My Recess Week trip to Jakarta!
Exactly a week ago, I found myself in Jakarta, Indonesia, immersing myself in the vibrant culture and dynamic industry landscape as part of the CFG2002ID: Global Industry Insights Indonesia program! While preparing for midterms (I have 3: CS2106, CS2107 and CS3223), I thought I would reminisce about the exciting experiences and invaluable insights gained during my time there.
A short summary of our itinerary there: Flew over on Sunday morning.
- Sunday: Kite Making Museum
- Monday: Visited Sinar Mas Group
- Tuesday: BINUS University visit + Kerry Group Plant Tour
- Wednesday: Block 71 Jakarta, GoTo Group visits
- Thursday: Imedco Djaja, Bank Jago visits
- Friday: Astra Honda Motor (Motorbike) Plant tour, and Networking Event
- Saturday: Group Assignment Presentation & Flight back!
On the first day, our morning flight was delayed! We headed over to Jewel’s Starbucks and I did some work there. Was my first time trying their nitro caramel macchiato coffee! Flight was supposed to be at 9.50am, but got delayed till around 11.50am. After arriving, we headed to the kite making museum to make a simple kite. (Part of the cultural activity there)!
The second day, we spent the whole day at Sinar Mas Group’s office, and they gracefully hosted us and planned out a whole day’s worth of events. Particularly, their sharing on the S-Quantum Engine (Team in charge of consolidating their innovation process within the huge conglomerate) was super engaging and interesting.
After our visit, we were given time to work on our assignments, and being independent university students, time to explore Jakarta! This was the first day, and I had a great time with my new friend exploring the National Monument Monas. We couldn’t go in though, as it was too late, past visiting hours. We also visited Katedral Jakarta, Istiqlal Mosque, and Ragusa Es Italia, a famous local old-school ice cream shop (their Ice Cream was okay). Lastly, I tried to head over to Jakarta Aquarium, but it was closed (last entry was at 7pm).
Second day: We headed to BINUS University, ate Indonesian snacks (kuih tempah), and tried our hand at making Ketupat. After that, we took a lengthy bus ride to Kerry group, (taste & nutrition innovation) and saw how they made their cheese sauce powders, among other F&B products! We had to gown up and adhere to the strict hygiene standards and protocols. We ended back at our Hotel (Hotel Mercure Cikini) pretty late, so we headed our to have some local fare (Ampera 2 Tak Restaurant), and I did some grocery shopping at the nearby “Jakarta Fruit Market” supermarket. Ended the night catching up on some recess week coursework.
The next day, we headed to Block 71 Jakarta, which is a tech-focused startup incubator. After, we headed to GoTo Group (Gojek and Tokopedia). Seeing firsthand how their successful products constantly engaged their customers was enlightening. Gojek had their various subdivisions like GoTo Financial and GoPay, and integrated themselves into their customers’ lives seamlessly. That day, taking the chance that we had a little more time in the evening, I scooted off to Jakarta Aquarium again to catch them before their closing time! When I was heading back, I even had my first GoRide 🏍 (motorbike) through Jakarta’s famous bustling traffic! I was holding on to the seat for my dear life given my inexperience…
On Thursday, we headed to Imedco Djaja (a pharmaceutical company), and after, Bank Jago (a digital bank). It was refreshing to witness Bank Jago’s organizational model, which embraced a bottom-up approach allowing teams the autonomy to innovate and deliver end-to-end product features. They heavily focused on cultivating a startup mentality!
On our second last day, we visited Astra Honda Motor, and had a final networking event. It was unfortunate we couldn’t take pictures at the motorcycle plant, it was really cool to see the manufacturing line from one end starting from the engine got pieced together into their finally “Scoopy” motorbike, that they were going through QA, within a matter of minutes. Oh, the power of industrialization, specialization and assembly lines. Additionally, we met really cool people at the networking event, and I gained insights into working in Jakarta, and perhaps more general wisdom I’ll definitely find useful in my career. After, I spent some time in the Grand Indonesia Mall, and went to Kinokuniya, and bought myself a travel guide to Canada… huehuehue.
On our last day (Saturday), we had an internal presentation on our assigned companies, and the videos we created as part of the assignment. Arrived at the airport, had great chats on the plane back with some of the other guys I didn’t really have a chance to talk to throughout the trip. The fact that the trip had students of different majors, and different years of seniority was really cool.
Overall, from engaging discussions with industry experts to exploring the bustling streets of Jakarta, every moment was filled with learning and discovery. The opportunity to connect with fellow students from diverse backgrounds, meet seasoned entrepreneurs and industry leaders, and learn from prominent companies in Jakarta really opened my eyes to new perspectives and ideas, enriching my understanding of the business world. The companies we got to visit and tour really inspired me through their innovative approaches. I learnt about crafting unique selling propositions, market segmentation strategies, and witnessed the keys to their success.
I am immensely grateful to the trip coordinators, Malcom, Carine and Mabel from NUS CFG who made the trip to Jakarta possible. Furthermore, I am also truly thankful for the seasoned professionals and industry experts who took the time to talk to us. Shoutout to my group mates Mervyn, Swareena, Kai Xuan and the students I had the pleasure of meeting on this enriching journey!
Until next time!