Monday, May 14, 2012

04.30 - 05.06 - Cleveland, Milwaukee

It is not a good idea to write your post one week later, i feel like in the kinder-garden when I went home and was not able to answer my mother's question what the lunch was. But anyway.
I try to do my best.

I remember that when we came back from the French Canadian trip we were exhausted, it was on April 30. After arriving we went to an etiquette dining at QU. My main driver was the free food, it was written that we have to dress up so I was waiting for a 3-4 courses dinner. When I realized that it is a buffet dinner i was a little bit disappointed, but hey Bence, it is still free food!!!! Girls were dressed not up but down, i felt like in butcher shop:) So I had a good time. I didn't pay attention and demonstrated how not to eat at a fancy dinner, it was fun, girls laughed with me.
Then I went to my teammate's place to finish our transportation paper (you know put the two parts together and make final touches and done). Of course, it was never happened. The situation was much more serious. We spent a whole night studying. Around 4 in the morning suddenly i became ill, i felt really bad myself, my heart was not on the top, so i decided to sleep couple hours and tried not to die. It was nothing serious, I just got over exhaustion:D So anyway I wake up in the morning and continue to work on the paper. She worked a lot on my part to get in shape. She didn't sleep at all.
I went home, had couple other papers that i had to work on. Tuesday night we also met and tried to finish the transportation paper again. That time was horrible not for me, but for her. She got mad at me, how i handle the work, how i prioritize, how i cite, how i make references, how i didn't care about that paper, how selfish i was because i went to Montreal and Quebec instead of working on this paper. But the truth is: I spent a lot of time on that paper, even in Montreal and Quebec i worked at nights and dawns. I never compromise, I prioritize! I have time for everything I want to. That is the bottom line. So I did my best spent enough time and work on that paper. It was worth exactly that much time and energy. This topic now is closed.

On Wednesday night we presented our transportation paper, it could be better, but again, we got 9/10 and I would have had to put much more energy into that presentation to be more prepared. Well enough. Then the whole class went out to the Whitney Bar and Grill, we had free food (our professor paid), good people, nice conversations, and good time.
On Thursday I handled my last paper in Managing Marketing Channels. No more supply chain classes.
On Friday we went to our second biggest American trip. Everybody told us we are crazy because of going to such a trip exactly before the final week. (Only Xiao Xiao was as motivated as we were, she studied in advance, during the trip in the car, at nights and in the mornings)
I had to run to the campus to put our finance final group paper's hard copy into the professor's mailbox. As I arrived, we left Whitney Village with Xiao and Andras. And now it is getting harder:) i have to reconstruct our four days.

Here is our itinerary:
http://g.co/maps/xbqdj

And the pictures:
Wohoo! Cleveland at the Hungarian Heritage Museum! In Cleveland there is the biggest Hungarian community in the States. I was told that the number is around 100.000, which is not bad at all. There is a whole Hungarian neighborhood, it is called Buckeye (Bakáj!:D) That certain neighborhood was unbelievable. 
That is how we represent our history and country. It was very tasteful how they set up the display. 
We were very proud of that place. I had a deep, calm, pleasant feeling at that place. Maybe it was the closest Hungarian point since I am here. 
 Beautiful handcrafted shepherd with folklore motives. 
This museum has a good size in a huge mall. 
Tadamm! We arrived at the Balaton Restaurant in Cleveland, in the heart of the Buckeye neighborhood.  
 Since 1964, real Hungarian home-made style food! 
OMG, look at this beautiful bean soup with smoked knuckle...hmmm
Isteni volt a csülkös bableves, igazi magyar kenyérrel! 
 And look at the cucumber salad, just like at home!!!! Little things can make Bence happy:)
Food is certainly among those tiny things. 
No comment! кулинарно изкуство! 
 The Balaton Team! I loved the time we spent there and the people who we met with. I wanna go back!
OK. That was a funny story. Because of the length of our trip and the limited time we had, we decided to drive all the way to Milwaukee. It is a pleasant 15 hours driving. As far we spent more time in Cleveland than we planned, we arrived at 4am to Milwaukee. Holy sh*t! We found the motel, tried to check in and were told that we came too late and our room is sold. "We have full house, sorry." "WTF???" "Your arrived after 2am, so we sold your room, that is the policy." "Did you charge my card?" "Not yet." Holy sh*t. No money, no room. Alright, i asked the receptionist how much the coach is to sleep on? We crashed!!!
So at 4.30am we tried to find a place where we could sleep. Just the second hotel had free room, Andris bargained a price to half of the original one and finally we checked into our nice hotel room (see above). That is the story of the first night after driving 1100 miles.
Saturday morning at the hall.

The hotel where we slept 
 The first big attraction was the Harley Davidson museum in Milwaukee.
At the founder's monument 
Since 1903, see the first motorcycle they built in a tiny garage, see the white line behind me that shows the original size of their workshop, it was 30 square feet (10 square meters)

The official Hungarian Harley-Davidson importer's original brochure (of course, written in Hungarian) - we are everywhere!:D

 From the beginning to the end

 Highly customized Harley I.

Highly customized Harley II.

Harley Dragster

 Couple hundred Harleys (just a section of the museum)

Playboy Harley

Tough

$450

We have met with Julcsi (MCC grad) and Dani in Milwaukee. We had a great time there, spent much more time than we planned so finally had to skip Chicago (we can fly back, no problem, and it is cheap). They showed us the city around, checked out a microbrewery, the stadium, the art museum (this pic is taken there), the beach, and much more. This museum is famous about its bird shape and its wings that opens 3 times a day, in the morning, at noon, and at night. We were so lucky, because the wings were opening:D
Here is the video: 
Gorgeous and pretty impressive
In the museum with Julcsi (we must go back!!!) - the American Idol was organized here, J.Lo sat exactly where we stood, they tried to advertise Milwaukee with the Lake Michigan in the background, beautiful, beautiful!
 I dont want to talk about the microbrewery, because it became my little, secret dream. I have to have one! I'm lovin it! Thank you Julcsi and Dani!!

Little Bence studies at a 1957's American high school room: Today's Civil Defense Drill. How to survive when the Red Eastern Block attacks you:) We were at the Henry Ford Museum by the way, i took about 200 pix there and 150 at the Harly Museum, but I dont have the space to talk about here.
Henry Ford Museum was a fantastic museum! I learnt so much about the American History and Culture. 

Wow, Apple computer in a typical teenager's room back from the 80's 

I didn't have my room that digital in my childhood. 
Ford T-model 
The world's biggest rack-cleaner locomotive from Canada

The world's biggest steam locomotive 
President Kennedy's car (yes, that one) 
At Lany's Diner (the diner as a category is derived from the dining wagon)
Minestrone Soup and some kind of cracker (it looks disgusting but tasted really good) 
Detroit, GM headquarter

Real Detroit, a little piece of a huge ghost town 

In the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, near Cleveland

 On the National Park:)
Bence was speeding like hell, 96 mph:) on the way back home.

The sunset during my speeding, i took this photo, while Andris held the steering wheel. R we crazy? 
I think so:D 
Consolidated picture at the Niagara Falls (it was still beautiful at the second time as well)

A funny video for closing this spot. Bence is chasing a goose:)



Thursday, May 3, 2012

04.22 - 04.29 - French Canada

This week is going to be crazy. I mean really crazy!
I thought that last week would have been tough, but i miscalculated.
I got 99% on my second mid term in finance, i was quite happy with this result. On Monday we held our presentation one week in advance of the deadline, because one of our team member had to go to Miami to get a job done there. Not bad, not bad! Oh, actually, we presented two times on one class. Our group, the Midevil Money did a good job.
Tuesday was easy, Wednesday was just the same, nothing special. I went to work on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Nono, actually I went on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. And of course i studied for transportation management. I tried to study in advance, but you know me, if I am not under a certain time pressure, I postpone it:D Thursday late night, we published our new website: www.mathiashostel.com

On Friday we went out for a CEENET cocktail event with the Hungarian MBA students who were on a business trip. We had a good time there:) I got free drink (on this picture i paid for it) and free food as well, hmm... i always realize that i like free things:D
On Saturday morning we packed up our stuff and headed towards French Canada!!
Here are what happened to us during the three days. And some numbers: 1200 miles in 36 hours, 4 states, 2 countries, 5 forts, 1 snail meal:D:D and much more.
Impressive

 First "picnik" at the bridge that was blown away:D (It was around 8 Celsius - 46 Fahrenheit)
The bridge

No Comment - FREEmaniac

Quebec City #1

@Quebec Citadel

A little remainder for my favorite class (transportation management)

Quebec City #2

Quebec City #3

We spent a nice french dinner. I ate this..

GARLIC SNAILS!!!! wohooo:D First time in my life. I was a little bit scared of it, but after the first bite, it catches me. I fell in love with snails. I want to have a snail farm in Hungary and export snail to France. 

Macro pix of snail

and i chose French Onion Soup. It was not worth $8. My father makes much better.

First night with transportation management (it was followed by a dawn shift another night shift and a dawn shift during the trip)  
When something is high (especially it is a sculpture) I must climb on it! I have no idea what that sculpture about:)

Quebec City #4

Fort Chambley - Fort #1

What kind of country is Canada? You cannot fish at a fort?:D 
This restaurant balanced my budget spending on food. It was the third restaurant where we went into and try to get food. The first two was disappointing. They didn't speak English at all, even they didn't understand the word Menu... But at that "cheap" restaurant i got two huge meals (tomato soup with crackers and spaghetti bolognese) with 15% tip at $8. Incredible!!
Felt like somewhere in Hungary 
 Hmm, it tasted ok, but absolutely satisfied me with its size
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Viewers' discretion is advised!
A carp head at the next Fort, my first carp I have seen here

Fort #2 (we were not able to visit it, because it was before the season and should have used ferry to go there)
 
Montreal #1 - Fort #3
On the fort, dont do this!

Montreal #2 - with the Olympic swimming pool

Montreal #3 - McGill University, the home of the father of the organizational theory: Henry Mintzberg

Montreal #4 - Countryside

Fort #4

"Fort" #5

big

Bence is tree climbing

Montreal's stairs


We are going to visit the Great Lakes area tomorrow (Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, Buffalo, Cleveland)

Thanks for reading!
Keep going!