In the office: My Grandpa, Magdala, Monika, me, and Ann
From my first few blogs it really seems as though I’m not attending any school. Your hypothesis is half correct. In the final two weeks of January I only have three lectures, so I returned from Lille to attend my only class of the week. After finishing my class at 11:15 I received Facebook messages and emails from three employees, Ann Szyrmer, Monika Piskorek and Magdalena Domagala, at my grandfather’s manufacturing facility in Kakolewo, Poland. I was only reachable through Facebook, as I still had not had the opportunity to put more credit on my phone. All worked out very well though; my grandfather as well as Monika and Magda invited me to come join in on their celebrations for the 18th anniversary of the company and a tour of Kan-Bud production facility for modular structures.
By mid-afternoon, I had received a ticket to fly the next morning from Frankfurt Main to Lezno. So, I unpacked my dirty clothes from Lille and repacked my bag yet again.
Budma International Construction Fair
My timing could not have been more perfect for this trip to Poland. No staying overnight without a hotel room or missing trains etc. Everything went very smoothly and I was met by my grandpa in the Lezno airport. What I didn’t know was that upon arrival, we would be attending Budma, the International Construction Fair held from January 19-22, 2010.
I was very impressed with their world class conference center. Everything was very modern and set up to facilitate some extremely large trade shows. The conference grounds were somewhat of a mirage among the other buildings in the city though. Many buildings are covered with soot, due to the fact that coal is burned for heating purposes. However, Lezno is undergoing huge infrastructure changes to facilitate a large soccer championship; definitely a city with great character and a desire to be in the global spotlight.
From the conference it was a two hour drive to my grandfather’s house located directly on the Kan-Bud plant grounds in Kakolewo. He lives in Canada and is only in Poland a few times a year but prefers to have his house on site. This way, when he is in Poland, his full attention can be directed toward the company. After a long day of traveling, I finished dinner with my grandparents and tucked in early to prepare for the party of a lifetime.
Well rested the following morning, I had a chance to put my party pants on. I really wanted to make sure that I represented Canada and university students well. This was not a problem. Arguably, this was one of the best parties I have ever been too. Firstly, I need to note that the party was set up similar to a Polish wedding. So it isn’t your typical night out at the club but a more formal event.
Anyhow, the evening starts with the person who is throwing the party greeting everyone at the door. There is food and drink sitting on the table and some music playing just in the background. Once everyone has piled into the wonderfully decorated hall it is time for a drink and some appetizers. The appetizers were all kinds of different salads. These were not leafy salads but shaved carrot and potato salads.
The many plates of food- Golonka is found at the top left of the picture
The Dance Floor
Following the first shot of vodka everyone leaves their seats and dances to the first song. Whether you are ninety or five you get up for the first song; as well as probably every song after too. In this case there was a live band. They played three or four songs and then the music wrapped up. Terribly confused I was hauled off the dance floor. Now everyone has another shot and eats the main course; which is composed of Golonka (Pig knee; or Polish for really tender delicious meat if you’re in to trying new things), salmon, and many kinds of chicken (breaded, stuffed, and grilled). Time for another shot and some more dancing. The music stops again for a shot and more food. This cycle continues till after dessert and a midnight snack.
I really enjoyed the fact that there were pauses in the music for drinking, eating, and talking. There are probably three reasons to enjoy these pauses. One, you don’t ever feel drunk or tired of sitting. Two, you don’t have to yell at the person sitting next to you and you actually talk to people. Three, you don’t get a cold or a sore throat from going outside to have a conversation with someone. All in all, it was a great party and I hope to replicate something like this when I get home and throw a party. I really had a great time with the very proud, friendly, and outgoing people that I met in Kakolewo, Poland.
The dessert
