Arviendra Wijaya

Arviendra Wijaya , Indonesia
Full-Time MBA 2020
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Academic Roles, Achievements and Activities

Board Member:
VP of Media, Sports Business Club, ESADE MBA Co2020

Community Engagement:
– Tutor in Hong-Kong Coding Mum program, Indonesian Government’s coding school for Indonesian housewife and female migrant workers abroad
– Voluntered for Bank Mandiri´s CSR Program for repairing orphanages and worship places in Indonesia

What is invisible but essential about YOU? or ESADE? or Barcelona?

Bangkok, Thailand 2013. I was visiting Wat Pho – a large complex of Buddhist temples. It was peak of the tourist season. The temperature was boiling and I was desperately in need of cold mineral water. Long story short, I randomly went into one of the shops, and suddenly an old man with a black hat, sitting at a large wooden table called me and asked whether I want to do a palm-reading for 600 Baht. I hesitated for a second, but, I nodded and then go for it (of course). Then he did a full circle of fortune-telling, from palm-reading, numerology to tarot cards.

First, he told about my past. And, all he said was true. It was truly frightening, how can he know few details of my past. And for the future part, he said that I was born in year of the Horse and based on my birth date, I have the Earth element. Combining these two factors with my numerology result, he told me that I would go to see many places around the world. Slightly confused, I told him “well Mister, thanks, but for me, it is something unimaginable, I’m only an ordinary worker, and I don’t think that I will have time to do that.” The old man only smiled and said, “you will Son, very soon.”

Five years later, I had forgotten about that meeting. I continued with my life in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. I have a love-hate relationship with this city. Jakarta is full of surprises. This city is the exact epitome of dreams and hope. On the other hand, Jakarta is not an easy city to love. The rhythm of the 8-5 grind, daily traffic, roads with holes in urban “kampungs,” the rampant presence of motor-based services, muddy laneways, and annual floods in the rainy season has became a part of my early adult life.

After years of work, at some point, I just felt that this routine has become heavy and difficult to handle. And then, my mind started to crave for a change. Perhaps, it´s time to do something new with my life. I was done. I was ready to move away and escape from that rhythm and routine for good. However, it was hard for me to even imagine that I would go somewhere else. But God works in mysterious ways. One day at work, suddenly an email popped out saying that I am eligible to take a scholarship from my company.

Among the different set of choices, I chose ESADE, and it was the right choice. Located in one of the most lovely and beautiful cities, ESADE is a melting pot of students from different parts of the world. I met friends from 51 different nationalities and also got the chance to see the world. And now, 6 years and 40 countries later, I am still amazed by that old man’s fortune-telling ability. My ESADE MBA journey clearly opened my eyes, refreshed my mind and gave me new set of knowledge. And now I am ready to face a new challenge.