OBI: Home Depot of Hungary

Hungary has a Home Depot.  It’s called OBI.  It’s orange too.  There was one near Attila’s so I had to stop by to say hello and collect some data.  I knew my homies back at The Home Depot corporate office would appreciate this.

It’s a huge store and sells a lot of the same stuff as a Home Depot.  It even has a garden section.  Most things are the same.  The carts are orange, there’s a customer service center at the front, a lot of products are out of stock … but there’s a key difference.  Everything is in Hungarian.

There are other differences like its got two levels and it sells bikes.

I ran into a pricing issue at OBI, and experienced Hungarian customer service.  I wanted to buy some AA batteries for my camera.  I’ve found out that batteries are pretty expensive in Europe.  I paid about $7 in  Greece for 4 AA.  OBI had some decent prices, but there were a few options.  A Duracell AA 4-pack was 645 forints ($4).  But I also saw a 4+2 AA combo pack.  It said that 2 were free.  It was in the same bin, but there wasn’t a price for it.  So I looked at the Duracell AAA batteries and saw a similar deal.  A 4-pack of AAA batteries was 845 forint, and the 4+2 pack was the same price, 845.  So, I assumed that the AA 4+2 pack was the same price as the AA 4-pack, 645 forint.

I went to check out and it rang up as 1500 forint.  That’s $10!  No one at the customer service desk spoke english, but I gestured and wrote my way through it.  They understood and sent me back to meet with a guy that could help me.  I met the guy coming off the escalator.  He coldly flipped the battery pack over and pointed to the price tag which showed 1500.  Idiot.  He didn’t speak english either but I told him I wanted to show him the issue.

I gestured and pointed out the problem.  There was no explicit price mentioned on the bin underneath the AA 4+2 pack, but I had used the precedent set by the Duracell AAA batteries to determine the price of the AAs.  Since the price of the AAA 4-pack and 4+2 pack were identical, I assumed the pricing scheme of the AAs would be the same.

No.  He kept pointing to the 1500 price tag.  So I pointed to the side of my head, showing him it didn’t make any sense.  I could buy two AA 4-packs, 645 each, and get 8 batteries for 1300 forint.  But with the 4+2 pack, I would pay 1500 for 6 batteries.  The promo pack was way more expensive per battery.  Didn’t make sense.  This still makes me mad.  And the packaging said “2 free.”  Bullshit.  In the Hungarian system, you pay a huge premium to get 2 more batteries in one package.  Maybe it’s the convenience.

My argument attracted a crowd.  Three other OBI employees came over.  None spoke english.  Then some customers hung out to watch also.  One old guy was interested, and wanted to help me.  He asked if I spoke Deutsch.  Then another customer came to help me.  He spoke english and offered to translate for me.  He listened to my argument and understood it.  He explained it to the OBI guy, and same thing; the OBI stuck to the bullshit 1500 price.  My translator laughed and told me “Welcome to Hungary.”

Job Interview

I got my suit from my CouchSurfing friend in Budapest, Andras, and some shoes that were Attila’s brothers. I posted on the Budapest CouchSurfing group about borrowing a dress shirt. I got a few replies, and picked one up from a CS friend, but it wasn’t quite right. So, I went to a second-hand shop and found a great-looking gold shirt for 3 bucks. And it matched the tie!!

I got up early and made it over to the Buda side by 3 forms of public transportation. I was 45 minutes early so I waited. The office was right on the Danube with the castle in the back. Great location.

My pants were a little short and a little wide, my shirt was a little big and a little long, and my jacket was a little short. So I had to sag my pants a little, and try to keep my cuffs tucked into my jacket. I felt a little billowy, but I was confident.

Look at my cuffs.

I walked in at 9am, greeted, and given a logic test. First thing I did was take off my small jacket. The logic test was about a parking lot with vehicles with certain characteristics: either big or small, cars or trucks, heavy engine or light engine, slow or fast, etc. Then I was given four rules, like all cars have light engines, or something, and had to answer true/false questions about this. It wasn’t too difficult as I was given an hour to complete it, but it tried to be tricky as you had to combine some of these rules together to answer certain questions. I finished well before time and got them all right. Great.

Then I had to wait for my interviewer. The interview room was not a private room either. It was basically a corridor between the reception and the office. People passed through every few minutes. So I was picturing having to answer some embarrassing interview question with someone else in the room. “I’m a team player and self-starter … ” as someone walks through and then tells the rest of the office. Embarrassing.

The interviewer came and was a really friendly guy. He asked me to tell him about myself. I did in not so many words, he was pleased with that, and then told me about the company. This took most of the time. When I saw the opportunity, I thew in something about how I have experience doing this or that. He finished up and asked if I was interested. I told him I was with enthusiasm. Then he went to make a phone call and then started arranging a flight for me to go to Belgium. It was that simple.  And really quick.

I would get in Wednesday, see the two CEOs on Thursday, and then leave Friday.  They arranged a hotel for me too, but it was in a nearby city.  I asked if they would provide a means for me to get to the office from my hotel.  I was told to use public transportation.

They didn’t cover any of these other transportation costs.  I was flow into out-of-the-way Charleroi, and had to take a train to Tienan with a connection in Brussels.  Then staying in Tienan, I had to take a train to Leuven to check out the city, and to get to my interview.  All these extras but no reimbursement.

So after I got off the train, I got on a bus to go to the industrial park where the office was located.  In my billowy suit, and my shoes that didn’t fit so well.  As I was anticipating meeting them, I was constantly pushing my long cuffs up into my short jacket, and making sure the bottom of my pant legs touched my shoes.  I made it on time and was brought in to meet the two guys.

Right after I gave each of them a firm handshake and a big smile, I took off my short jacket, folded it, and draped it on the back of the seat next to me.  I made the appearance, so that was good enough.

They asked me a little about myself.  Then they talked about the company.  Since it was the day that AIG collapsed, I asked them what they thought of the future of the company during this unstable economy.  This got them talking.  It was great.  Then we steered back towards the position was I was interviewing for and the company, and I gave some details about my experience.  I was enthusiastic and likable.  And that worked.

They told me that they would get back to me about the outcome, and the salary.  But then as I was leaving, they told me to wait a few minutes; they wanted to talk to me again.  So about 30 minutes later, they brought me back in, and gave me a salary offer.  800 euro in Budapest, and 1600 euro while I would be working in Leuven for the first 6 months.  I was disappointed and looked it.  They talked about how the US and European systems are totally different, social benefits, etc, so that this was a good salary.  I told them I would have to think about it, and I left.  Kind of pissed off.

Then I started thinking that it would be really great to have an experience working in Leuven and Budapest.  Even if I had to take a cut in salary.  A rare opportunity for a great life experience.  And I got a lot of support from friends and family.  Unanimously in support of taking the job.

So I wrote them a negotiation email asking for some more money and details on the benefits.  They got back to me and told me they would get me a salary overview soon.  I waited in Budapest for an answer, but no further communication.

I got tired of waiting and I left for Bratislava after a few days.  Once I got on the road again, I got some new energy for the trip.  It is only going to get colder, but I am excited to keep traveling, maybe even to Russia and doing the Trans-Mongolian railway across Siberia.  Siberia in winter!  That would be a real experience.

So now I dont know what I will decide about the job, if they get back to me.  The job deal will probably have to be pretty good for me to want to do it.

Budapest: Attila, Part 2

After the weekend in Eger, I went to the job interview, hung out with some CouchSurfers, and then flew to Belgium for a few days. When I returned for the weekend, Attila had gone home to Eger, and Kata was working, so she wasn’t around. They let me stay at their place, which was cool.

I was feeling like I was probably overstaying my welcome. I had stayed with them for about one week, so it was good that they got a break from me for a few days. I decided I should probably get moving soon. The problem was that it was really comfortable staying with them. After traveling for a while, it’s really nice to be able to stay in one place. And the dorm has a computer room with free use of the internet.

I had a lot of low key days going into the city for a while to look for second-hand books, eat something, maybe meet up with a CouchSurfing friend, use the internet, catch up on my blog, etc. It was nice, but I was aware of the overstaying issue, and these low-key days get boring after a while.

I had sent an email to the two CEOs of this company where I interviewed asking for more money. They responded and told me they would get back with me “soon.” I never heard another word. Here’s the email I sent:

Thank you for your time on Thursday to talk to me about your company. I am very impressed by PEC and its potential for future growth.

I am looking for a company, and a position, where I can grow professionally. Since PEC is a small company, there is considerable challenge and responsibility. The Supply Chain Manager position, for which I have applied, is very desirable for this reason. In my career so far, I have accepted roles of increased and varied responsibility as opportunities to “stretch” myself. As a quick-learner and a creative problem-solver, I have been successful in meeting any challenge.

I am also looking for a good fit. PEC seems to have a culture of “doing it right the first time” as opposed to “quick and dirty.” Similarly, I take pride in the quality of my work and always strive to deliver the right solution the first time. This cultural element, along with my previous experience in supply chain, makes this a good fit for both of us.

As you already know, my concern is the salary. From my experience, entry salary is very important to get right, as it becomes a permanent index from which all future salary increases are made. I want to be happy working at PEC, and to feel that I am getting paid what I am worth. After doing research, I believe with my qualifications and experience, I am worth at least €1200 per month (net) in Budapest, and €2000 per month (net) in Leuven.

I have been strongly considering this opportunity since Thursday. I would be excited to join the team at PEC, and I am looking at this as a career opportunity. I want to make sure that I have all the necessary information to make this decision, so I have some additional questions about the company benefits. Please let me know if PEC provides a 13th month salary, paid holidays during the first year of employment, “maaltijd cheques,” hospital insurance, a pension, or any other additional benefits.

Thank you for this opportunity. I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,
Eoin Grosch

There was a freshman welcome party in Attila’s dorm. We went to that. They had games like eating whipped cream off people, and egg fights. There was a lot of flirting between the freshmen. There was also a sad, nerd, fat guy who had whipped cream on him. He gave a desperate look around, but no one wanted to eat it off him, so he removed it with his hand. There was dancing later. That was cool, but the DJ played the same shitty drum n’ bass all the time.

I told Attila that I would be leaving the next day.  But I really didn’t know where I was going to go.  So instead, I spent time the next day figuring that out, and when Attila returned from class, he saw me again.  “I figured you’d still be here.”  Sorry dude.  I’m still here.  He didn’t mind.  It was really nice of him how he wasn’t pushing me out.  I promised him I would be leaving the next morning.  And I did.

Seeing Attila again in Budapest was one of the highlights of my trip.  Neither of us would have ever imagined that we would see each other again, and definitely not in Budapest.

Eger

When we met in Budapest, Attila immediately told me that I looked too skinny. He said that he was going to get me fat. “Just wait until we go to Eger.”

We drove to Eger, only about 90 minutes away. Kata is from the same town, and she and Attila have known each other since the 5th grade.

I met his mom, Maria. Extremely nice. Very welcoming and warm. She spoke a little English, and I had learned a few words in Hungarian, so we made a lot of simple, friendly statements. I feel like in these situations, when people can’t communicate much, they’re typically really friendly to each other, maybe even more so than if they could communicate.

I told her that Eoin is the Irish form of John. Like Janos, the Hungarian form of John. They decided to call me Janchy.  Like Johnny.

She showed me my room. She had prepared it really well and laid out a selection of drinks and fruit, so that if I had a sudden urge, I could choose freely int he privacy of my own upstairs room. In my private bathroom, she had laid out a selection of body washes and shampoos, which were equally spaced and placed at the same 30 degree angle. She even handed me a bathrobe that she had just opened and told me I could take it as a gift, if I wanted. Really kind. I only have so much space in my backpack, and a bathrobe isn’t very practical.

Attila and I sat down at the table, and his mom fed us. The main focus was getting me fat. I had a lot to eat. Her cooking was amazing. Really delicious Hungarian food.

Attila took me out to see the horse farm. He wanted to get one of the horses ready for show jumping at a local festival the next day. I met his dad, Tamas, and I was introduced as Janchy. Tamas was also a really great guy. He drilled a hole in some 1 forint coins so I could wear it around my neck. The 1 forint coin is pretty rare now, since it is practically worthless.

They have three horses. I was petting them, and started to feel some allergy. Then Tamas started cleaning one of the horses. I didn’t realize it was a bad idea for me to be around this, until I started sneezing, and then the worst thing I did was touch my eyes. My eyes flaired up and my nose got stuffed. The dander from the horses set me off. I evacuated outside, washed with water, and waited as Attila did some jumping with the horse.

We had dinner and I ate a lot again. Tamas was attentive in topping up my glass of wine. Eger wine is famous, and th ered is known as „bull’s blood.” Eger was successful in holding off the Turks in one battle. The Eger general gave his men wine t odrink. Their beards stained red with wine, the Turks thought they were strong from drinking bull’s blood.

Attila, Kata, and I went for a late night walk around Eger. It was quiet, but seemed really nice. Old buildings, a castle, and a beautiful park. We got home and I collapsed from all the food and wine.

The next day I had scrambled eggs … with paprika. A touch of Hungary. Paprika in everything. It was a good addition. Then we went to the festival in Feldbru. Lots of horses, men in black vests with feathers in their caps, women in brightly colored native dresses. A man came around with a jug of wine, filling up cups freely. I had some, and then I had a lot. Kata and I went to eat. We had a cabbage soup with meat, and I had more wine too. Then we watched some horse shows. Guys with whips and standing on horses, making horses sit, making horses walk in a weird way, etc.

Then Attila did his show jumping. Tamas changed out the beams and made them gradually higher. Attila and Whipped Cream (the horse’s name) made every jump. Pretty cool.

We left the festival after that, and then Kata, Attila, and I visited Kata’s dad in his wine cellar. We watched him as he cranked down on a lever to crush the grapes and get the juice. He gave me some wine, and then I gave him a hand with the lever.

The grape juice he gets goes into a barrel to ferment. The leftover grape mush is left to rot and then used to make palinka, a Hungarian vodka. Never any waste. It was great to see the process in action.

We returned home, and I decided to take a rest for a few minutes before dinner. I woke up three hours later. Too much wine.

The next day we went to a classic car show. I think my favorite was an old Cadillac. Maybe it was just American pride as I was in a foreign land. Reminded me of home.

Then we went to the Eger castle. I had already visited a few castles on this trip, so I wasn’t blown away. It was kind of like seeing another church, or something. But it was a beautiful structure with some interesting history, the most significant being the defeat of the Turks in the mid-1500s.

We went home and I had more food. Lots of food. This one was the first I couldn’t finish.

Before leaving for Budapest, we went up through wine fields to the second highest point in Hungary.  Only maybe 1000 meters; Hungary is pretty flat.

Budapest: Attila, Part 1

I got into Budapest and went to the McDonald’s at Astoria to meet Attila at 6:30pm. I was excited to see him. Time passed and he didn’t show up, and I started feeling stupid standing outside the McDonald’s. It doesn’t take long for me to feel stupid when I’m waiting. It was 7:05pm. I needed to use a phone. There was a young guy who was waiting for a while too, so I figured my story would make sense since I had been standing around too. I first asked him for directions to someplace. This established rapport. Then I asked if I might be able to use his cell phone to call this friend who was late. He was suspicious, but it was a local number, and he dialed it. Attila said he was on his way, and would be there in 15 minutes, max. Whatever. He showed up 20 minutes later. 7 years since we had seen each other last.

Attila looked like the same guy. And I found out he acted the same way too. Still had a really great goofy humor. Lots of talk about being comfortable. Is your comfort level satisfactory? Have I disturbed your well-being? A Hungarian living in the US picks up on some of that pampered culture, like in customer service. Are you picking up what I’m putting down?

Attila brought his girlfriend, Kata, to meet me. Kata was really cool and easy to be around. The three of us went to the CouchSurfing meeting. Attila and Kata hadn’t heard of CouchSurfing, and when they found out, they thought it was weird.

I stayed with Hans, my Austrian friend, that night. We missed the last bus, so we had to take the night bus which runs once every hour, and he was way out in Buda. I didn’t have a bus ticket, so we wasted about 500 forint putting money in this broken ticket machine. Then we had an hour layover at a connecting bus stop where we had a kebap. It took us about 2 hours to get to his place. He had an extra bed which was great, and then got stuff from the store for breakfast. Really generous. Hans turned out to be a great host.

Attila wanted me to stay with him the next night. He and Kata live in the Veternary school’s dorm. It was a small space, so I felt int he way. But I was treated really well, and Kata made some great food. They had a sleeping pad and blankets, so no problem. Perfect.

Attila coaches the Vet school’s basketball team. Apparently, the last coach quit, and no one was interested in the team except him, so he took the job. The Underdogs. I went to their practice. A ragtag bunch of misfits. During practice, Attila transformed into this other person. He was yelling at them during drills, saying how something was bullshit, and calling them ladies, etc. Strange to witness.

One day, I went with Attila to one of his vet lectures, a practical. It was a dissection of different animal parts. There were lungs, livers, intestines, and a big, hairy dog was cut wide open. It smelled awful int here. Attila’s always loved animals and has known he wanted to be a vet. He loves horses most, and his family has a horse farm in Eger. I went with them to Eger for the weekend.

As an example of the stupid humor I have with Attila, at one point I said “I’m sorry. Am I disturbing you?” Attila responded in a dominating voice, “Yes. You know what that means? You know what that means, don’t you?” And then, normally “It means that I am disturbed.”

Also, he offered to pick me up from the metro station. I said I could find my way, but he insisted “The city is too big for you. You’re too young.”

Muffin puppy.

Budapest Job Reconsidered

I got back into Budapest, and I really like this city. I happened to get another email from this place, PEC, about another position opening as a Supply Chain Manager. I don’t know what this entails, but they said it might match my experience better than the Software Development Engineer. So, I’ve got an interview on Tuesday at 9am. Logic testing too.

I got a suit from a CouchSurfer here, and some shoes from my friend, Attila. I still need to get a dress shirt.

The salary will not be good, but I think the experience would be great. I’m also feeling like I don’t want to move on from here right now. The weather is getting a little colder, so travel is slightly less appealing. Maybe I just need a little rest.

Pécs

I got into Pécs from Zagreb and my CouchSurfing host, Robert, picked me up at the train station.  Great guy.  We smoked a hookah, drank white wine, and listened to jazz.  Very posh.

The next day, I went to Bátaapáti where my ancestors lived.  But I also got to see Pécs.  Its a university town and it has a lot of history.  Romans, Turks, Austrians.  They all owned this town at one point.  It’s not on any river or big hill, but I guess it was well-positioned or something, possibly on a trading route.  Anyway, the architecture was cool, and the town really nice.

St. Peter’s, and also the Mosque Church, which was a Turkish mosque and then converted to a Christian church.

This Wall of Locks was cool.  Apparently, if you put a lock on this with someone, your bond will never be broken.  I like this idea.  And it makes for a great monument.

This fountain head was cool, and I was told that the green finish is something that is unique to Pécs; a Pécs family owns the secret recipe.  I had a great meal at a lunch cafeteria.  Stuffed peppers.  Really great Hungarian food.

Robert hosted me for two nights, and then drove me to Budapest.  Really great guy.

Bátaapáti: Family Origins

My mother’s side of the family is simple. It’s Irish. My father’s side is a little more complicated. His mother was Norwegian, and his father is German-Hungarian, among possibly other things.

“Grosch” means great or big or large. It is of German origin and was a nickname for a big, large man. In medieval times, the Groschen was a very large and valuable coin. Groschen was a word that described all thick silver coins, as opposed to thin silver coins such as pennies. Each member of the Grosch-clan, who worked at the mint, would wear a Groschen suspended from his neck with pride as a sign of his trade. Subsequent inflation reduced the value of the Groschen, and so, I believe, it also became a synonym for “worthless.”

My ancestors were Schwabs who migrated from Germany to the Hungarian frontier, in the 18th century, at the invitation of the Austrian Empress, Maria Theresa. Her strategy was to settle a buffer-zone of German-speaking peoples, friendly to her, between herself and the Turks so that they could resist any Turkish invasion on her behalf. She did not fund her invitation; the Schwabs had to fend for themselves. The economy was lousy in Schwabia, so the Schwabs were happy to leave, but they settled in sparse conditions in Hungary too, where the only practical livelihood would probably have been farming, so they were totally dependent on the bounty, or lack thereof.

From my grandfather’s research, we believe some of the Grosch family settled in Bátaapáti, Hungary. I was in Pécs, which was nearby, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit.

I took a local bus from Pécs to Bonyhád and then to Bátaapáti. There was a lot of countryside and small towns along the way. When I got there, the streets were really quiet, no one was around.

I saw an @ sign, which I’ve learned is the universal symbol for the internet. I walked in and asked the three ladies if I could use the internet; I wanted to do some Grosch research. They didn’t speak English. So I tried to explain that I was looking for people with the family name of Grosch. I took out my driver’s license and pointed to my last name, then said words like “mother” and “father,” and gestured a lot. Then they understood, and tried looking up names for me. They didn’t find anything, and didn’t know anyone. The town was small enough that if there was a Grosch, they would know him.

But Attila had done a search online and told me there was a János (John) Grosch who ran for mayor of Bátaapáti a few years ago. What happened to him?

Oh well. I walked around and took photos.

Along the way, I met a few people. One old guy was riding along on a bike and asked me something in Hungarian. I apologized and told him I only knew English. Then I tried asking him about Grosch. Same thing; he didn’t know anyone either. But he called over at a woman working in a field. She came up to me and I asked, and nothing.

Bátaapáti is a really small town with nothing going on. It was 11:30am, and I had planned to get the 2pm bus back. However, it was so boring there that I changed my mind and walked around the place quickly so I could catch the 12:30.

Most houses had a vegetable garden, so I suppose they lived off the land as much as they could. I didn’t see any sign of industry. Lots of beautifully well-kept houses, and a few ramshackle abandoned ones.

I heard later from Attila that the town of Bátaapáti is famous for agreeing to store nuclear waste for monetary compensation. Cool.

Budapest Salary

Today I talked with an HR person in the Belgian office of the company I was interested in working for in Budapest.  I asked about what I could expect for salary.  She told me that I might earn 1250 euro per month gross, and about 700 euro after taxes.  That’s ~$1000 per month net.  Abysmally low.

Plus, she told me that knowledge of programming in C would be required.  I don’t know C, but I know Visual Basic and Java, which are related object-oriented languages.  I figure I could learn C pretty quickly.  She said she’ll talk to the hiring manager and more technical people to see the feasibility of it, and if they could train me.

The work visa wouldn’t be a problem, and the job entails a lot of traveling which could be interesting, although it could also be really annoying.

Anyway, I’m not feeling as excited about it right now.  I’m not sure if $1000 per month is really worth my time.

Story: Budapest Rocktagon

One night I met up with Austrian Hans who I had met through CouchSurfing. PhD in chemistry and working temporarily in Budapest.

We went to a Heineken promotion event for Heineken ExtraCold. We had to buy a beer to get a voucher for another beer and a ticket to wait to get into the ExtraCold bus to get an ExtraCold beer. We waited for a little bit, wandered off, then came back to redeem our ExtraCold voucher. We got to wear silver ExtraCold jackets and warm hats when we went in the bus. There was cool lighting and a video show and then an ExtraCold tap with dry ice floating around. Wow!! We even got a promotion photo that I’ve finally downloaded from the ExtraCold website.

After Heineken ExtraCold, which was pretty stupid, we hung out in the center of Budapest. There was a band playing in this below-ground bar. We stood around, I acted cool. It was fun.

I think the next thing we did was the Rocktagon. Hans suggested this metal club. I thought it sounded cool. He forgot exactly where it was, but it was close to the Oktagon in Budapest. Named the Rocktagon. Great.

We finally made it there, and we had to pay a cover to get into this place. The “dance floor” was a bunch of SlipKnot t-shirts and limp hair head banging to recorded music. There was also a lot of those guitar fingers. I had my red and white striped long-sleeve French shirt on. I didn’t fit in. I just watched. Four guys in a circle, head banging towards each other and giving praise with guitar fingers and clenched fists. There were some groupie metal girls that I’m sure had been passed around. It was all a sad sight. But somehow I felt uncool. I guess it was because I was way out of place.

Hans and I had a great time though. He fit in a little better with his black leather jacket and long hair. We had some drinks and then I stumbled home.