以接收毕业学生留下的物品来用！
（推荐去处）
我推荐两个从校园出发很容易到达的地方。
1. 薄荷岛之旅（两天一夜）
- 第一天：阿罗娜海滩（跳岛游、浮潜）
- 第二天：巧克力山（观景台、四轮摩托车）> 高空滑索
2. 宿务之旅
- 第一天：卡瓦山瀑布（跳水：我太害怕了，没敢尝试，不过你一定要试试！）> 莫阿尔博阿尔（浮潜：沙丁鱼风暴和海龟让我终生难忘。）
- 第二天：奥斯洛布（与鲸鲨合影）
我的间隔年：
体验★★★★☆
学习★★★★☆
环境★★★★☆
安全★★★☆☆
休闲★★★★★
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