Long time, no see!
Wow, back to awkward writing...
For this blog post I am going to share with you my experience during my gap year and what I have learned from it.
1. I love studying.
Probably ever since I started first grade and until I finished 12th grade, I have felt one thing: I hate school.
However, during this year, sometime between being bored to death and meeting a bunch of people, I realized that knowing things is AMAZING! I loved the fact that I could carry intelligent conversations with others and that I could participate in a debate, and the fact that when I would witness a conversation I actually had an idea of what they were talking about.
Moreover, I realized that whatever we are taught in school, contrary to most teenegers' beliefs, is truly for our benefit.
It's amazing to understand the present by looking at the past, and you have no idea how many times I've used the geography I had learned in school to plan trips and vacations.
2. Time is going by so fast.
When you're young, you don't really think about the future. You have so many things that you want to do, and you just tell yourself "Meh, I have plenty of time to do them, I'm still young!". Well, don't be so sure... Try to do someting useful or something pleasant every day, try to actually follow those new years resolutions, so that at the end of the year or at the end of your youth, even your life, you dont feel regretful that so much time has passed and you haven't done one thing.
You don't have to wait for something to happen, be the one to make it happen.
3. One year might still not be enouh to decide what you want to do.
If you're thinking of having a gap year in order to discover and decide what you want to do, it might not be the best idea. There probably are people for whom this method has worked, but I don't believe it it possible to figure out your life in one year, and it definitely didn't happen for me.
I still don't know if the college I have chosen is the right one and I still have no freaking idea what I'm going to do after graduation.
However, whith so much time on your hands, you will be able to take on new hobbis and discover passions which could lead you to new ideas, a new mentality and new possible jobs that you maybe never even knew they existed.
4. People judge.
Most people still haven't shaken off that ancient old mentality that school is everything and that if you haven't gone to college you mean pretty much.. nothing?
Besides the looks people give you when you tell them "Oh, I'm not going to college this year :)", the dissapointment of your family is quite crushing, especially when they had high expectations from you. So if you're thinking of taking a gap year, you might want to take in consideration how your family will think of it. Now, I'm definitely not telling you to listen to everyone else's opinion instead of your own heart... I'm just warning you, that it might be surprisingly hard for you if you don't get support from your parents at least.
5. There will be times when you'll feel lonely.
While you're at home, chillin', probably feeling a bit bored, everyone else is busy. Your friends are either off to college, or working, or doing something that's keeping them occupied, so you're not going to hear from them as much, your going out sessions will probably not happen as often and you might feel forgotten-which is not the case, don't worry. So, during the gap year, make sure you also do something: get a job, volunteer, even travel the world if you have the money. Afterall, make sure you get out of the house ;).
That's it! As a conclusion, I'd like to point out that a gap year can be extremely beneficial and good for you. I definitely don't regret doing this at all. There are so many things you can learn and discover, but it can also be a waste of time if you just sit around and do nothing.
So my advice to you: make plans to do fun things, to try new things and to explore the world!
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Have a lovely day!
