THINGS I LEARNED DURING MY GAP YEAR
hi everybody! it’s definitely been a while, huh? i hope everyone is well and has been/ is studying hard for their end of year exams! good luck!
since my gap year is coming to an end, i decided i wanted to make a few posts about it to help some of you guys, who have been asking me about my experience, out. these are a few things i’ve learned during my gap year.
► it’s ok to be the only one taking a gap year
this was a really big thing for me. no one i knew decided to take one at the end of our secondary school career. i was the only person in my big old school, as for as i’m aware of, that chose to do so. i have to admit it’s really weird to be the only one in your friend group not going to university and experiencing that exciting time. in belgium it really isn’t a common thing to do either. especially not after secondary school. but! and this is a big but: you will. a gap year doesn’t mean you’re never going to go to uni/ college and experience the same as your friends! it’s a year out to work or discover what you really want to do in life. and if it just so happens you find out you prefer working straight away, that’s totally cool! whatever suits you! i just hope my friends learn to accept others who choose to work instead of studying instead of making them feel like they’re just too “dumb” for uni/college. we all choose different paths in life. let’s all try to live with that.
► keep yourself busy
one of the things most adults told me was to keep myself busy during my gap year, because otherwise i’d become incredibly lazy. for my part, this is so true. there were a few weeks at the start of october that i wasn’t working, and i became such really lazy. i slept in almost every day and i didn’t feel motivated to do anything. i also felt quite isolated and lonely. you don’t have to work to keep yourself busy though! you could travel, pick up a hobby, get better at something you’ve already learned, etc. as long as you’re keeping yourself busy and making the most out of your gap year! why would you be taking one otherwise?
► you will lose friends and make new ones
don’t be afraid of the fact you’ll eventually lose some old friends. the people who don’t invest in your friendship as much as you do don’t deserve you honestly! i started feeling lonely too, since a few of my friends never made any effort to keep in contact with me, or meet up with me, even though i tried time and time again. it’s totally normal and will happen to everyone.this doesn’t mean you should just give up on all your friendships though! but trust me: you’ll know what i’m talking about at some point in your life. at work i met a group of really great young people like me, and we have become a really close group of friends. we take out breaks together, go out after work and hang out on our days off. they’ve really given me the kind of friendship i was looking for, and i’m really grateful for that.
► don’t feel so guilty about having fun
this was a biggie for me. i can’t really explain it, but i started feeling guilty about having so much fun. in school there weren’t that many times i went out or hung out with my friends because i was focusing on studying, so whenever i made plans this year, i felt really weird about it. almost as if i was having too much fun? this is a really silly feeling and i’ve learned to let that part of me go. it’s important to bond with your friends and yourself by exploring places and making memories. don’t feel bad about it.
► money, money, money
i think everyone has a hard time figuring out how to budget and save the first time round. (if not: you should write a book for all of us who did struggle!) i’m in a position where i can save a very large part of my money each month because i only pay my parents a little each month. keeping in mind, my goal was double of what i started with, i’m incredibly close. i’m using all my money to pay for my tuition fees for 2 years and part of my rent, so i’m doing a great job so far, even if i do say so myself. it’s not so easy for others, and it’s so normal to struggle if you’re not used to working and earning a steady income each month. don’t be too hard on yourself about this: you’re young and clueless.
► in the end: it’s only one year
it’s really easy to get it into your head that this year is going to be hard and will feel like it lasts forever, but time honestly flies. when i first starting on the first of july time seemed to go so slowly. every day seemed to last an age, and i wondered what it would feel like to only have a few months left. i’m at that stage now, and every day seems to fly by. i was told it would take me six months to get used to working, but it only took me 3. by the time october came around i was so used to getting up at a certain time, finishing at 6pm, coming home, eating, practicing on the piano and going to bed. it doesn’t seem that exciting, but we’re all creatures of habit and routine. i feel like i’ve changed a lot as a person, but also like i haven’t at all. in some aspects i’m much wiser, but at the same time i still feel like a lost kid. a year really isn’t a long time at all.
those were just some things i’ve learned so far. i still have a total of 9 weeks left until i’m packing up and flying to barcelona to start an incredibly exciting chapter of my life. who knows what will happen! i’ll be making a few more posts about gap years, so if you’re interested in taking one, just keep an eye out!
lots of love, lou.
