I’ve often dreamed of taking a gap year. I hoped I would land a teaching gig where I could arrange a leave of absence but it hasn’t happened yet. So I’d like to take a year off eventually in my thirties to pursue some sort of passion or dream.
The best I can think of right now is travel round the world and pursue fitness / adventure goals in the process (kayaking, yoga, dance, etc). I’d also like to spend a considerable amount of time reading, learning, and writing.
If I could find one amazing educational program though I would do that as well. Still looking for something that lights a fire in me.
Either (a) get involved in amateur sports car racing (you can already drive your street ride on any number of North American tracks if you like), or (b) just explore the hell out of the world-Europe, New Zealand, Australia-you name it.
I used to do SCCA in Production and F-V ----------- if you get the chance do it! It’s more expensive than it used to be but still tons of fun.
I would like to go live in and work for the one of the deep Southern states - Mississippi or such. Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity or something like that. Or learn sign. Or both.
With the family, spend a year in Brazil getting to know the inlaws and learning the Portuguese. If I were solo, I’d probably do a tour with Peace Corps response.
Already did.
Back when I was starting college, translation wasn’t a possible major; the first people to get a university degree in translation in Spain did so a couple of years after I graduated. But I’ve been interested in languages and specifically in translation/localization issues ever since I learned there was such a thing as languageS, and I’ve been acting as a translator and chuchotage interpreter for decades. I’ve been both in the situation of “this needs translating… Navaaaaaa!” (including for original languages which I couldn’t write but could read) and of being told that “no, no, you can’t do that translation, let’s call an actual translator” (who, ‘this’ being highly technical, proceeded to skewer it beyond recognition).
So at one point where I had the money, was able to find a 1-year graduate program in Translation, and was pretty close to burning out from my regular job (I’d had to leave the last project because I was having The Shakes every day), I went back to school and got a Graduate Diploma in Translation. Now nobody can tell me that “we have to call someone with an actual translation diploma”, cos I have one, so there! And I learned some new vocabulary, which is always cool.
translation: too often, what can be done with a dictionary and no comprehension.
localization: 1) the above, done for computer programs. 2) translation done with actual cultural comprehension and looking for those expressions which fit the meaning best, even if they’re not a one-to-one correspondence
chuchotage: interpretation done by someone who’s between the two people, going “he says… he’d like to know…”, rather than by someone unseen, talking into a microphone in a cabin
If I could take a year off and not have to worry about money? I’d jump into music full-time: I’d resume voice lessons (and maybe even take piano lessons again, after getting my hands on an acoustic upright), go to every jam session I could find, book myself wherever I could, take master classes and workshops, and go hear as much live music as possible. I’d use the year to try to find a regular gig or two, so that when it was time to go back to a day job I’d still be able to perform even when I couldn’t spend as much time networking.
This, along with taking random turns through our nation’s highways and byways. I like the idea of seeing a road and saying ‘That looks interesting…wonder where that leads’.
Some time back, I took a year off and taught English in Viet Nam (Ho Chi Minh City). I’d probably do that again, except probably a different city, and maybe I’d stay more than a year. Who’s in?
I kind of did this last year, I quit my job in September, and didn’t start work again until Aug the next year. I did a little traveling (camping trip in nor Cal and Oregon for a week, visit to family in Australia for 3 weeks, lots of local one-night camping trips), but I had commitments at home so couldn’t get as far as I wanted. I aimed to extend a NaNoWriMo story into something potentially publishable, but I didn’t - I found out that unstructured time is just not my friend, and I piddled away endless hours. My garden never looked better, though!
I don’t look forward to retirement for this very reason. I have dreams of writing and traveling and having generic “fun”, but they are the dreams I have whenever I’m dealing with shit at work. Those dreams always seem pretty “meh” once I do get free time, though. When left to my own devices, I wool-gather. I wander aimlessly. I binge watch all the episodes of Orange is the New Black. I think I want to write and travel, but really I just want to be the type of person who does these things.
Maybe I would take a gap year just to wean myself from gadgets and information and chatter. A year of quiet contemplation and mindfulness. I’d have to learn to fill the void with activities that actually require effort and discipline. It would be tough and probably boring. But it would be beneficial, I think.
I would work on writing more novels in my series, attend a few gaming/comic conventions around the country and put more effort into trying to market them, and spend a lot of time training myself into healthy habits (regular exercise, eating better, etc.)
If I really didn’t have to worry about money at all, I’d probably take a month or so and go to Europe for a vacation, though I would miss my cats if I were gone that long.
We met a number of kids from Europe doing a gap year tour of OZ when we were there about 10 years ago. They appeared to be having a blast. Staying in backpackers inn’s taking the bus around the country, stopping to work until they have enough money to continue on.
I would love to do that, but old :(. We are kind of in our gap decade here in the us. Retired, camp hosting, traveling around the country. Camp hosting gives us some structure and let’s us meet lots’o’folks from around the world and get ideas on where to go next.
I’ve had two ‘gap years’ already I guess, and thinking a third might be coming my way soon.
The first gap year was after doing 2 years of uni. Burned out, wasn’t enthused about my degree and life seemed to be narrowing (engaged, looking to buy a house, etc). So I chucked it all in and went backpacking for about a year and a half. Had a ball. Best thing I could’ve done.
The second ‘gap year’ was about 9-10 months. I moved to a rural area the year before, and the commute was killing me, while the job itself was death by a thousand paper cuts. So I quit, and did a lot of home projects (we bought a rural fixer-upper, so there was plenty to do). It was good, but I did lose a bit of focus somewhere in the middle and drift along a bit.
It looks like my job will be winding up in anywhere from 6 - 18 months. There really isn’t much work in my area at all, so I may be unemployed for quite a while. Travel is out. There’s still a long list of projects to do around the place which may keep me occupied. Plus there’s some fun new things I’ve been thinking of doing but never have the time for (Might get a cow and learn how to milk. Might expand my beehives. Might learn how to spin on the spinning wheel I inherited. Might get goats. Might do lots of things!). Will keep an eye on this thread for ideas!