Nik Janus will be heading to China this year to volunteer in teaching. We were delighted to support this local chap with a Footprinter Grant. Good luck Nik!
Nik Janus with some early thoughts on his year in China
So, its the day of my finding out that I am being sponsored for £800. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders as it makes my job of fundraising a lot easier than it was. There is a plethora of emotions swirling about in my head as I am both currently excited about my gap year as well as very anxious about it.
The main reasons for why I am anxious about this gap year are because of the amount of time I will be spending away from my family and friends. I know I will be able to use apps such as WhatsApp and Skype to keep in touch, but itll still be very difficult due to the time difference. My younger sister is only 8 years old and I feel like missing an entire year of her growing up means that Ill hardly be able to recognise her once I get back. I have also been away from home for much shorter periods (a couple of weeks) whilst on holiday and even that felt extremely long without being able to spend some time with her.
Another reason for my anxiety is because I have a lot of family abroad who I only see once a year during the summer but I k now that during this gap year I will not get to see them which makes me also feel a little sad. However, I know that this experience will be worth it. I will be able to impact a lot of people. And I’ll also get to explore such a fascinating country as China.
Meeting my Project Trust partner
I am doing this gap year through Project Trust. I have still to meet the person with who I am going to be partnered up throughout this adventure. Im very hopeful that we will be able to quickly find some common ground. That would ensure that we both get along which is important as we will be sharing a room for a whole year.
And after China…
I hope that throughout this year I will be able to prepare myself for university. I’ll be moving away from home to go study at Aberdeen (I live in a small village 40 minutes from Edinburgh). Perhaps living in a student dormitory will help me see what it will be like to stay in student halls but also what it may be like to have a roommate. I want to come back from this gap year being a lot more independent as well as more mature. Currently, I still feel like a child at times and not an adult. I also hope that after I come back, I will be happily remembered at the school that I will be teaching at.
