They are trainees in an eight-week program at the University of Montana's School of Business Administration, eating in the university's cafeterias and sleeping in dormitories in Turner Hall.
In the future, they'll work for various port authorities in their respective countries or for the training's sponsor, APM Terminals, which operates more than 50 facilities in 31 countries.
Cars stop when you cross the road. It's easy to return a digital camera at a department store. Meats with "sweet sauce," as prepared at UM's Food Zoo, aren't common fare at home.
They noted that Missoula is safe, friendly and easy to walk around, unlike some of the large cities where they live, such as Lagos, Nigeria, or Luanda, Angola.
For some trainees, this was their first trip to America, while others have visited large U.S. cities before.
They've taken excursions, including to Yellowstone National Park, an Arlee powwow and rodeo, and a Missoula Osprey baseball game. They've also participated in a ropes course at McCormick Park, gone shopping downtown and Wal-Mart, and strolled around Missoula's farmers markets.
"For me, the biggest surprise is the security. Back home, we have to lock our cars because otherwise they'll steal your papers or radio system. Or, if you're not lucky, the whole car," said Eduardo Manuel, 29, of Angola. "Here you have enough space. It's like paradise."
He said he wanted a change after three years as a ship's second officer. He said he saw an ad in a local newspaper about the training.
"I was tired with the sea life, and I thought it was better to do something related to this on land," he said.
This is the second year APM Terminals, based in the Hague, Netherlands, has selected UM for its training program. Last year, it sponsored a similar program involving Chinese businessmen.
The company just expanded operations into Africa in January and is trying to raise the professionalism of the region in this industry, said Mike Bostwick, program director for the Montana World Trade Education Institute.
The institute landed the contract when a former colleague contacted Arnold Sherman, director of the Montana World Trade Center. Officials declined to specify the amount of the training contract with the company.
Bostwick said the trainees range in age from 23 to 50 years old. He said the 34 students were selected from more than 250 applicants. Nine trainees are women, while 25 are men.
Jeff Shay, chairman of the business school's management and marketing department, designed the curriculum for the varied work histories of the students. Some of them are new to the industry while others have 27 years of experience in terminals and manage hundreds of employees.
He said it's great for him and other professors to gain experience teaching Africans. The students hail from Angola, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria and South Africa.
"When we're teaching students about living and working in a global economy, it is important for us as professors to have exposure to this critically important region," Shay said.
The students have embarked on classes in marketing, accounting, information systems, finance, cross-cultural management and other courses.
Lisa Liguma, a 25-year-old who works in the revenue department of the Namibia Port Authority, is one of three people in the program from her country. She said she's met many Africans from other countries during the summer.
"Each country in Africa has its own culture," she said. "It's quite interesting to converse with Nigerians because I've never had the opportunity to do so before."
She described the training as "pretty balanced" and the business school teachers as "laid back."
"I thought it would be more vigorous, but people here know how to put you at ease," she said. "The teachers know how to come down to everyone's level."
Evelise Almeida, 25, of Angola said she was working in the insurance industry when she saw a newspaper ad for training by the Sogester terminal company in Luanda, Angola.
Initially, the company told applicants the training was in the United States. She had traveled to larger American cities and said she's surprised by the rural nature of Missoula.
"It's a nice city, but it is really strange to me," she said. "It's really quiet as compared with New York City and Chicago. The people are really friendly here and they are always smiling at you."
She and other students said the days are long, with six hours of classes and about four hours of projects and studying in the library each night.
Almeida said she's adapting to the food, especially the blandness and the "sweet sauces" added to chicken and other meats.
Patrick Idemudia, 28, said he's worked with APM for about two years and is a cargo control supervisor in Lagos. He said he was "drafted" to come here for the training.
"I came here expecting it would be about ports, ports, ports," he said. "But I've also learned about marketing, accounting, cross-cultural management and other business aspects."
He described Missoula as "serene," a stark contrast to Lagos, one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
"To be honest, things work here," he said. "People are quite timely. It is one of the things I'll take back with me."
He said he was surprised to be staying in the dorms, "but that is why we are here - learning to adapt."
The organizers are adapting, too. Some of the cultural differences they encountered were a request to lower a bed, which was too high off the ground for one student. Several students balked at signing liability waivers for the ropes team-building course.
"We sign these waivers all the time, but Mike and an APM supervisor had to go on the ropes course first to show it was safe," said program administrator Alyce Krantz.
Robert Tetteroo, general training manager for APM, said about 28 students will have a two-week training session in Charleston, S.C. He said six Kenyans will return to their home ports because of staff shortages in the country.
And three-quarters of the students will receive on-the-job training after the academic classes.
"I'm very positive at this moment on how this program is running," Tetteroo said.
He said he even hiked up to the "M" this week, which the Netherlands resident said was "quite a job."
Shay said the program also is great "training wheels" for the business school's Gilkey Center for Executive Education. Groundbreaking for the center is scheduled for October for the $5.1 million building, which will add onto the existing structure.
He said he hopes there will be more training in the future from APM's operations in China, Africa or elsewhere.
"We're hoping it is part of a long-term relationship," Shay said.
Reporter Pamela J. Podger can be reached at 523-5241 or at pamela.podger@missoulian.com.
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