![]() ![]() “Proper”, formal pidgin is a highly structured language. In fact, as I learned, Pidgin (which is called “Tok Pisin” in Pidgin) is the lingua franca of Papua New Guinea and without a working knowledge of Pidgin, one will not get very far. I knew from my reading that Papua New Guinea had two official languages, English and Pidgin (officially Neo-Melanesian Pidgin). Everywhere I worked, I managed to learn at least some of the local language. All of my life, I have enjoyed studying and learning new languages. Somebody hire him and put him on a plane before he changes his mind.” When they met me, the head of HR said something like, “This young fool actually wants to go to Papua New Guinea. They had been trying to get someone to go there for months and had nearly had a dozen resignations in the process. It was only later that I found out my pride may have been a little unfounded. I was just turning 24 years old when I arrived in Papua New Guinea and I was inordinately proud of myself for having been given this responsibility at such a young age. Esso Eastern, a subsidiary of Exxon Minerals, had hired me to open their copper and gold exploration office there and I was living my dream, setting off on a major career step toward the life of physical and intellectual adventure I wanted. I arrived in Papua New Guinea in September 1980, a young geologist on the adventure of his young lifetime. ![]()
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