hong kong, china

I participated in the Citi International Case Competition located in Hong Kong, China, with three other McCombs School of Business students. Although we didn't win the competition, I had an amazing experience during my first visit to Asia!


View from Victoria Peak by night.


View from Victoria Peak at sunrise.


Victoria Harbour.


The Peninsula Hotel.

My handsome teammates - Hunter, Thomas, Paul - and myself.

Citi provided a wonderful luncheon located in their downtown office building on the top floor. The food was great and so was the view!

Hong Kong population 7M.

View of the South China Sea from our dorm room at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Himalayas.

krakow, poland

Last Thursday we took a night train from Prague to Krakow, Poland. We arrived early in the morning to the surprise of 30 degrees Fahrenheit! I guess that's something I'm going to have to adjust to quickly.

On Friday, we visited the UNESCO protected Wieliczka Salt Mine. The mine contained the largest underground cathedral in the world, spanned over 300 kilometers, and was located 327 meters below the ground. The sculptures were so neat, all completely made of rock salt!

"The Last Supper" carved out of salt in St. Kinga's Chapel.

The stairs going down into a lower level of the salt mine.


Saturday, we had more of a somber visit to Auschwitz and Berkinau concentration camps. The trip was definitely something that will stay with me forever.

Sunday, we visited Krakow's Jewish Quarter Kazimierz for breakfast and then walked around the city. We came across the Wawel Castle, St. Mary's Basilica, Cloth Hall in the Main Market Square, Church of St. Wojciech, and many other beautiful buildings.

Church of St. Wojciech.

"Eros Bendato" by Igor Mitoraj.

St. Mary's Basilica.

View of the Vistula River from the Wawel Castle.

Wawel Cathedral within Wawel Castle.

stromovka park.

Today I went to an area of town I had yet to visit. We went to the beautiful Stromovka Park with a breathtaking view of the city and river from Letna Hill. The lookout point used to house the largest statue in the world, but because it was honoring the Soviet Communist chief Josef Stalin they destroyed it in 1962 using explosives. Now, the site houses the Prague Metronome and a pavillion that was being used by skateboarders during our visit.

We also came across the Julius Zeyer statue and a new view of the castle.

Prague Castle.

Julius Zeyer statue (famous Czech poet).

View of Prague from Letna Hill.

dancing house and other discoveries.

I went out tonight to see the "Dancing House", one of the famous modern artworks in Prague. While strolling about, I found the Slavonic Monastery Emauzy Klaster and a really neat statue near Charles Park.

Emauzy Klaster with glimpse of a war memorial on the right.

Palacky Statue.

Dancing House.

pilsnerfest - plzen, czech republic

The University organized a day trip to Plzen, CZ where the Pilsner Brewery is located. Fortunately, the trip fell during their annual PilsnerFest - celebrating the company with beer tents, live music, and native cuisine.

We ventured around Plzen and also had a tour of the brewery and museum.

Beer fermenting.

My friend Amy and I standing next to a barrel that once held 8,000 liters.

Building in Plzen city centre.

vltava river boat cruise.

The University organized a boat cruise along the Vltava River for the international students. It was a great time and really neat to see more of Prague at night. It really made me possess a greater appreciation for the wonderful city I currently live in!

Charles Bridge

Vysehrad

oktoberfest - munich, germany

I traveled to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany for 3 days, 2 nights with three girls from New Zealand. We met people from all over the world and had a great time! We also explored Munich and enjoyed seeing all of the beautiful buildings around the city.

Welcome to Oktoberfest!


The view from the ferris wheel - they were predicting 6 million people to attend the festival this year!


Church right outside the festival grounds.


New Town Hall steeple with Marian column.

Frauenkirche.