This article was written by Estefanía, Project Manager at 24Slides Peru, as part of 24Slides’ #StorytellerProgram.
Despite being 16,000 kilometers apart, our Indonesian and Peruvian offices have much more in common than one might think. While the Indonesian office has existed for roughly ten years, the Peruvian office, where I work, celebrated its fifth anniversary a few months ago.
Over the years, we have experienced slow but steady growth in our little office in Peru, where the Indonesian branch has always been a guiding light. During a memorable trip, I discovered some similarities that allow us to work at a smooth and understandable pace.
Today, I want to share with you more about this long trip to our beloved Indonesian office in Malang…
The beginning of this memorable trip
Back in 2020, while the 24Slides Peruvian office was still in its early months of operation, a group of employees, including myself, had the privilege of making a training trip to our main design office in Malang, Indonesia.
On February 26th, we left Peru, and after more than 30 hours of travel and two layovers in Amsterdam and Singapur, we arrived at our destination. Our lovely Indonesian team picked us up, and after trying to overcome the jet lag, we started our immersion in the country.
Just to give you a little context: Malang is a medium-sized city with roughly 900,000 inhabitants, while the Peruvian office is located in Lima, with a population of 10 million people (the fifth largest city in Latin America). Both cities have very different locations and ways of living and working, but we were about to discover many interesting facts about our peers.
Finally face-to-face!
On our first day at the Indonesian office, I noticed something really interesting: almost everybody arrived at the office by motorcycle–pure adrenaline!
That day, we finally met the people we had mostly known through Slack. Of course, we also looked around the big office based in Malang. I always recall that there was a slide from the second to the first floor, which was super fun!
We had the chance to observe how senior colleagues from each department managed their teams and delegated tasks. The Indonesian office, which is significantly bigger than ours, handles a larger customer base, and they decided to implement more work shifts at that moment.
It was really cool for me to share experiences and discuss ways to solve problems at work. That’s how we gained insights into how to efficiently disseminate information between shifts, a practice we later implemented in Peru. Additionally, we actively participated in their meetings, observing how they managed our customers. A really great experience!
Having face-to-face conversations and meeting our colleagues from each department was incredibly rewarding. In our first week, we tried to meet everybody at the office. By then, our Indonesian peers were over 100 people; now they’re more than 200 and counting!
Enjoying 24Slides’ Benefits in Malang
The company provides each 24Slider a lunch bonus, which we can use freely. And, absolutely, we have quite different food habits in both countries.
As a personal experience, I remember preparing my breakfast and putting salt on my avocado, and some people were shocked when they saw it. Then I learned that, in Indonesia, avocado is eaten with sugar in coffees or juices. It was also a surprise for me, but I took a chance and tried the avocado coffee–yummy!
Another perk that I really took advantage of during this trip was the flexibility regarding work schedules. 24Slides has offered remote working since the beginning of the Peruvian office. Initially, it was only for some positions, but now we follow a hybrid work system.
When we were in Malang, we still followed this remote schedule. That way, we could work at local diners and manage our time to visit the city. Despite the heat, we walked a lot around Malang; there were many interesting things to see!
The 3rd Family Gathering Party in Indonesia
On February 29th, the Malang office organized a big party: the third edition of our Family Gathering. This event was held in a big ballroom at a city hotel.
For this party, 24Slides’ employees were invited along with their families, creating a very cozy environment. Embracing the event’s bohemian theme, we dressed up and, alongside our Danish colleagues, became the star guests.
This gathering had awards such as “Designer of the Year” or “Project Manager of the Year,” as well as many other categories. I emphasize that the company always tries to recognize the hard work we do in both offices. This appreciation is shown with awards, food coupons, or even big prizes like short trips.
The party included theater pieces, music performances, many awards, and, of course, lots of delicious Indonesian food. We even won awards that day! This kind of event definitely captures the spirit of 24Slides.
A quick glance into Indonesian Culture
Luckily for us, we could stay in the country for a few additional weeks, so as soon as the weekend arrived, we organized trips to visit the closest tourist attractions.
During this trip, we had the opportunity to visit Yogyakarta and explore various religious monuments. We learned that Yogyakarta is the only royal city in Indonesia still ruled by a monarchy and is recognized as a significant center for classical Javanese fine arts and culture.
Visiting the royal palace was a must; it was a unique place to see!
The following weekend, we visited the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. Teaming up with colleagues from the Indonesian branch, we embarked on this adventurous mini-trip. I was surprised to learn that Indonesia, like Peru, has many jungle and mountain regions.
There, we climbed a small mountain to find the perfect spot for a breathtaking sunrise. Afterwards, we explored more of the park and even saw the Bromo volcano crater, which we reached by climbing some stairs–crazy!
For us, living in a country and continent mainly Catholic, this travel was a great opportunity to see, learn, and understand the different religious beliefs that exist in the world.
After a couple of lovely weeks, we had to leave the country sooner than expected due to the Covid pandemic. Without a doubt, it was worth traveling so far from home and experiencing this once-in-a-lifetime journey.
24Slides provides these opportunities for us and many of the veteran 24Sliders. I truly hope the company continues promoting these trips to help us better understand each other’s realities, foster empathy, and ultimately, bring the world closer together, one slide at a time!
See you on my next adventure!
