Dubrovnik Trip Takeaways (2)
Managing expectations by labeling unessential objectives as a “byproduct”.
My friend commented on my Instagram Story, “Are you working or traveling? You’re so tidy!”
This comment came after I posted two pictures about the Pelješac Bridge. One image is about the pure panorama of Pelješac Bridge, and the second one is my self-photo with the bridge as the background. The latter got more DM replies than the former.
Maybe it was because I rarely post my self-portrait through IG Story or IG feed
My friend was right — I was tidy by the bare minimum of definition — wearing a black bomber jacket, blue shirt, navy blue chino, and black dress shoes, with an additional black pouch in my right hand.
Indeed, this was not a typical outfit for someone who wanted to visit Dubrovnik by crossing the Pelješac Bridge for the sake of traveling.
But I was not that kind of person, the traveler, at that time.
I stopped by the rest area close to Pelješac Bridge for a few minutes before continuing our, My Ambassador and I, business trip to Dubrovnik.
On this occasion, the business trip had three main objectives:
- Supporting the Indonesian Badminton Contingent from PB Jaya Raya on the Croatian Valamar Junior Open 2024
We hosted a dinner with all contingent and watched their tournament play to give moral support.
Fortunately, until our last day in Dubrovnik, all the players had won the matches and advanced to the quarter-finals. I hope they snatch the awards by the end of the competition, whose 25 countries have participated in.
2. Meeting with the President of the Croatian Badminton Association
On the sidelines of the tournament, my Ambassador and I had a fruitful meeting with Mr. Ratko Galjer, the President of the Croatian Badminton Association.
There, we discussed the current development of Croatian Badminton and explored the possibility of cooperation between Indonesia and Croatia in the field of Badminton sectors.
3. Meeting with the Deputy Head of the Administrative Department for Culture and Heritage, the City of Dubrovnik
This is our first meeting with the representative of the culture and heritage of the City of Dubrovnik.
We learned how the City of Dubrovnik preserves the three Dubrovnik Sites inscribed by UNESCO: Old Town of Dubrovnik (1979), Festivities of St. Blaise (2009), and Archive of the Republic of Dubrovnik Kingdom (2023).
I would say that all these objective that we set initially was achieved.
Fortunately, on the sidelines of this business trip, I had a chance to visit the Old Town of Dubrovnik, as I wrote before in my previous article.
But I needed to get up so early to ascend the City Wall before the start of my official meeting.
To witness the beautiful evening of Old Town, I needed to force myself not to succumb to laziness after a long day of meeting and coordinating with my counterpart.
But, there’s another but.
Even though I could find time on my tight agenda, enjoying some landmark sites that I’ve visited was easier said than done.
Due to time constraints, whenever I took several pictures, I needed to do it fast with burst mode, neglecting the basic photography I learned — the rule of thirds.
Due to last-minute agenda changes, whenever I selected a few pictures for my IG story post, I needed to devise the new day’s plan, so I neglected my other best images on my phone.
Due to a call from my counterpart, whenever I sat down to feel the surroundings, I needed to stand up right away, forgetting the mesmerizing ambiance.
My last business trip to Dubrovnik was a depiction, if not completely, of how I maximized my time to visit the famous landmark on the sidelines of my business trip.
This business trip was the lucky one — though it was not completely free from work.
Because there were many times that I did not have a moment even to think about the famous site of the country that I’ve visited to during a business trip.
I still remember during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, I was assigned to South Korea for a related humanitarian mission.
I departed from Jakarta around 11.55 pm. I arrived at Incheon at 08.35 am the next day. And flew back to Jakarta around 3 pm on the same day.
That was the first time I felt like I was commuting by an airplane, not a train.
To me, I’m getting used to this. As a diplomat, I’m drilled into a “manage my expectations” mindset while carrying tasks in the world of full uncertainty.
And it helps me to navigate my diplomatic journey, indeed.
But I have another tool to implement when it comes to my business trip.
I outline my business trip’s objectives before I start the journey.
Then, I label unessential objectives like visiting famous sites, learning the local language, or buying souvenirs as a “byproduct”.
What I mean by this is if I can attain that unessential objective during my spare time, I’d be lucky.
If not, it would be okay because they are unessentials.
After all, my primary objective for the business trip is to make sure the job is finished and my duty is done.
Having this kind of mindset helps me not to regret or overthink if, during my entire business trip, I only spend on the task that I am assigned.
Derian Antonio Daniswara is an Indonesian junior diplomat currently posted in Zagreb, Croatia. While most people from Indonesia call him Derian, Croatians tend to remember his name easily when he introduces himself, Antonio. He loves sports, especially football, and playing them is a second nature to him.
