IATSS Forum

My name is Pandu, I am a farmer from Indonesia. I expect to learn three important values from IATSS Forum. The first is about teamwork. Teamwork means we work with other individuals we might never met before to finish a difficult job. Teamwork is about flexibility. If we are not flexible it will be hard to achieve the objectives of the team. We may dislike the other members or hate the mission of that group, but once we are included in one working unit everyone should do their best to achieve the goal. I will learn a lot about teamwork during my time in Japan with colleagues from ASEAN and Japan. The second is intercultural skill. Indonesia is formed by thousands of islands and has thousands of languages and hundreds of ethnic groups. We should understand that differences are not dangers. Because we are different we can learn various things and cover each other weaknesses. The better our intercultural skill is the better we can see the perspectives of another person. If we see with different eyeglasses we can understand the reason why a person behaves and thinks in a particular way. Intercultural skill is extremely important and I will learn more in IATSS Forum. The last is discipline and consistency. Japanese are known to be strictly discipline and consistent. A wise man says, success is only a peak in a mountain of failure. That has meaning, successful person is one who experienced a lot of failure but consistently walk towards the top. In the past western people used to think that Asian is barbarian and would not be able to create a nation with hi-tech economy. But with discipline and consistency Japan now is a country with the most advanced technology in Asia and among the best in the world.