Boyd MacIntyre's Story
The International program was an incredible experience! I would highly recommend it to all cadets at NSCC. I learned so much about different cultures, travelling abroad, how to communicate with others (when English is not their first language), and developed a deeper understanding of the marine industry.
The week I spent in Hamburg was filled with cool adventures and so many learning experiences. We were given a tour of the city as soon as we arrived on Sunday. Monday, we were introduced to the students and staff at BS27, the school in Hamburg in the exchange program. We then went to see the port traffic centre and met a pilot, who explained in depth, what he does and told us about the port of Hamburg. Then we visited a break bulk cargo company and their port. They showed us how their cargo is stored, loaded/unloaded from ships and how many different types of cargo they ship.
Tuesday, we participated in shop classes with the students of BS27 and saw a little of what they learn in their course. We got to participate in their rope work class and their engine shop class. Then after class, the students and staff that will be coming to Canada for their International program, invited all of us out to dinner.
Wednesday, we got to shadow each student for BS27 that will be coming to Canada on their exchange. We got to see what a work day looks like for each one of the students at their company. Thursday, they took us on a 3 hour ferry ride to the Island of Helgoland. On this island, we got to see some structures left over from World War II and got to tour the ferry's bridge and engine room. Friday, we got to visit one of the container terminals in Hamburg, where we were taught how the container operation works. It was interesting to see the complexity of the container terminals. There are so many moving parts to make sure all the containers get to the right place and on time. Then we got to go to a container packing company. We got to see them receive products to be shipped via trucks and then they would categorize the products based on where they were to be shipped to, then we watched them pack the containers. Then we got to see a coffee trading company. We got to see the whole process step by step. We saw how they check the quality of the coffee beans when receiving, then how they transfer the coffee beans from the sea can into the coffee silo. The next step was the cleaning process for the beans, then how the beans are bagged for the customers.
Thank you to all the students and staff at BS27 for being extremely welcoming and for looking after us really well all week. I couldn't have asked for a better international experience, it was above and beyond what I expected!