Cultural Differences - English

 When I started my internship in Bali, there were many things that stood out to me, things I really had to get used to. So, I made a short list of things that I’ve noticed during my internship here.

1: "On time" is a broad concept. When a meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m., it could easily start at 3 p.m. However, this often applies only to internal meetings. When there are external attendees, everything is very punctual, and we often need to arrive early.

2: Doing a lot with your colleagues is very normal. When someone has a birthday, it’s common for all colleagues to go out after work, doing activities like eating out or bowling. I recently did this myself, and I've also attended a karaoke night. In Indonesia, work is seen as just as important as the social contacts that come with it. So, your colleagues are not just coworkers; they’re real friends.

3: Eating lunch together. Lunch is the most important meal of the day in Indonesia and is truly regarded as something significant. Whereas in the Netherlands, we might spread out our hour-long break, here it’s taken all at once for lunch. Often, people cook for the whole office or their entire department. This is the time to take a moment for each other.

4: Working at the office. In Indonesia, people often don’t have the option to work from home. However, there are many work cafés designed for remote work. Still, most people choose to come to the office and meet with their colleagues. Wrapping up the day together with a sense of fulfillment is a nice feeling to share.

5: A large team presence. In general, work here is slightly overstaffed because the idea is that everyone can offer a unique perspective and complement each other. The workload is somewhat lighter, but the work is viewed by more people.

Tip: Don’t stress out. As mentioned in point 5, colleagues are very supportive of each other. If there’s something you don’t understand related to your internship, don’t hesitate to ask. They’re genuinely happy to help. At first, I struggled with this, but as I spent more time with my colleagues during lunch and outside of work, I really started to feel like part of the family! 👪

Here all the colleges got a birthday cake for one of the colleges who had her birthday!