Wetskills South Korea 2022
Robin Ross, University of Twente
The day started with breakfast. This in itself is not too different from usual, but Mathurin (my roommate) and I decided to try something new. We ended up in the local convenience store to have KimBap (a tuna, rice, and seaweed roll). After struggling to open the packaging, we were both pleasantly surprised by how nice the KimBaps were.
After this morning’s daily briefing, the teams got to work on their challenges. My team and I are working on a case about fighting climate change on Korean islands. For us, the day started with a stand-up meeting to brainstorm our plan of action for the day and the case. After about two hours of brainstorming, we sat down for a workshop about the CANVAS business model. This visual tool can help us to organise our thoughts and turn our ideas into actionable solutions.
Having consumed enough food for thought, it was time to feed the rest of our bodies. Luckily, Sejong University is well-known for its high-quality, yet low-priced, cafeteria. Excited by this prospect, we crossed the car park to the cafeteria. The rumours are most certainly true, the food was delicious! My team can’t wait to go back tomorrow and try more dishes.
Stomachs full, it was time to get back to work! The afternoon was dedicated to meeting the case owners. One of the other teams left for an in-person meeting, whilst we moved upstairs for a conference call with our case owner in The Netherlands. We had a really insightful conversation and were able to ask our questions, exchange ideas, and streamline our plans. Our working day ended with submitting our plan of action and attending the evening briefing.
Work out of the way, we hit the town! One of the local participants took some of us to Hongdae for sightseeing, Korean BBQ, and shopping. Hongdae is a really vibrant part of Seoul, so there was plenty for us to see and hear. After another lovely meal (there seems to be no end to the gorgeous food), we travelled back to Sejong University. It was time for some much-needed rest after a fantastic, but long, day! I’m sure that all of us will have sweet dreams about these past few days and all the fun that is yet to come.
