2020 Gap Year Participant Lewis Maclean spent his year in Australia’s sunshine state, Queensland. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.
“At the start of my gap year I felt a huge sense of anticipation mixed with an awful lot of excitement . I knew it would be challenging but was open minded to the incredible opportunity I had been handed. After returning home a few weeks ago, it has given me time to reflect on something simply described as one of the best years of my life.
I have enjoyed many things about Australia, not only the weather. I’ve been able to travel to places that I never imagined would be possible and experience different cultures which is a benefit of the gap year placement and certainly a highlight for me. I have also been able to make friends for life and meet new people which was one of the daunting things going into my placement. Another highlight was the amount of sport I had the opportunity to be involved in. Being able to coach 4 major sports was both challenging, however, extremely rewarding. It helped increase my independence as well as develop confidence when meeting new people.
Although my gap year was predominately filled with highs, there were also some challenging aspects. Obviously being so far away from your friends and family is the hardest part of the experience. However, how homesick you may feel at times, it does pass and is soon forgotten about. Letz live also offer 24/7 support for any issue that arises.
Throughout my year, I was also visited by a letz live coordinator regularly who would check how my experience is going which is very comforting when so far from home. The challenges you face are mainly where you learn the most. Moving into a place knowing near to no-one pushes you out of your comfort zone, however, you’ll be surprised how familiar places and people become so quickly, as long as you give your all. I feel my gap year helped increase my independence as well as help myself develop as a person setting me up very nicely for the next chapter of my life.
Overall, my Australian adventure was filled with experiences I’ll never forget. If you find yourself going out for a gap year, give it your all as what you get back is a one in a lifetime experience.”
Image Credits:
Main photo from Tourism & Events Queensland
Photo insert: Lewis Maclean