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EXECUTIVE MBA
FOREIGN BUSINESS EXCURSION JOURNAL
Europe * Summer 1998 * Mike Swenson
Matt Bagley (Day 10)
Laryn Brown (Day 6)
Bryan and Tammy Davies
Alyson Denning (Day 3)
Kyle and Angie Forsgren
Bruce Fullwood (Day 14)
Warren and Laurie Gray (Day 7)
Aaron Grimm (Day 13)
Kerry and Deb Hoisington
Tom Kastigar
Phil Lombardo (Day 8)
Carlos Machado (Day 5)
Scott Nelson
Scot Reid (Day 11)
Pat and Lauren Snow (Day 1, Day
2)
Darren Steele (Day 12)
Jay Thompson (Day 9)
Shannon and Kelly Topham (Day 4)
Debbie Walden (Day 15, Day
16)
Vicky Waters
Gil and Loye Bertelson
Garth Hanson
Stan Fawcett
Mark Hanson
Mike and Kathy Swenson
Chicago.
We are in the plane waiting to take off. The trip from Salt Lake was fairly routine. The only problem was a faulty gauge on the ancient 727 caused us to have to return to the gate before we took off. It checked out okay and we were delayed only about 30 minutes. Once we got to Chicago we switched from Delta to Swissair and we are now sitting in an MD-11.
Due to Swissair's computer failure Prof. Mark Hansen made it on board only nine minutes before scheduled takeoff. That was 40 minutes ago and we are still here. "Technical Difficulties" or so said the captain over the intercom. They are checking the fuel pump now.
Oil gauge, computer failure, bad fuel pump . . . well maybe it hasn't been routine. But from here on out I'm sure it will be smooth sailing.
Zürich.
We made it. We are all very tired so I have an excuse for writing a short entry. We took a two hour long ride to a little place called Grindelwald. There we got on a "cog wheel" train. These are trains that have a toothed cog to drive them up the steep mountain grades. The train took us up the mountain to Kl. Scheidegg, where we had an hour to go site seeing, get something to eat and buy souvenirs.
Although the place was undoubtedly more scenic, it had a striking resemblance to Park City which is where I live. (5000 miles, killer jet lag, and no coat to see the same thing I see out my back window. But it was wonderful.) From Kl Scheidegg we took the "cog wheel" through Wengen to Lauterbrunnen. Now we are on the bus to Lucern.
Lucern.
We saw a lion sculpted into the mountain a la mount Rushmore. It was neat but everyone was too tired to remember the explanation of its significance.
Zürich.
Sleep was wonderful last night! I'm sure most of us did not even move until the morning wake-up call. Breakfast was a smorgasborg with crepes, rösti, eggs, cereal with fruit, juice, bread and croissants. Everyone looks more alive and refreshed after a good sleep. Some people stayed up and listened for updates on the Jazz/Laker game and announced the Jazz victory at breakfast. The Jazz sweep must have been embarrassing for the Lakers after all the talk they have been dishing out.
We are now headed on our way to Biel/Bienne to visit Swatch. They were so gracious and hospitable. We listened to a presentation by Amanda Blair and were able to see a few ad campaigns. One which they launched won awards. The thought or idea being that "Time is what you make of it." Swatch won the contract to do the timing in the Atlanta 1996 Olympic games and currently have the contract to do the Sydney 2000 games. They are trying to stay on the leading edge in both technology and design. This can be seen in their new product lines of Skin and Proteam. Skin uses advanced technology to create an ultra thin watch. Proteam focuses on the world of extreme sports.
We ate lunch with Swatch and were able to ask questions regarding their company. Nicolas Hayek, Swatch's chairman and CEO, is hailed as a hero for reviving the watch market for Switzerland.
After a huge decline in watch sales in the late 70's the challenge was posed to create a watch which was inexpensive and yet held the quality of traditional Swiss watches. Swatch was created from this challenge and has proven to be very successful. The logo which contains the Swiss flag makes a strong statement about being made in Switzerland and keeping up its tradition of excellence.
We completed our tours for the day and held a discussion about our visit while we traveled back to Zürich. We had the evening free to tour the city and eat dinner. Some of us went to Le De'zaley to eat cheese fondue. Everyone there was good sports and at least tried it. Some liked it, but most said they had their taste of Swiss food and wouldn't want to eat it again.
After dinner we walked around the city for a little while. There are a lot of painted fiberglass cows on display on all of the main streets. Someone said that they were new this year and will only stay until the end of the year. Kids and teenagers designed them and then an artist painted them. They created them specifically for tourists. Since we are leaving for Austria and Germany tomorrow everyone needed to get rid of their change so we went to the train station and bought ice cream cones and chocolate.
As the day has come to a close, I am looking out my bedroom windows at the incredible view. Zürich has such a beautiful skyline. I'm not sure we all realize how truly blessed we are. We have spent the last two years acquiring knowledge and gaining skills and developing friendships, which will change our lives forever. We now get to experience the beauty and culture of five different countries while we continue to understand the dynamics of global economy and markets. Many times I think we forget to step back and really appreciate our situation or our stage in life. We have much. We are blessed. We have a lot to offer.
Time is truly what you make of it.
Today was by far one of the most exciting days of our trip to this point. We left Zürich at 7:30 A.M. so that we could drive one and a half hours to Doppelmayr. Along the way we had a great time talking amongst one another and about one another . When we crossed the Swiss/Austrian border, we got stopped by the Border Police. They took all of our passports and had us wait while they checked them out. To many people's excitement, we all got our passports stamped.
In Wolfurt Austria, after Hamsa, our bus driver, turned his 50-foot Mercedes Benz around a couple times on the 20-25 foot wide road, we got off the bus and visited Doppelmayr. At Doppelmayr, we learned all about their philosophy and business of moving people, cars, and material. After which our kind hosts fed us a super lunch (dumplings, soup, vegetables in cream, chicken, boiled potatoes and gravy). Meanwhile, the womenfolk visited Bregeny where they shopped, went to the bathroom (for 1 hours) and had pizza.
After Doppelmayr we went to crazy king Ludweg's Neuschwanstien castle. This castle was truly amazing and a highlight of the day. From Neuschwanstien Castle we went on to Munich. Along the way we went down "Romantic Lane" (I am not sure why it was called so . . . some say it was because of the cows . . . ), saw where Hitler was put in prison, and saw Munich's Olympic Park. After we arrived in Munich, we went to a very nice German restaurant and had another marvelous meal.
In order to dot the 'i' on our EXCITING day, the waiter told our group of about 25 that the restaurant didn't accept "Cards!" Needless to say, we were all scrambling to figure out how to pay with foreign currency and mixed bills!
Müchen, Munich, Munique.
This was another special day in our business trip. The day began at 7:00 A.M. at the München Marriot Hotel. We had an excellent breakfast with tropical fruits, French bread, juices, German sausage, etc. We heard that the "Bulls" lost one more game. The result is 2 and 2 now. This made a lot of people in our group happy. All of us were very excited to visit BMW. We got to the assembly plant in Regensburg at 9:40 A.M. We had a good movie that introduced BMW. We met Erick, a full-time BYU-MBA student, who is doing his internship at BMW. Erick is responsible for South America marketing analysis at BMW. After the movie we had a tour around the plant.
First we visited the remains of a Roman bath house built approximately 400 B.C. After that, we saw a stamping machine where they make metal sheets into parts. It was interesting to see the precision of their jobs. The next step was the assembly line. Unfortunately we couldn't enter at the painting area. Also we couldn't visit the final assembly line, due to the fact that a new model was being assembled and nobody was allowed to see it. We went to the BMW restaurant where we received a delicious lunch.
After lunch we departed on another tour: this time at the CDK packing plant. At CDK we had an overview of how the parts are packed and sent to the whole world. After the tour we had a meeting with the plant manager who gave us some interesting information about the plants around the world and also the forecast for next year. At 3:00 P.M. we headed to BMW headquarters in Munich. After that we went to the BMW museum where we had an opportunity to learn the history of BMW. At 5:00 P.M. Wolfgang Vollath, a former BYU MBA student, joined us for a movie about the BMW motorcycle history. After the movie we had an open question session. Everyone was really impressed with the BMW operation and quality control. We returned to Munich hotel at 6:30 P.M. Most of the people in our group took the subway to downtown where we took pictures and had an excellent German dinner. I felt that I am really blessed to have an opportunity to stay with this wonderful group for two weeks.
Parabens Mike Swenson pels swas excelentes escollar. Murto obri goc do.
Today was travel day. We had no visits to companies. Munich was left behind as we crossed the border into Austria and traveled to Salzburg.
Fritz led us on a walking tour of the city. He explained that Salzburg was rebuilt in the 16th century in Baroque style. The Medieval structures were all torn down. The name Salzburg comes from Salz - burg (salt - castle). There was an active salt trade around the local mines used by the Romans.
Most famous of all was the fact that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg. He later grew unhappy and moved to Vienna.
After the tour we had free time to explore. Many took the tram ride to the city's fortress located on a cliff. Others visited the shops, including Mozart land. The abbey was also of interest as the Sound of Music was filmed there.
In the afternoon we all boarded the bus for Vienna. That is, all but Stan who ran for a Magnum bar while we baked and waited .
En route to Vienna we toured the Danube River Valley (not so blue, more green-brown) and stopped at the Dürnstein Abbey. This abbey is one of the many we passed in the valley, but the only one that is light blue in color.
In the evening we entered Vienna, checked into the hotel and explored the local food. Buenos Noches.
The Marriott in Vienna is the nicest hotel we have stayed in so far. The city of Vienna is extremely busy. Traffic was heavy as we crossed town to Philips. As we arrived, our Philips hosts had a picture taken with us on the front steps. The Chief Controlling Officer (CCO), Dr. Breitegger, began our visit giving us an overall review of Philips, and in particular, Philips in Austria along with the borderlands. He illustrated the labor cost differences between Austria ($100), Hungary ($33), the Ukraine ($2) which allows Philips to be more competitive. We took a tour of their fax machine assembly area after a presentation of how fax machines work and are made. We ate lunch at Philips with few employees since they work a 4 hour shift on Friday. We then headed off to the "Ual City" to visit the international Atomic Energy Agency. Dr. John P. Colton was our host and met us inside the security checkpoint. The land the complex sits on does not belong to Austria, but to the UN. We had a guide show us around to tell about the UN then Dr. Colton showed a film on the UN inspection process in several countries. Afterward he gave us a briefing on the role his agency plays in overseeing the use of atomic energy. He also told us about himself and how to pursue a career as an international civil service employee. After the visit we returned to the hotel to get ready for dinner. Nearly everyone met in the lobby at 6:45 and headed for dinner with Mike and Cathy Swenson. The restaurant was very narrow and long, and we were in the back. We saw two missionaries and some study abroad students there and some students from Va. Tech Univ. The meal was inexpensive and very filling. Nearly everyone left behind some of their meal. After dinner, Fritz led us back to the hotel on a walking tour instead of the subway. Vienna is a beautiful city, especially at night. We saw the Hofburg Palace residence and the Art Museum. We walked past St. Stephen's Cathedral built in 1511 - it is massive and beautiful. We stopped for ice cream then headed back to the hotel. A busy, busy day!
Last night was a fun night. 12 to 15 of us took in Pinnacle and Hearts card games till midnight. We obviously did not have to awake early in the morning. We had the entire morning free. Some of us took in the wonderful sights . . . St. Stephens Cathedral, the wonderful shops, the Ferrari dealer, the Imperial Palace, the Opera House, and some even the Laundromat. Hitler spoke to the Austrians to tell them they were now part of the 3rd Riche in the Imperial Palace.
We all gathered at 1:30 to head to Shönbrunn Castle. This was the castle which Maria Theresa, her husband and 16 children lived. The castle was fabulous! Fritz explained that there were 42 viewable rooms, but more than 1,000 rooms in the entire castle. We viewed around 15-20 rooms. Many of the rooms were decorated in Chinese. This was very popular 150 years ago. It was strange to hear that 3 of Maria Theresa's 16 children died. One of her sons died at 21 of lung infection . . . this seemed to be a very common death back then. As we left the castle, many made souvenir purchases. The tour was so nice that people felt inclined to learn more about the monarchy. We then headed for the backyard which couldn't be measured by acres but by square miles . . . and it was humongous!
After the castle we bused to a very large carnival which had the largest ferris wheel in the world. Cliffy and Derwood went on this pretty wild ride. Cliffy enjoyed it but Derwood looked like he was ready to toss his lunch. Oh, I almost forgot, Cliffy (Bruce Fullwood) can be considered a physician now, since he explained to us how he delivered a baby in the back of a station wagon . . . what a hero.
At 8:00 we all gathered to attend the Mozart concert. All in all most of the group enjoyed relaxing to the wonderful music. Gil enjoyed getting some zzzzzzzs during the concert. As a matter of fact, prior to the 1st encore Gil raced to the exit as if he had heard "Free Magnum Bars in the back of the theater!" Some of us couldn't understand why it was called a Mozart concert when they only played two Mozart titles; oh well.
After an extremely busy day yesterday, today was nice, pleasant, and relaxing.
Today is my daughter's birthday, she is seven! We rose this morning to attend church at the Böcklinstaasse Chapel. We were going to meet in the German-speaking ward, but they did not have sacrament until 10:50 and we needed to meet at 9:00 A.M. We were able to very quickly organize our own Sacrament meeting with the permission of the local bishop. Mike Swenson, our trip director and current cub master, conducted the meeting. Matt Bagley gave the opening prayer, Angie Forsgren played the piano, Debby Walden conducted. We sang Rejoice the Lord is King for the opening song. Bro and Sis Harmon (Mark Hansen's in-laws) spoke to us. They are serving as Public Affairs Missionaries here in Western and Eastern Europe. Sister Harmon shared her testimony of the gospel and her love for her family. Bro. Harmon shared his testimony and some stories on the missionary work here in Europe. They brought a very strong and special spirit to our meeting. Kyle and Angie Forsgren did a duet to "I Need Thee Every Hour." It was very beautiful and brought in the Spirit. Kathy Swenson just told me I needed to give a better description of Bro Harmon's talk. He did talk about the work in Bulgaria. He told of an Elder Allread that was abused by police and put on trial for having a sister missionary who was in his group carry diet pills. He was accused of drug smuggling. He was treated very poorly and faced 10 years in prison. He did get off. He also talked about how President Stevens had been set apart by Elder Holland as mission president. He told his missionaries to not start anything and avoid confrontation, but when confronted to not get beaten up but to win. President Stevens had been commanded to go forward in boldness, he passed this on to his missionaries. He told of how he invited 4-5 reporters to Salt Lake to see what Mormons were really like. President Stevens had visited a local newspaper agency after an article was printed with many falsehoods about Mormons. He demanded to see the editor, had to wait, and then was dismissed. He would not take "no" for an answer and he stormed into the editors office and demanded some time. They later became friends. The journalists had one hour to visit with Elder Holland. They asked him if he was a healer or if he had healed anyone. After sharing some very sacred experiences with them, even bringing tears to their eyes, they referred to him as "His Holiness." They returned to Bulgaria and are in the process of helping to improve the Church's image. We then went back to the hotel to change and pack. We left at about 11:30 from the hotel to travel to Prague. We made one stop to get Carlos some passport pictures and now we are on our way. I should mention that Stan Fawcett and Kyle Forsgren blessed the sacrament. Scott Nelson and Carlos Machado passed the sacrament. Darren Steele gave the closing prayer after we sang "High on a Mountain Top." We also sang "I stand all Amazed" which is my favorite song of all time. I must say that Gil's wife Loye has a beautiful voice, and Gil has . . . well his wife's voice is great. We just left the border. We were delayed 30 minutes or so because of Carlos. He had to be questioned and had to pay a $55 service fee to get into the country. We stopped at a restaurant at the border. People had chicken cordon blue , beef steak soup, toasted sandwich, french fries. It was a nice meal for most, Gil did have a problem getting his french fries but, I think he will get over it by London. All the houses and apartments look the same and have a boxed porch. We made a stop where a family with their little ones decided that the small gutter in front of the rest stop was good enough to use as a bathroom. Two couples then drove up and went into the thick trees to do their business. The town itself is pretty dirty and you can still see the remains of communist rule. We took a tour of the city after we checked into the Renaissance Hotel. We were warned about pocket thieves from Fritz. Fritz is our tour guide. He is a great fellow. He jokes with us and tells us all about each city and all the sites. He yells at us "out, out" when it is time to get out of the bus and he is just a really friendly guy. He showed us some pictures of his family. He has a beautiful English wife and three beautiful children. He takes care of us and has made the trip so much better because of his fun personality and knowledge. Now where were I. Oh yes, we walked down the main street and saw many different sites. We had an old guy following us around making us nervous. We walked to Charlés Bridge where some guy from South Africa decided to pee off the bridge. Fritz went over and asked him where he was from and then called him a "Pig." Scott Reid made the comment that "it is like they were caged up for so long and now they are like free and out of control." You can tell this town has much history. I am glad we are here, things are cheaper and I think it is reminding us all how blessed we are to live in the US. I have loved this trip and appreciate the love and friendship we have developed. So long.
Prague
Today was our first full day in Prague, Czech Republic. We arose early to prepare for a visit to the Moser crystal factory located in a town called Korlovy Vary (The closest translation is Carlsbad, which means "Hot baths"). Before leaving we enjoyed the hotel breakfast buffet, the most talked about food were the unique "rubbery" pancakes. Dr. Stan Fawcett also informed us that the Chicago Bulls finally beat the Pacers. Dr. Fawcett always seems to be the one with the basketball information.
Prior to departing for Moser Crystal we met up with Dr. Merik, a local person who agreed to be our guide to Karlovy Vary. On the bus ride he shared with us his in-depth knowledge about the history of the Czech Republic. Along the way we saw the Prague LDS Church. In Czech the name is:
CIRKEU
JEZISE KRISTA
SUATYCH
POSLEDNICH
DNÜ
It was very interesting to see the LDS chapel in a former communist country. Dr. Merick is a supporter of the LDS church here in Prague and has defended the church in the past.
Karlovy Vary is a beautiful town about two hours from Prague situated in a very hilly wooded area and is famous for its hot baths and geyser. Many members of royalty have visited here over the years.
We were privileged to have a short tour of Moser Crystal and witnessed the several hundred year old craft of glass blowing. I think many of us were amazed at the craftsmanship involved in glass blowing. After the Moser tour we had a chance to look at the magnificent works of art created there. Some of the group purchased Czech crystal there.
We had lunch with Dr. Merick and his son at a restaurant called Malé Versailles. We had a wonderful lunch there in a beautiful setting. The restaurant was in a lush green wooded area along the hillside. After lunch we had a chance to ask questions of the officers of Dr. Merick's son's business. It was very interesting to hear about what has happened here in the Czech Republic from a Czech's point of view.
After the presentation we had a chance to shop in the town. Everyone was going crazy over crystal and wooden toys. Vicki brought so much business to the linen store that they gave her a doll for free.
We all met at the bus at about 4:30, except for the Tophams and Brian Davies' wife, Tammy. We waited for 15 minutes and then decided to drive toward town to find them. We found them walking back about half way to town. They had a good excuse. Shannon had been accused of breaking a very small crystal piece and got in an argument with the store clerk. The store clerk was insistent on getting the small $16 piece paid for and lost a much bigger sale.
We took the two-hour bus ride back to Prague, I think most of us slept through Dr. Merick's stories. We woke up just in time to applaud him as he finished. He was extremely nice and generous. We appreciate his guidance and kindness.
We Walked Prague in Four Hours.
The theme of our day on the 2nd of June was sore feet and a long day.
The day started for some of us with the Czech's version of pancakes. While waiting for three MIAs to get on the bus, I noticed that many of the people in Prague walk to work. And those that do drive, drive older small cars. My first impressions of the people in the Czech Republic are that they are without God in their life. The streets were full of merchants looking to make a quick buck. Crime appears to be high while pornography, as in other parts of Europe, was visible. I wonder if these people who live in this land will experience success in capitol economics.
We soon ventured on a two-hour drive to visit Leciva. Along the way, we were again hosted by Dr. Merick. It's hard to imagine that anyone knows more about their homeland than he.
As far as Leciva, they're the largest pharmaceutical producer in the Czech Republic. The history of this company, according to the HR Director, dates back to the 15th Century where it was the Black Eagle. Their eventual move into privatization was helped by an American investor (Wardwork & Pinkers). This investment partner appeared to solve their financial side of the problem and put them into a position to establish a long term plan.
Their productivity/efficiency is twice that of other Czech competitors. However, Leciva is only 60% as efficient as competitors in the west. This problem translates into higher (32%) market share in Czech with much lower revenue share (17%).
After 11 days away from home, many of us are becoming homeward thinking. This was my experience as we marched across Prague. The churches look impressive but the feeling seems rather hollow.
11 days together and we are becoming quite familiar with each other. This may not be accurate, but I took the liberty to associate the following traits to individuals:
- Phil Lombardo gets the most studious award for his use of Burke Jackson's Diagnosis Model on company tours.
- Most frugal goes to Stan Fawcett.
- Most congenial is Carlos who seems to take things in stride while staying friendly.
- Most informed would be Bruce (Cliff).
- Our class clown would have to be Gil.
- Most exhausted would be Mark Hansen who is currently preparing to be a long distance runner on only four to six hours of sleep.
- Most exhausting is Jay (especially playing Hearts).
- Most even-keeled (dry sense of humor) is Darren.
- Most wisdom goes to Garth.
- The most quiet is Tom.
- Mike Swenson is the best dressed.
- Me (Scot R) is the worst dressed. This fact is primarily due to my waist line (my good clothes no longer fit).
- Best looking would go to __________ ?
- Best looking and most attractive in a Leciva gown would be Kyle (with lipstick).
- The most entertaining is watching Gil "go to town" on a magnum stick. No machine could clean a stick of wood better. (Eight bars and counting).
- Most politically correct is Fritz.
- Various nick names: Godzilla, Cliff, Bubbles, Psycho, Norm, Jill. (I'm sure there will be more)
We are currently sitting on an airplane. At our current speed, we should reach London on June 6th. This is due to a runway that has been closed because of potholes. (I'm surprised they just happened to notice as we settled down in our comfy seats). It sounds like Mike just spilt pop on himself. The suspense is killing me on what might happen next.
Today is day 12 of our European trip. We arrived at the Alveston Manor around 1:00 A.M., and after a short rest boarded the bus on our way to Jaguar (pronounced Jag-you-aah). We weren't able to drive off until 8:45, due to an odd bus driver law requiring eight hours of rest between trips. On the way to Coventry, England where Jaguar is located, we were now in our fifth country in a week and a half. After studying the companies, economies, cultures, and architecture of the historic nations of Europe, there was one thing on our collective minds - game one of the NBA finals.
We arrived at Jaguar shortly after recording point predictions for game one, and Bibby Boreo introduced us to the company. Bibby has a twin sister on the BYU faculty.
Jaguar extracted more ooh's and aah's than any plant tour to date. The assembly line was a highlight of the trip, where we bombarded our tour guides with questions like "Does everyone on a tea break actually drink tea?" (Jay) After the tour, we listened to a brief but powerful report on Jaguar's past, present and future. Bibby disclosed some sensitive company info that was an expression of confidence in our group.
Awed by Jaguar and disoriented by another new exchange rate, we poured into the gift shop and unloaded hundreds of English pounds for the latest Jaguar apparel.
We toured Warwick Castle after Jaguar. This Medieval castle was fascinating, with everything form 18th Century wax figures to Medieval instruments of torture. After another gift shop raid, we drove through Shakespeare's neighborhood. We drove by Shakespeare's birthplace, grammar school, wedding church and burial site, and wife Anne Hathaway's thatched cottage.
The evening was free, where some walked the town and others rested up for the 2 A.M. game party.
Victory is sweet! After a beautiful evening here in Stratford upon Avon most went to bed as children on Christmas Eve. Waking in the wee hours to catch the 1st game between the Jazz and the (DA) Bulls.
After adjusting to jet lag, we now must battle Jazz lag. Jay awoke at 4:30 to the joyful screams of Carlos and Tom - just in time to catch the last four minutes of the game plus O.T. The winner of the scoring guess was Lauren Snow! She collects the fabulous prize of the official score guess sheet. Congratulations Lauren!
The morning was a bit tense, because Darren called for a suicide watch on Phil. Phil cries foul because in his words "While I have been praying for world peace, safety for my family, and a safe trip, you guys are all praying for the Jazz!" We then had a discussion about whether or not Scott Nelson should pay tithing on the $10 he won from Phil.
While we have been here in England we have been schooled by Gil about what not to do:
- Don't talk badly about Princess Diana.
- Don't bring up the colonies or our independence.
- Don't try to imitate the English accent in front of English people (Kyle hasn't quite mastered this one yet).
Jay made the quote of the trip - it was made in response to Matt mentioning that he had to sit by Jay on the plane from Chicago to Zurich. (That he did not want to sit by him again). Matt was trying not to hurt Jay's feelings, but Jay said "That's okay, I would not want to sit by me either!"
We just stopped at Dr. Marten's, great visit! It was amazing to see how manual their operations are. Very skilled workers- 200,000 pairs per week. After the visit, we hit the Doc shop. Total purchases = 56 pairs! - at the first store. Another 34 pairs at the second store - for a total of 90 pairs! Gil, you missed out!
After a very long bus ride and checking in at the London Marriott and a change of clothes, we spent the evening with Greg Geiger of Ford. Greg is the Financial Director/Planner for Ford Europe. It was an excellent visit. Greg talked about Ford consolidated of European performance and how he has been able to balance his personal and professional live. Greg said that our stress is typically self-induced - we are a product of our ambitions. He decided that, for him, the way to keep balance was to commit up front that he would give 60 hours per week to fulfill his professional ambitions- that was it. If he could obtain his financial and professional goals in that time frame, great, if not, that was okay and he would not put any more time in. The rest of the time was dedicated for his family and church.
Greg gave us two pieces of advice:
- The most difficult barrier is changing our view about us. What we can actually do is much greater than we think we can do early in our career. Don't hold ourselves back because of fears that we can't do (or handle) something. (I think this applies to family and church life as well).
- Don't be deceived about what's important. Decide for yourself about what is important and don't lose sight of that!
London
This will be an interesting day to write for. After our morning wrap up session, we all went our separate ways. I suppose the only way of handling it is to describe the wrap up session and then go over my day in London and hope that my experience is representative.
The day began with a wrap up session. Mark Hansen asked about some of the cultural differences we noticed. Patrick Snow mentioned the extremely long, intricate and interesting history of Europe. Kerry Hoisington noticed a lack of hope in the Czech Republic. Bruce Fullwood noticed vast differences in culture in a relatively small geographic area. This may be a large cause of the many wars on this continent. Brian Davies saw that many of the companies we visited had much room for improvement. Shannon Topham noticed that government plays a much larger role here than in the states.
After this discussion, Garth Hansen gave the following general advice:
- We have been taught business principles with the Spirit. Remember that.
- We now may feel a little uneasy with our careers as a result of this program.
- This is an era of the individual - we survive on our own skills and abilities.
- Garth was impressed with Greg Geiger- successful careers are hard work.
After all the serious stuff, Mike Swenson presented the seven wonders of the trip:
- We wonder how many spoons Bruce collected.
- We wonder if Hamsa can get any closer to passing buses in the Swiss Alps.
- We wonder how many dates Scott Nelson had in Vienna.
- We wonder who the mystery man in shades was on our walking tour of Prague with Fritz.
- We wonder who really broke the crystal dogs in the porcelain shop in Karlov Vary.
- We wonder how the holes in the runway at the London Heathrow Airport appeared.
- We wonder how we are going to pay for our Dr. Marten's shoes.
He then did lessons learned:
- We learned that we have our very own Cliff and Norm.
- We learned that cows in Switzerland are grey, brown, and white, except in Zurich where they come in all colors.
- We learned how to operate a motorized pepper dispenser . . . Thanks Kyle and Fritz.
- We learned that the currency in Germany is not always current, Thanks Matt.
- We learned the names of all past, present, and future Presidents of the U.N. General Assembly.
- We learned that Mozambique has a submachine gun on its flag.
- We learned that there are diminishing returns for Schnitzel eating.
- We learned that the attorney for Karl Holoubek has blue eyes.
- Even Graham at Dr. Marten's learned that Jay over does it a little bit.
- We learned that Sid, the bus driver, likes to do "little naughties" in the middle of the road.
- We learned that we have a foot fetish about 90 pairs!
Mark Hansen then presented the excursion awards. These really were quite humorous and got quite a laugh from all. They are as follows:
- Alyson D. - The Positive Attitude
- Matt B. - The German Currency (There's a reason for "currency")
- Laryn B. - The Quiet Award
- Kyle F. - The Best Looking in a Dress
- Scott R. - The Fashion Ambassador Award (for current standards, for making a statement without regard)
- Scott N. - The International Playboy Award (Date in Vienna)
- Warren G. - The American-British Relations
- Debby W. - The Room Service Award
- Bryan D. - The Calm in the Face of Uncertainty
- Kerry H. - Best Documentary from an Independent Film Producer
- Tom K. - The Air Travel Courtesy
- Pat S. - The Car Talk
- Bruce F. - The Cliff Claven
- Shannon T. - The Bull in the Crystal Shop
- Jay T. - Best Dressed Tourist
- Aaron G. - The Swiss Irrigation Methods Research
- Carlos M. - The Brazilian Ambassador to the Czech Republic
- Darren S. - The Even Keel (Not riled by any situation)
- Phil L. - The Lonely Bull
After the wrap up, a pretty big group of us took off for the day. The tube was actually quite easy to use. We headed out first to get theater tickets and then we were off to the Tower of London only to find that the White Tower, containing the armory, was closed. We all decided that at £9.50, the fee wasn't worth the time or money. We then crossed the Tower Bridge (that was free) in order to swing by the British war museum. At £5.95, it seemed a bit steep. We almost did a lot today. We then headed off for Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, etc. We took a bunch of pictures throughout. We saw a squirrel on a park bench in St. James park. I sat down on the bench and this brazen squirrel climbed up on my lap! We got a picture.
The rest of the day was spent shopping. I finished off the rest of my family gifts, as did Aaron. After that, we just went back to the hotel.
I have the dubious honor of writing the wrap-up for the trip which includes Saturday and Sunday. The pressure is on since Gil said the wrap up is the only part that is graded!
Half of the group went home Saturday morning at 7 A.M. For a fleeting moment in time, I thought about going down to the lobby to say goodbye. Fortunately sanity returned and I slept in instead.
Kathy Swenson had told Vicki that there was to be a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace, even more fun than the "Changing of the Guard." Vicki and I took the tube to the Palace where they were practicing the "Trooping of the Colours." I'll explain.
Every year on the Queen's "official" birthday, she reviews her troops in a formal ceremony (which is on Saturday, June 13th). Today was the dress rehearsal. We saw two or three marching bands and lots and lots of horses. The different troops were the Life Guards, the Blues and Royals, the Household Cavalry Regiment, the Sovereign's Escort, etc. I lost count of all the troops.
And the highlight of the parade was Prince Charles on horseback riding behind a carriage that will carry the Queen on the 13th. Actually, the only way I know it was Price Charles was the fact that I was standing next to a man who had attended 32 of these parades. He said Prince Charles was the only person who wears a blue ribbon across his chest. He wore one of the tall, black foofy hats so that you really couldn't see his face. All in all, the parade was pretty rad (is that the word now? I'm more comfortable with "cool", "boss" or "groovy"!)
After the parade, Vicki and I took a double decker bus to Harrod's Dept. Store. I was in heaven! One of the fun parts was seeing the "thin" TV made by Phillips (I'd never seen one before). I thought about taking a picture but am glad I didn't. I found out later that Loye (Gil's wife) had been "smartly" notified that photography was not allowed in the store. She had just taken a picture of two group members (Shannon & Kelly) in front of the "Deli" display. I also heard that Kyle wasn't allowed to go in Harrod's because his attire didn't meet their dress code. Interesting!
Later Vicki and I went to the theater district for dinner. We ate at a fancy restaurant named Ad Lib. It was more than I expected - mini palm trees, a piano player, crystal glasses and great food.
We saw "Grease" at the Cambridge Theater. The actors had a lot of energy and great singing voices. We had seen "Showboat" on Friday night and Vicki had seen "Beauty and the Beast" on Thursday. If I have it right, the following shows were seen: Les Mis, Cats, Miss Saigon, Blood Brothers, and Phantom. I hope I didn't miss any.
We had breakfast Sunday morning and met in the lobby to leave. There were 12 of us going home. Laryn is going on for a week in Scotland to do some genealogy research. Alyson's parents came to pick her up and go on to Austria again, France, and Italy. Shannon and Kelly are spending a week in Paris.
Fritz, the consummate tour guide, called from the airport (his flight home left at 8 A.M.) To make sure our bus was there. We got on a smaller bus with Jake as our bus driver. He barely spoke a word- quite a difference from Sid! We got to the airport okay and left London.
We saw an episode of Home Improvement and two movies on the way home. It was a long flight. At Cincinnati, everybody collected their luggage and headed through customs. Everybody, that is, except Vicki and Pat Snow. We waited and waited and waited. Pat finally got his bag. When time was running short, we gave up on Vicki's bag and went through customs. Because we had spent over the "free" limit, we ended up in another line where customs guards were going through every suitcase. We thought we were doomed! They decided not to open our luggage and we made it to the plane with about five minutes to spare. Good news! Vicki's bag was in SLC when we got there.
I'm assuming everyone got home safely to their families. It was a great trip! It was awfully nice to get home, too. I couldn't end without a few "global" thoughts/questions.
- My favorite night was our Weiner schnitzel dinner in Vienna. Our waiter was a "kick", the food was the size of a frisbee and our impromptu tour of Vienna by night was wonderful.
- The final count (I think) of Dr. Marten's was 90. The winners were Kerry and Deb with 11 pairs.
- Do I mention the Kiss? Nah!
- How many Solitaire games did Gil win on his Palm Pilot?
- What does ABL mean?
- Was it chicken? Was it pork? Was it turkey? What was it we ate at Doppelmayer?
- I think we were all touched when David Mirejovsky (Dr. Mirek's son) talked about freedom and their challenge in learning how to "feel" freedom. The Czech people and others have an amazing challenge in front of them.
- A final question I ask myself is what do I gain or what have I learned from this foreign experience. How did the experiences affect me or, even better, how did they change me? It will be interesting how I answer that question.
Many thanks to our leaders for exemplary leadership and friendship. You made the trip a great adventure!
Contact: craig@cc.utah.edu\
URL: http://tomten.aclis.utah.edu/asia/journal/europe.htm
This page was last updated: August 12, 1998