I am honored to be selected as one of #ETHOS2016 participants. With 30 participants from 6 countries, we’re going to learn about startups in Korea starting today to 2 weeks ahead.
ETHOS is a World Bank Group initiative funded by the Korea-World Bank Group Partnership Facility (KWPF) and implemented by SUNY Korea in collaboration with National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA).
ETHOS aims to enhance the development of ICT entrepreneurship in developing countries through transfer of technology, develop entrepreneurship skills, and strengthen capacity building to the participants from the developing countries.
The night before I traveled to Korea, I already started to catch a cold. The night I was on the plane, I got awful throatsore. And the day I arrived at Incheon on Sunday morning, it was -2 degree with 27 km/hour wind that made it feels like -10. Last night I couldn’t sleep due to high fever and my room couldn’t get any warmer than 18 degree.
My new Mongolian friend Altantur, saw me shivering on the corner while waiting for medicine from my Indonesian friend Abraham (because my 2-pack meds supply was out of stock in only 2 days). He asked me wether I’m OK and I told him my condition.
He said, “If I may give you advise: don’t shiver. Because shivering would make your hands and feet get even colder sensation. You need to take a deep breath and feel the temperature thru your body, and eventually you’ll get used to the weather.”
That, my friends, was an advise from the man who lives in a country with extreme weather that could be as low as -40 degree on winter and as high as +40 degree on summer. His other Mongolian friend even said it feels like summer now in Korea :))
I learnt once again the importance of acceptance. Coz when we shiver, we actually deny the given condition and it doesn’t get any better. It’s so true that if we can’t change the situation, we can always change our response.
Of course I took the advise and implement it immediately. And yes, the weather is not getting any warmer but I myself feel much better.
Incheon, 18 January 2016
Nuniek Tirta Ardianto
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