Innovation

Waking up to stupid rain again kind of put me in a not-so-bright mood, especially since my umbrella was completely busted. I refused to buy another one, and insisted on using the broken one. After everyone begins opening their umbrellas though, I see everyone has the same pathetic looking pieces of junk.

After getting to work, my group finishes up the project scope document and begins to feel a lot better about the project. We just needed to be able to sort out, think through, and analyze the information we got. We send it out with some questions critical to begin our research. Instead of watching Gmail all day, we begin to research the different areas of the health industry, biotechnology, histopathology, biotherapies, etc.etc.etc. I find out that every other American was having horrible headaches, which we found out was probably because of the weather fronts moving through. Apparently, the pressure changes are much more severe here, which affect human barometers like me much worse...

After meeting with our advisors to discuss details concerning the project, we realize the incredible scope of the situation. This is not a simple project that will be completed in the six weeks we are here; it is a project that will take years to complete. A 60 million USD project, financed by a 30 million USD grant from the European Union, this project will be an incredible challenge trying to create the overall business model for an institution centered around innovation and effective collaboration.

The following is just a ramble I wrote one night after working on our project...again, just my mind throwing up on paper without me looking for grammar, flow, etc. Since I cannot talk about the project directly for confidential reasons, I just decide to ramble on about the effect of the project.
Innovation, not just imagination, invention, creativeness, or design, but to visualize improvement and inspire advancement is the greatest way to progress the world. We can simply improve upon what we have, incrementally or in leaps, over time, but true innovation is what changes eras.

We are working towards innovation, influencing the health care system of not only the city or country, but also lives. Taking an industry that is in shambles and inspiring innovation in a culture will be the most challenging task ever, but we are probably the only ones who could do it. We are young and this project will affect us more than the people in charge. We are objective, viewing the system, work ethic, and culture from the outside and can identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (sorry for the SWOT reference) more easily.

While we are not trying to create a solution, we are simply creating a foundation for inspiring change. They came to us for help in laying the groundwork, to get started, and they will take over to enact the change. The single greatest accomplishment would be to know that we helped them take the first step to creating not only a world-renowned institution, but to actually help a city and country in desperate need, and helping the world by showcasing the incredible talents of Pecs and Hungary while bringing the world to them.

Simply laying the foundation, identifying the key components that will help the institution become successful in the long run, will take this full year. Probably establishing phases that will be carried out over the next few years will be the best bet at this point, and identifying just simply how to go about completing the project will help the client a lot. We are creating the business model and effective forms of collaboration for this company. This institution is our canvas, a very large canvas, and we will just be taking it one step at a time. They proposed a center to receive the grant, now we are the ones to design it.

After researching, someone recommended a great sandwich place in the mall, so we decide to head there. It turned out to be another Aranycipo like the one right by our apartments. I get a typical sandwich and an amazing chocolate and coconut covered cake block. While heading out, I decide to stop at the watch emporium type of place, pick out a cheap watch with a perfect size face that fits my tiny wrists. It was just too difficult not knowing what the time was during the day, especially since we had random schedules. I did not want to carry my cell phone around just for checking the time and needed a watch for professional events anyways.

Before heading back to the computer lab, I wander around the building right next door, because I heard there was a shop that sold sweaters, shirts, hats, pens, etc with the University of Pecs on them. After wandering around the whole building and only finding a small bookstore (that sold only books) that was closed for the summer, I head back to the computer lab and research, research, research…

Even though many people would hate it, I absolutely love researching and learning about new areas. This is probably why I want to go into consulting sometime, because it is constant learning. I fear the thought of getting into a job that I can’t expand my knowledge or experience. Now I am learning a ton about the health industry and understand more about the world. It is just difficult because we are still researching just general topics in the industry without knowing what to focus on.

I leave to go to the grocery store to buy snacks for my room, since I cannot go without snacking throughout the day. I buy a ton of snacks consisting of chocolate cereal, chocolate wafers, chocolate filled cupcakes, bars of chocolate, and bagel chips. I cause a commotion while checking out, because I did not know that you have to put the basket at the entrance to the checkout lines and the checkout lady could not explain what I was supposed to do in English. Everyone had to pass my basket back and I am for some reason saying sorry in Japanese. I also forget to buy a bag, since the stores do not supply plastic bags to carry your items in, and instead try to fit everything into my backpack. This was obviously not working and everyone was waiting for me to exit the line, so I just grab everything and walk over to the wall to fit as much in as I could. I am left carrying my water bottle and the bag of bagel chips home in the pouring rain.

Everyone that I went to the store with (and met up with accidentally in the store) decided to sneak onto the bus, but I just decide to walk back to the apartments and save the money and risk. Of course I am met with pounding rain and torrential winds that further break my umbrella, which I thought couldn’t be broken more. So finally after getting back, I just relax and try to fix Laura’s computer since she was still the only one not getting internet. I am still impressed with how much I am learning in my MIS classes, but I still could not figure out the problem.

I give up and decide to go back to my room to Skype with my friend Erin and write/upload pictures. Laura then wakes up and we decide to hit up Flekken 1 (not to be mistaken for Flekken 2 right across the street), which is the controversial restaurant right next to our apartments. It is controversial in the sense that some people absolutely hate it and some actually love it. I still don’t know what the difference between the two is though.

After realizing they were not closed, we walk in and take a seat in the very typical looking low-class type of restaurant. We are handed menus the size of novels that contain not a word of English. After sorting through everything, I come across the word bacon in one of the dish descriptions, and decide to just go with that. Laura meanwhile just picks a random number and orders that. After worrying about what we possibly could have ordered, we just sit and wait until our food is brought out.

Laura’s dish was pretty much small bits of overcooked meat on top of potatoes. My dish was two cuts of overcooked pork (which I am used to…sorry mom, had to tease you) with a ton of onions, peppers, and potatoes on top in a paprika-based sauce. Mine was all right, nothing good/nothing bad, but Laura’s was hardly the case. I eat most of mine, just because it is food. Considering it was only $4 per dish, it is not really worth complaining, but we will probably not be going back. It is important for anybody who comes here to experience, but I would recommend taking a dictionary to at least know what you are ordering…even though others have said it doesn’t help at all.

After paying the bill, we head straight over to the bakery to buy some half-priced breads and Danishes to get the greasy tastes out of our mouths. After getting back, I fall asleep as Laura is working on my computer (I can’t wait until she gets her internet figured out) around 7:00 pm. A friend wakes me up later to help plan a trip to Rome, but I refuse in my sleep to walk outside into the rain and cold. Even though I would only have to walk to the next room, apparently I was being really over dramatic and wouldn’t leave.

I wake up at 12 midnight, 4 am, 6 am, and finally to my alarm at 7:30 am. Even though I kept waking up, I always fell right back asleep and felt so much better in the morning because of it.

This was also the first day I did not take a picture, mainly because of working and sleeping all day because of the rain...sorry.