Year 2013- 2014 We were expanding in S Korea for our game development business, this was probably my 2nd visit to Korea.
I was looking for product companies to collaborate and expand our strength in S Korea, in my first visit I started loving the culture and food along with the technology culture.
The country is run by several tech org, Samsung, LG, Hyundai, POSCO, Hyundai Mobis, Kia Motors, SK Holdings, Lotto World, several others .
My passion towards electronics drove me towards various tech giants there.
My nomadic mentality, always attracted me towards something NEW and innovative, as a Bengali, as you know everything starts from food, hence I started exploring local food joints in the first visit, I thought there is nothing new to explore.
Hence in my 2nd visit, first two days was heavy breakfast with Korean seafood and then small bites in local food joints, while visiting few companies, I felt for an interpreter. As I wanted to expand in this part of the world with partnership model and white level development company.
First day I got a young energetic lady – Susan, while interpreting she got to know that I visited few parts of Korea.
She said did you ever tried local style? I said NO!
Well, she asked me to keep myself free for a day, she wanted to show me her country in her own style, wow, that's something amazing.
We started in the early morning, as she was a student, she had to take a break from her university, we started from a central place- walked towards downtown started the day with Korean Tea and snacks.
She took me to a nearby village where I was introduced to handicrafts, from various parts of the world people came to learn their arts..
I was thinking why can't we do the same in India ? We've artists who don't even get money to sustain and here in this part of the world, artists are earning great.
I started interacting and she started teaching me Korean language, their culture and history, we walked towards few historical places, and started learning how the country works.
In friendship, I don't care about gender, but for sure here in our place if a man become close friend to a woman, others started talking about them!! Funny !!!
We became really good friends and she trained me how to eat in Korean style (using metal chop-stick) try it someday, it's not that easy to eat with metal chop-sticks.
At the end of the day, she became like my MOM, and started suggesting several things to do, we never had a business relationship, we never did any professional till date.
But I learned HOW to become friends, I learned how to come forward and without thinking taking care of an unknown person, she could've escaped me, but she wanted to break my myth about "I saw Korea".
Life is not always about give and take, when you learn how to give without any strings attached, only then you can grow.
That life learning helped me later on to communicate and expand more in Korean culture.
I'll share more on Korean culture and few more great friends and investors who can take bullets for me and I am like the same.
I don't care about who took birth where – I care about whose heart is open to accept the "NEW".
Again "English" is just a language, to connect you need to see in eyes.
In today's world if someone can talk straight looking at your eyes, smile without thinking and shake hand or HUG without worry, I feel he/she is the happiest person.
And happiness is a choice so if "I am always with a woman", statement gives you fun, then that's really awesome. At least you are having a fun time thinking about it.
For me, it's about a human-to-human relationship, Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.
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