I took a gap year after JC in 2018 for a variety of reasons. Firstly, I had the luxury of being exempted from the Army because of my hearing loss, and secondly, I wasn’t really in a rush to go to university. I decided that a gap year would be a perfect time for me to gain more experience and know more about myself and what I like to do or find out what I’m good at.

After considering various options, such as internships or working on a missions boat in South America, I decided that I’d sign up for a 6 months course with a Christian organisation called Youth With a Mission. I’d do 3 months of training on a base in Perth and the subsequent 3 months in Africa doing humanitarian work and outreach through sports. That course would start in July, so I spent the first 6 months grinding to save up money.

I was a teaching intern, then a bursary processor at Nanyang Poly, a BBQ chef at parties (tons of fun and free food) and a tuition teacher. At one point I held 3 concurrent jobs although it was only an overlap for a week :P It was really tiring but I learnt a lot about budgeting and watching my expenses with a view of a much bigger project down the line.

Advice for people considering a gap year

I always say that there were 2 big reasons why I took a gap year.

The first is very practical: It looks good on your CV when you make use of it
It doesn’t have to be something that you were super passionate about. As long as you can state clearly how you’ve grown in your gap year, you’ve achieved infinitely more than a year of uni could teach you.

The second is more personal: Personal discovery
I went into my gap year hoping to grow as a person so that I would be in better stead going into uni. I wasn’t a mugger for sure, so taking a gap year was a nice breather from the hustle of studying all the time. I’m someone who loves being busy, so I had no issues packing my schedule with things.

It’s interesting to note that in countries like Denmark and Germany, a gap year does not raise an eyebrow among them. In fact, it’s oftentimes encouraged. Ultimately, I believe that a gap year allows you to learn more about yourself, and the experiences you have to make you a far better global citizen than if you just continue the orthodox route of jumping from school to uni. You don’t have to leave the country to have a productive gap year, but I encourage you to use the time to really learn what you like, are good at or even what you wanna do in the future. It’ll be a great experience and you’ll always have unforgettable memories of it.

My Mission Work Experience:

My course was a ton of fun. It was a sports-focused school so all the students were youngsters and sportspeople from all parts of the globe. My stint overseas gave me unique insights into myself and the world that few other experiences would give me. It taught me independence, the first time I was living overseas without my family. It taught me cross-cultural interactions, where my team hailed from 7 countries and 3 continents. Some of my team members remain some of the best friends I’ve ever had. It taught me how privileged I am in Singapore. I got to play football with village children in Malawi, speak in front of hundreds of people in South Africa and run children’s programs in Angola. At the same time, I learnt about planning programs, teamwork and learning to make changes in my stride. I had unique experiences that I’d never get elsewhere, like building a toilet in the middle of a field, plucking guavas from trees and introducing bubble tea to my Caucasian friends. I had so much fun and at the same time, I emerged a far more mature person and more aware of the world. I took away not just personal growth but a better perspective of the world and some amazing friendships (some of whom I got to visit when I went to Europe for exchange)

Right now, I’m in my 3rd year at SMU doing law and that came about after thinking about what I was gonna do with my life after my gap year. I was really tempted to dive right into humanitarian missions full-time. I also wanted to be a history teacher. But as I reflected on the things that I did over the past year, while under a guava tree in Angola, (not really relevant, I just like mentioning it HAHA), I felt a prompting to put law school in my uni applications and left it to God. As doors closed and opened, I ended up in SMU law and am thoroughly enjoying my time in school!

After my mission work, before uni started, I was a relief teacher at River Valley for a term, taking 5 classes as my own in History and Social studies and during the circuit breaker I was a food panda! Being a teacher allowed me to live out a personal dream of mine and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Working for Foodpanda gave me an excuse to be out during CB and gave me the experience of being an essential worker during the pandemic. All in all, I’d say my gap year was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.