Reisebericht Mehre - März 2014 HU/PL

1. Project Azubi-Europa
internship calendar
by Carolin Mehre
trainee as an office clerk at
myCARE OHG-die Versandapotheke
Our trip to Budapest/Hungary and Warsaw/Poland
from March 10th to March 21st 2014

2. contents
1. About myCARE OHG
2. Hungary
2.1 Day 1- Trip to Hungary
2.2 Day 2- Workshop and Parliament
2.3 Day 3- Mavir and Sirha
2.4 Day 4- AHK and vocational school
2.5 Day 5- Andrássy University and DB Schenker
2.6 Day 6- A tour through the city
3. Poland
3.1 Day 7- Trip to Poland
3.2 Day 8- A tour through the city
3.3 Day 9- University of Warsaw
3.4 Day 10- Vocational school of gastronomy
3.5 Day 11- The German Embassy
3.6 Day 12- Trip to Germany
4. Summary
5. Sources

3. 1. About myCARE OHG
The company where I do my training, is myCARE OHG. It´s one of the largest
online pharmacies in Germany. MyCARE OHG is located in Lutherstadt
Wittenberg. It was founded in 2001 by Christian and Matthias Buse.
At myCARE we are about 150 employees.
Worldwide, we supply more than 1.000.000 customers. We offer more than
50,000 different medical products.

4. 2. Hungary
Hungary is a country in Central Europe. The neighboring countries are Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine,
Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Hungary's capital is Budapest, there live about 1,7 million
people. The national language is Hungarian.
Hungary has an area of 93.000 km² and a population of 9,9 m people. In Hungary you pay with
the Forint. The rate of exchange is 312 HUF per 1,00 €.
Hungary is independent since October 31st 1981 and a part of the EU since 2004.
The most important industrial centers are the area of Budapest and the border region to
Budapest. The largest turnover is made in
- metallurgy
- food
- textiles
- chemicals
- motor vehicles and
- information technology
The main trading partners are Germany (26%), Austria (8%) and equally Italy and Russia (6%
each).

5. 2.1 Day 1- Trip to Hungary
We met on Monday at half past nine in the
morning at the main station in Halle/Saale.
At first we took the tram to the main station
in Leipzig. After a short stop we went on by
ICE to Berlin. We continued by tram to
Berlin/Schönefeld Airport. The plane took
off towards Budapest at half past two in the
afternoon. After we had arrived around 4
o´clock at the Liszt Ferenc Airport in
Budapest, we went by public transport to
the hotel.
While we were in Budapest, we stayed at
the Star Inn Hotel in the center of Budapest.

6. 2.2 Day 2- Workshop and Parliament
The 2nd day started with a workshop. We got some facts about Hungary and its
industry and commerce.
Then we visited the Parliament in Budapest:

7. It houses the Hungarian government. The
building is located directly on the River
Danube and it´s 268 meters long. The
architect is the Hungarian Imre Steindl, it was
built in neo-Gothic style. It was built for 19
years (1885-1904).
In the amazing Dome Hall (27m height), the
Crown of St. Stephen is kept with the imperial
insignia. Why the cross on the Crown of St.
Stephen is wrong, is not clear. One reason
could be, that the Crown was damaged during
the transport to Vienna in the 14th century.
To the north and south of the Dome Hall are
the meeting rooms and premises for
representational purposes and about 700 more
rooms. At the entrance of the Parliament, a
model of the building is issued, it is
made completely out of matchsticks.

8. 2.3 Day 3- Mavir and Sirha
The first appointment of the day led us to the
Budapest municipal utilities Mavir. The company
supplies about 500 million people with electricity.
Approximately 1/3 of the required energy is
generated in Pécs.
The company Mavir, as it is now, exists since the
year 2000. Previously it was part of a group of
diverse energy suppliers. Mavir employs
approximately 600 employees.
The aim is to supply everything and everyone,
anytime with energy.
The electricity is gained from nuclear energy (37%),
oil (12%),renewable energy (6%) and about 20% of
the required energy is imported. The Hungarian
reactors are, according to Mavir, the safest reactors
in the world. These will initially work until 2035.

9. After our appointment at the municipal
utilities we visited a fair for gastronomy:
Sirha.
There we could see many exhibitors from
Hungary and all over Europe. There was
demonstrated a variety of food and types
of food preparation. And there were
information about the current trends of
the table decorations. One of the
renowned exhibitors was the company
Metro.

10. 2.4 Day 4- AHK and vocational school
In the morning we were on our way to the AHK-German-Hungarian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry.
The main task of the Chamber is to provide German companies business contacts
in Hungary. In addition to the AHK you can also contact the German Embassy.
AHK is a private company, an association, with a public mission. They are
represented with 120 locations in 85 countries and employ 1,600 people. The
Chamber has more than 40,000 member companies worldwide.

11. It helps its members in finding matching business partners, advises on legal
issues, researches the market, provides first contacts, combines the interests of
their members and provides the companies service.
The services, which are offered, are available for anyone. A membership in the
AHK is not mandatory.
In the target countries of German foreign investments Hungary occupied the 19th
place. In the target countries for investments in the automotive industry Hungary
has even the 4th Place. About each 3rd engine by Volkswagen is manufactured in
Hungary.

12. In the afternoon we visited a
vocational and middle school of
Economics.
Many of the students spoke German
because this is offered here as a
first foreign language.
Here we held a presentation about
the dual system in German and
English.
After that we were invited
by the students Ivett and
Lilla to visit the Margaret
Island.

13. 2.5 Day 5-
Andrássy University and DB Schenker
The university was founded in 2001 by the German-speaking countries Germany,
Austria and Switzerland. The aim is to develop and to promote good relations
with Hungary. Other German-speaking universities are in Kazakhstan and Turkey.
The university was named after the Hungarian Gyula Andrássy. He was a leading
politician in the Austrian-Hungarian dual monarchy.
At the Andrássy University, there are about 200 students of 25 different
nationalities. No more than 30 students will be admitted per course. Compared
to Germany: per course, there are approximately 200 students.
The following courses are offered (among other things):
European and International Management
International Relations
International Economy and Business
LL.M. (Master's degree for lawyers)
Central European History

14. There is a college tuition of about 900 € which is taken over by fellowships for
95% of the students.
The premises of the university include two libraries (one international and one
Austrian library) and a banquet hall with an impressive chandelier.

15. Then we had an appointment at DB Schenker. This is a bit outside of Budapest.
DB Schenker is part of the DB Group. This is divided into the passenger transport,
rail projects and transport/logistics (DB Schenker).
The forwarding company Schenker & Co. was founded in 1872 by Gottfried Schenker
in Vienna. The first store opened in 1874 in Budapest. In 2002 the Deutsche Bahn
bought the company.
The DB Group employs 90,000 people in 130 countries.
The branch of DB Schenker in Budapest has approximately 200 employees. They
offer services in the areas of transport, sea freight and air freight.
The storage area is approximately 23,300 m² and is divided into:
- 5,000 m² crossdock camps:
the goods here are stored for max. 24 h
- 17,000 m² contract logistics:
such goods can be stored for a longer time
- 1,300 m² dangerous goods

16. 2.6 Day 6- A tour through the city
On the last day in Budapest a city rallye was scheduled. This means we were
divided into groups and should explore the city in a given time on different
routes.
My group had received this route:
-> Magaret Island
-> Matthias Church
-> Citadel/freedom monument
-> Market Halls
-> Heroes' Square

17. This Saturday due to the Hungarian National Day went no transport and the
whole city was up. After 3 hours we reached the Magaret Island, the Matthias
Church and the Citadel and went back to the hotel.
Matthias Church Citadel/freedom monument

18. great view of Budapest

19. 3. Poland
Poland is a country in central Europe. The capital is Warsaw. The neighboring
countries include Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania
and Russia.
Poland has an area of 312.000 km² and a population of 35,5m people. In Poland you
pay in Zloty. The rate of exchange is 4,17 PLN per 1,00 €.
Poland is independent since November 11th 1918 and a part of the EU since 2004.
The largest turnover is made in
- chemicals
- food
- logistics
- furniture
- textiles
- metallurgy and
- energy
In addition, the mining industry plays a major role in Poland. Poland is to Russia the
leading mining state of copper and silver.
The main trading partners are Germany (28,2%), Russia (12,4%) and the Netherlands
(5,8%).

20. 3.1 Day 7- Trip to Poland
On Sunday we traveled by plane to
Warsaw at eleven o´clock in the morning.
We arrived at the Chopin airport at half
past twelve. From there we went by
public transport to our hotel in the
center- the Novotel Warsaw

21. 3.2 Day 8- A tour through the city
On Monday we had to organize a city
tour on our own.
At first we visited the Palace of
Culture and Science.
It was a gift from the Russians and was
built from 1952 to 1955. The tower is
237 meters high and has 42 floors. The
polish call him “Stalin cake” oder
“Stalin's revenge”.

22. Next, we took a look at a Jewish Synagogue.
It was built in 1902. In 1941 the synagogue
was used as a warehouse. From 1977 to 1983,
the building was restored.
Next we went to Warsaw's old town. The
historic center of Warsaw was completely
destroyed in World War II in 1944. Then the
old town was rebuilt from 1949 to 1955 to the
original.
The old town includes the Market Square, St.
John's Cathedral, the St. Martin's Church and
the Jesuit Church, the Royal Castle and other
buildings.

23. Then we got some information about
the National Stadium. The football
stadium was built for the UEFA Euro
2012. The construction took about
three years from 2009 to 20012. It has
57 747 seats.
Afterwards we visited the Chopin
monument. The bronze statue of
Frédéric Chopin in the Łazienki Park
shows the composer with a pasture
flexed by the wind. The unveiling was
on November 27th 1926.
Next to the monument is the
Belvedere Palace. The palace was built
in 1660. The building is used as the
President's residence and museum.

24. 3.3 Day 9- University of Warsaw
While we visited the university, we received a glimpse of
the organization, tasks and goals of the university.
The objectives include:
- teaching and doing research
- access to knowledge
The organisation EEN Enterprise Europe Network was
presented. This is an organisation of the European
Commission to support small and medium-sized
enterprises. The aim of the European network is to
assist cooperation, technology transfer and strategic
partnerships.
The EEN supports more than 600 companies in 40
countries. Since 2005, about 9,000 partnerships were
closed.
In the last 4 years, 44 patents have been filed. The
leading faculties include chemistry, biology and physics.

25. 3.4 Day 10-
Vocational school of gastronomy
On Wednesday we were invited by a vocational school of gastronomy. Chefs,
restaurant professionals, baristas and nutritionists are trained there.
At the beginning we got some information about the Polish school system:
- the primary education lasts six years
- visiting the grammar school takes about 3 years, after this compulsory
education ends
- then you can choose between High school and vocational training (each lasts 2
or 3 years)
Afterwards we shopped at the weekly market and cooked together with the
students. The Polish chefs served lots of delicious foods: Pierogi, Pyzy, Uszka and
boiled apples with vanilla sauce.

27. 3.5 Day 11- German Embassy
On the last day of our trip we visited the German Embassy in Warsaw. The
appointment was very interesting, we received a lot of information about
the work of an embassy.
There welcomed us Mr. Reindl, the head of the department for culture, and
Mr. Rehn, employee of the economic department.
An embassy is a diplomatic representation of a country in another state.
The tasks of an embassy include representing the home state, giving report
to the government of the host country and the intergovernmental
relations.
Also inclusive are consular functions, such as issuing visas or passports.

28. Worldwide there are about 12,000 employees, of whom 2,500 work at the
Foreign Office in Berlin. The remaining 9.000-10.000 employees are employed
abroad. Of these, approximately 50% are diplomats. The diplomats are supported
in each country by local staff. They are permanently employed at the Embassy.

29. 3.6 Day 12- Trip to Germany
On Friday we traveled back to Germany at 5:55 by the Berlin-Warsaw Express.
After a short stop in Berlin, we went on by an Intercity to Lutherstadt Wittenberg.

30. 4. Summary
I want to thank my apprenticing company, which has enabled me to take part in
this trip.
Also, many thanks to the isw GmbH and our coach Ina Fiedler for the
organization, planning and implementation of the internship.
It was a lot of fun to perform intercultural communication and to speak much
English. It was great to meet so many interesting people and to have the
opportunity to look into the different companies.
I´m sure, I will often think about the wonderful time in Hungary and Poland.
Thank you!

31. 5. Sources
 isw- Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Beratung und Dienstleistung mbH
 municipal utility Mavir
 exhibition Sirha
 AHK Budapest
 Andrássy University
 DB Schenker
 University Warsaw
 vocational school of gastronomy
 German Embassy Warsaw
 pictures:
 www.auswandern-arbeiten.de
 www.autobild.de
 www.home.fotocommunity.de
 www.warschau.info
 ISW- Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Beratung und Dienstleistungen mbH
 own photos

32. Thank you for your attention!