Le Port

In addition to my work at the two high schools, I am also giving English lessons at a shipping company in Reunion Island's port. The business, C.O.R., handles much of the bulk imports that hit Reunion on a daily basis. Ships come from around the world delivering bulk grains, metals, and fuel. C.O.R. meets the vessels and is responsible for discharging the products.

I have two students, Nathalie and Thomas. Nathalie sits at the head of the organization and is responsible for most of the large managerial operations. Thomas is on the ground as the head docker and handles all of the unloading. I work with both of them, one-on-one, several times a week. The lessons are very intense but useful in their line of work as they are frequently required to speak English with crews from around the world.
Yesterday I was granted exclusive access with Thomas to board a coal ship from Russia and a grain ship from China. There is a lot of maritime language and vocabulary that I don't even know, so I am spending a lot of time doing research from my end. I spent the afternoon taking pictures and documenting all of the different types of equipment and machinery that the dockers use on a daily basis. I was even present for negotiations between one of the ship's captains and Thomas as they worked out a time line for unloading the carbon. What do you get when you combine a Creole and a Russian speaking English together? WKLJalkjskd,ndlkfja;ois;lmfnghs!

So I know that I have a lot of work to do.

Here is Thomas, my student!