You are crazy for taking a Gap Year!

Around this time two years ago I had suddenly this idea in my head and nobody could get it out again. My friends laughed at me saying it was a total waste of time; my parents looked at me as if I was a bit of a weirdo, but they accepted it in the end. I wanted to take a Gap Year and there was nothing that could change that.

Deciding to take a year off between school and university (or whenever you want to do it) is a big step and involves a hell of a lot of power of persuasion, organisation skills, time and money. So, after I graduated, I did not throw myself into the university-application-madness, but rather into a 'ah hell, what should I do now?'-one.

In this post I'm going to talk about my experience so far, what my next steps are and what I have learned and next week I'll upload one with tips, an organisational guide and information that you might find useful when planning your own gap year. 

THE LAST FEW MONTHS
 As you may (or may not) know, I have spend my last few months in London. Improving my English was obviously a priority for me and the main reason why I wanted to do this year and London is the perfect place to do so. I also worked part-time and did an internship at a model agency, which you can read about here. It has been such a life-changing experience since I had to live on my own for the first time in a city I have never been before. I definitely have grown as a person and that makes the last months totally worth it!

MY NEXT STEPS
I haven't talked about it yet in a post, but when you read this I will be sitting in a plane heading to Cape Town. I found an amazing NGO called Dreams To Reality and I will be volunteering with them the next 10 weeks in South Africa! I'm beyond excited, I have never done something like that and I have definitely not been that far from home ever before. There will be many other volunteers there and we will be living in student accommodations, which means that everything will be very organised and controlled. 
I have always wanted to do social work during my gap year, simply because I want to not only feel I'm making an improvement through my work (as little as it may be) but also get out of my comfort zone and learn more about myself. 
After coming back from South Africa, I still have three months left of my year, so I will be going to Lyon to improve my french. I haven't thought it through completely yet, but I'll hopefully have it kind-of organised soon!

If any of you have been in Cape Town and in Lyon and have some tips and things I should do and see there, pleeeease share them with me in the comments!!!! 

What are your thoughts on gap years? Have you done one? Would you like to do one? 

xx
M.