January 2018

Water sommeliers

Wetskills-South Korea 2018 - It is the third day in Korea and our second field trip. This was a perfect opportunity to continue our team-building and know each other better before the actual work starts. “K-water” - one of the Wetskills partners and case owner organized a visit to the headquarter, which is located in Daejen. From Seoul, it took more than 2 hours to get there. Because of traffic, we arrived later than it was planned and went directly to a small and cozy traditional restaurant. The lunch was impressive. There were “pancakes” from vegetables, smoked duck and an absolute favorite dish of the day – Maesaengi soup.     After lunch, we got a very warm welcome from the “K-water” employees.  Above all, the “K-water” director came to meet our delegation to shake hands. Further as a part of our excursion, we visited a start-up hub, where people can work on...

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Shall we begin?

Wetskills-South Korea 2018 - Finally, we gathered here, in Hongik University! It was a bit hard to get up early in the morning as I am not used to that, but at the same time I was really excited to meet new people from The Netherlands. As people arrived, we shared some shy smiles to each other.     After having lunch, we went on a field trip. The first place we headed was Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Plant. At low tide, the water of lake moves into the sea. And the gate is closed when the sea water goes up. After enough tidal difference is made, the gate is opened and energy is created by turbine. We went up to moon tower to see it from high altitude. And there was glass floor on which we were really excited.   After this we also went to Gyungin-Ara water way. The name is from...

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Arrival in Korea for Wetskills!

Wetskills-South Korea 2018 - Before Wetskills South Korea really began, every Dutch participant had a long flight. South Korea is 8 hours ahead of the Netherlands and a direct flight takes anywhere between 10 and 12 hours. On Sunday at 18.00 we had to gather in the lobby of the University of Hongik in Seoul. Some participants arrived a day or even a week earlier to sleep off their jet-lag and to see the sights. I decided to fly on Saturday night, so I arrived on Sunday afternoon.     It was a long night flight. By the end of the flight, I could enjoy the beautiful landscape of China, near Beijing, from above. After crossing the Yellow Sea, the plane landed in Incheon international airport. The airport was brand new, very large and very shiny. It already demonstrated how modern South Korea is nowadays.   After a smooth walk to the luggage-belts I met...

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Why did I apply for Wetskills-South Korea?

Wetskills-South Korea 2018 – Before, I didn’t have many chances to use the things I learned in university for I am still a bachelor student and our faculty’s study field is too broad. After 4 years of studying and studying, I was sick of just studying in a room and only reading books! Then I got to know Wetskills program which looks interesting. I thought it would be the best chance for me to use all I have learned before my graduation and decided to join this program. There are few more reasons that helped me to make  up my mind. I was fascinated by the schedule of going to PyeongChang for our final. It will be the first time for me to visit an Olympic city! And most of all, I feel really close to Dutch people and Netherlands for I lived in Netherlands as an exchange student which...

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‘Passion. Connected.’

Wetskills-South Korea 2018 - Well, here I am. Sitting in a coffee bar in Seoul. Allright, I’ll admit it’s a Starbucks – I prefer to let the culture sink in step by step. Sitting at the big front window, I capture quite some confused looks from people walking by. Looking outside I gaze at the city life of South-Korea on an early Sunday afternoon. Apart from locals walking by, my view includes lots of orange taxi’s, green busses and tall grey building blocks – one of them has a huge billboard for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games on it’s facade. Accompanied by cute cartoon mascots of a snowtiger and a brown bear, the slogan for the Olympics says ‘Passion. Connected.’ How applicable for Wetskills that is.   For those who are wondering: my name is Floor van der Heijden, Programme Officer at the Wetskills Foundation and proud supervisor for Wetskills-South Korea...

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