"间隔年":一场探索自我的旅行

In the West, the term "gap year" usually refers to a period before college or immediately afterwards, but the current definition in China is slightly different. A lot of people didn't know about gap years during their school days or were not financially able, have chosen to make up for the missed lesson after working for a few years.
在西方，“间隔年”通常指升入大学之前或大学毕业后紧接着的一段时间，而这个词在中国的现阶段定义略有不同。大多数人在上学时并不知道“间隔年”，或者没有经济能力去付诸行动。因此他们选择在工作几年后再补上这一课。

Badao is one of those who undertook a delayed gap year. After working as a film production coordinator for three years, she traveled to New Zealand at the end of 2010 on a working holiday visa.
巴道便是这些选择迟到的“间隔年”中的一位。在做了三年的电影制片协调员之后，她于2010年年底拿到打工度假签证，前往新西兰旅行。

New Zealand has become a popular destination for Chinese gappers, because it is the only country that offers a working visa for residents of the Chinese mainland. "The scenery in New Zealand was really amazing, but the trip wasn't just about sightseeing. You have to work really hard and it can be really demanding," said the 28-year-old.
新西兰已经成为最受中国“间隔客”欢迎的国家，因为新西兰是唯一一个向中国大陆居民签发工作签证的国家。“新西兰景色迷人，但这次旅行并不仅仅是一次观光之旅。你必须非常努力工作，有时真的很吃力。”28岁的巴道这样说。

She was employed in factories that processed strawberries, apples and kiwis, working up to 14 hours a day to earn enough money to support her on her later travels. "But I found I was quite cool with it. After a year of working, travelling and thinking, I realized that our real needs are very simple. Success is not about making money and achieving a high position; but whether you can do what you want and live a healthy life."
她在一家加工草莓、苹果和奇异果的工厂里工作，为了赚够钱去支撑接下来的旅程，她每天要工作14小时。“但我发现我完全能应付自如。经过一年的工作、旅行以及思考之后，我意识到我们真正需求的非常简单。成功与赚钱和地位高低无关，而在于你是否可以做自己想做的，并选择一种健康的生活。”

"Be the change"
你可以改变

Gap years and working holidays are still relatively new concepts in China, so a lot of people tend to romanticize them before setting out.
在中国，间隔年和打工度假仍是相对新颖的理念，因此很多人在出发前容易将其理想化。

"For me, a gap year need not necessarily be a whole year; it could be just a few months or a few years. It's not a luxury trip or an escape from the real world. It's more like an expedition in which you learn about yourself," said Mao Hexin, a co-founder of Freegapper.com, China's first website to focus on gap years.
“对我而言，间隔年不一定非要是一整年时间，它可以是几个月或是几年。这不是一次奢华之旅，也不是逃避现实。它更像是一次自我发现之旅。”国内首家“间隔年”网站Freegapper.com的创建者之一，毛和新（音译）这样。

"You shouldn't expect a different world when you come back. Instead, you should 'be the change.'"
“你不应期望结束间隔年后，自己会看到一个全新的世界。相反，变化的应该是你自己。”