The sixth day in The United States

Thursday: 

Epic:

UW Hospital - American Center tour:

After the visit on Epic, which sells medical systems and software, we visited the UW Health hospital in Madison.

The hospital looked similar to hospitals in Denmark, it was very modern and beautiful.

We got divided into four groups and got a guided tour. The group Emilie was in, got an educater that educates new nurses. She was very interested in us, what we wanted to see.

We told her, we were business students, who were very interested in marketing, which she found very helpful to give us the best experience on the guided tour.

 

We saw their extraordinary facilities as a basketball track and football track. She told that people who primarely used the hospital were non-emergency surgeries (they are sent to the hospital downtosn in Madison). It was primarely people with a sports injure.

It looked like a very good place to be treated when you get an injure, but she told us that they had difficulties with their marketing and branding of their hospital, many in the area do not know the hospital, which we founded quite weird, because hospitals in Denmark do not brand themselves or feel the need to draw attention on the hospital.

The tour was great because we saw the hospital with a business and marketing perspective and it was very interesting to see how the american politics is difficult on health etc.

115th Fighter Wing:

Fighter Wing was our last company to see today. When we arrived at noon to the military base where there was served sandwiches for us and some chips. While we were eating we saw the first jet plane took off and everyone ran outside to see the 6 others who was about to take off. When the planes were long gone, we met a pilot who told us about the life as a pilot and about the education if you wished to be a pilot.

Last but not least we had a guided tour around in the base, which was really exciting and a huge experience. Some things we were really surprised about is that there were unbelievable many women who was employees there, and some of the employees in the base workt on a part time which means that they have another job besides the job in the military airforce base.

The fire engine at the United States Air Force base. 

Some of the girls in front of the fire engine. 

Mentor night - Departure Dinner with Mentors:
So today was our last day with our mentors. Sadly Signes, Cecilies and Tanyas mentor did not show up Again.We all meet at a bowlingally, where we ate, we got burgers(it was just a bun and meat) and pasta. To dessert we had a cookie.

Emilie's experience:

Sarah showed up as one of the first mentors at the departure dinner. Our group had so much fun with her, and we really enjoyed being together with her.

She had lot of things and knowledge to offer. I did not think americans would understand our humour with sarcasm and irony, but sarah was understood it and thought we were fun.

After we were finished with eating at the departure dinner, we drove to a walmart. We wanted to see the supermarket that are so popular on the social medias. It was a very big supermarket(we thought), they had everything and it was in so big packages. You will never see so big packages in Denmark.

Sarah said that we had to see a Costco supermarket then, if we thought Walmart was a big supermarket. She was right, Walmart was nothing compared to the Costco supermarket. Everything was big even the shelves that the products were kept on were big. Even if it was in big packages, it was so cheap. And beyound that, they had so many flavours and brands in substitute products, so it gave us a feeling that there are a lot more competition on the food-market in the US than in Denmark.

We saw parfumes from Marc Jacobs with 125 ml. to 50 $, which is nothing compared to danish prices.

We are not used to these "super" supermarkets in Denmark, mostly supermarkets in Denmark are small and local, and we figured out that the cost of living in the United States are much cheaper than in Denmark.

After we had looked around in Costco, we headed back to our hotel. Sadly we had to say goodbye to Sarah, but we agreed to find eachother on Facebook to keep in touch.

Futhermore we saw something that were worth thinking about. In America they fight obesity everywhere, but in the supermarket you could take a scooter trolley, where people who gets to tired to go shopping in Walmart, can take the one you will see in video down under this.

The sixth day in The United States

Thursday: 

Epic:

UW Hospital - American Center tour:

After the visit on Epic, which sells medical systems and software, we visited the UW Health hospital in Madison.

The hospital looked similar to hospitals in Denmark, it was very modern and beautiful.

We got divided into four groups and got a guided tour. The group Emilie was in, got an educater that educates new nurses. She was very interested in us, what we wanted to see.

We told her, we were business students, who were very interested in marketing, which she found very helpful to give us the best experience on the guided tour.

 

We saw their extraordinary facilities as a basketball track and football track. She told that people who primarely used the hospital were non-emergency surgeries (they are sent to the hospital downtosn in Madison). It was primarely people with a sports injure.

It looked like a very good place to be treated when you get an injure, but she told us that they had difficulties with their marketing and branding of their hospital, many in the area do not know the hospital, which we founded quite weird, because hospitals in Denmark do not brand themselves or feel the need to draw attention on the hospital.

The tour was great because we saw the hospital with a business and marketing perspective and it was very interesting to see how the american politics is difficult on health etc.

115th Fighter Wing:

Fighter Wing was our last company to see today. When we arrived at noon to the military base where there was served sandwiches for us and some chips. While we were eating we saw the first jet plane took off and everyone ran outside to see the 6 others who was about to take off. When the planes were long gone, we met a pilot who told us about the life as a pilot and about the education if you wished to be a pilot.

Last but not least we had a guided tour around in the base, which was really exciting and a huge experience. Some things we were really surprised about is that there were unbelievable many women who was employees there, and some of the employees in the base workt on a part time which means that they have another job besides the job in the military airforce base.

The fire engine at the United States Air Force base. 

Some of the girls in front of the fire engine. 

Mentor night - Departure Dinner with Mentors:
So today was our last day with our mentors. Sadly Signes, Cecilies and Tanyas mentor did not show up Again.We all meet at a bowlingally, where we ate, we got burgers(it was just a bun and meat) and pasta. To dessert we had a cookie.

Emilie's experience:

Sarah showed up as one of the first mentors at the departure dinner. Our group had so much fun with her, and we really enjoyed being together with her.

She had lot of things and knowledge to offer. I did not think americans would understand our humour with sarcasm and irony, but sarah was understood it and thought we were fun.

After we were finished with eating at the departure dinner, we drove to a walmart. We wanted to see the supermarket that are so popular on the social medias. It was a very big supermarket(we thought), they had everything and it was in so big packages. You will never see so big packages in Denmark.

Sarah said that we had to see a Costco supermarket then, if we thought Walmart was a big supermarket. She was right, Walmart was nothing compared to the Costco supermarket. Everything was big even the shelves that the products were kept on were big. Even if it was in big packages, it was so cheap. And beyound that, they had so many flavours and brands in substitute products, so it gave us a feeling that there are a lot more competition on the food-market in the US than in Denmark.

We saw parfumes from Marc Jacobs with 125 ml. to 50 $, which is nothing compared to danish prices.

We are not used to these "super" supermarkets in Denmark, mostly supermarkets in Denmark are small and local, and we figured out that the cost of living in the United States are much cheaper than in Denmark.

After we had looked around in Costco, we headed back to our hotel. Sadly we had to say goodbye to Sarah, but we agreed to find eachother on Facebook to keep in touch.

Futhermore we saw something that were worth thinking about. In America they fight obesity everywhere, but in the supermarket you could take a scooter trolley, where people who gets to tired to go shopping in Walmart, can take the one you will see in video down under this.

The fifth day in The United States

Wednesday:

Happy birthday Signe!

Today, it is Signe’s birthday, and may all her wishes come true!

We started the day with singing for Signe, we brought her cake, Danish flags and presents.

After, we went downstairs and ate breakfast before we headed our way to trek, which is a bicycle manufacturer. We have rent our “own” bus for the entire day, so we took the bus to Waterloo, where Trek’s headquarters is. The bus was a “real American school bus” just like those in movies, so even the bus ride was an experience.

"Our bus" - a yellow American school bus. 

Trek Bicycle:

Trek’s headquarters is and has always been in Waterloo, Wisconsin. At Trek we had a guide tour which was a great experience - we learn a lot and saw the production of a Trek bicycle from the very beginning to the final results. First we went through a little museum of Trek, where the guide told us about Trek’s history and about the development, which has been huge. We did also see some different kind of bikes, but old and new bikes. Afterwards we walked through the entire manufactory and we saw the production of the bicycles. First we heard something about the different models that they got and they have four different frames, which he showed us. After that he showed us the places where they collect the different pieces to a frame or to a wheel. When the frame is complete, it come to the “painting room” where both people and a robot are painting the frame in many different colours and patterns. The robot was very smart and incredibly effective, but also “the hand-made” work was excellent, most of the employees in the painting section have an art education, so they do want they are doing. After getting paint the frame comes to a “control room” where some employees are checking the frame for scratches and other defects before they polish the frame and send it further to the collect section, where some people collect the entire bicycle.

"Trek's motto."

Even thought the manufactory in Waterloo is Trek’s headquarter is not here where most of their bicycles are produced. The manufactory in Waterloo is primarily producing very expensive and customized bikes to private consumers and bikes to their professionals cycling teams. So most our production is customized to the individual consumer which explains the many different colours and patterns. They do both produce mountain bikes, racer, city bikes and children bicycles. Trek do also have a “teaching room” where both employees and their retailers can get new knowledge from experts, so they can give the customer the best possible experience, when they are buying a Trek bicycle.

"The Trek museum."

Unfortunately we were allowed to take pictures in the manufactory except from in the museum area. But we have some pictures from the museum area.

Harley-Davidson museum:

As you can see further down in the blog, there is an assignment about Harley Davidson, well there is a reason for that because today we went to the Harley Davidson Museum, where we got a guided tour around the museum, where got we divided into two groups.

"The museum entrance"

The tour was quite interesting it started out with an explanation about how there motors work and have developed through time. We also got and explanation to how and why they are so noisy, which some may think. After that, we heard about who the company survived through the world wars and the great depression, and to why they almost went bankrupt. The guide was especially interested in telling about world war II and the soldiers and the time after the war. Which we understand, because it was that way that the soldiers who were trained on the motorcycles got their bikes whit them home after the war, and many of them began to decorate them, like what bikers do today. For it was the soldiers who started the biker culture which we see today.
We also got a chance to see some celebrities bikes here was Elvis Presley's bike included.
After the tour has the museum made an exhibit where you can sit on some of their bikes, which were very fun, and only made us want a bike or to ride one even more than we did before.
After the museum visit, we ate at the motor museum, which is a cafe at the Harley museum. The food were good and especially the fries were excellent (I do not think I have had any better ones before), but sadæy it came a little late.

"Harley exhibits a  new bike every year"

"Elvis Presley's bike"

"Tanya on one of their bikes"

Johnson Creek Outlet Mall:

After the museum visit we vent to the Johnson Creek Outlet Mall, which is placed outside. The Mall is filled with cheap clothes  from brands like Nike, Addidas, Calvin Klein, Mac and Tommy Hilfinger.
We got about two and a half hour to shop, which is deffently not enough for us girls, but still we got to spend a lot of Money anyway.