To breathe fresh air...

Ok, ok so I know you're not my students and therefore I can't give you homework, BUT Potosí, Bolivia... look it up! Use wikipedia, encyclopedia, google, Ben (the walking knowlege source), or whatever... but look it up. I never knew.

Let me preface by saying that Potosí almost didn't even make my list for Bolivia... I have Lonely Planet to thank for my stop here. They made the tours of the silver mines sound like an adventure I just couldn't pass up and said it was one of the top five things not to miss in Bolivia. SO, I arrived at 2 am with quite a nasty cold, not to mention is was a very cold 6 hour local bus ride, and ended up paying way too much for a hostel... not usually the best first impression of a city. However, the next morning after sleeping in, breakfast, and a shining sun... I was on my way to discover a city that I quickly gained a respect and deep curiousity for. Now, those of you who know me, know that history has never really been my thing... SO, for the historical nature of a city to peak my curiosity is saying a lot.
Everything I read about this city, how it was in it's time bigger than London, Paris, and New York, how it was one of the richest cities in the world, and how the Spainards and later the Bolivians exploited millions of indigenous workers/slaves... just made me keep saying "how did I never learn about this place in school?"
After spending all day yesterday exploring what turns out to be a really beautiful cool city, with as many beautiful churches as it has corners seemingly... I found a much better cheaper hostel (right across the street from the first one, go figure) and signed up for my tour of the mines. Now, not only do they make you read about every terrible accident that could happen but they also make you sign your life away, literally (it's making me start to wonder just how many times I've done that this trip)! :) But, none the less I was excited.
Once again I have to acknowledge Lonely Planet, normally I don't like to be such a guidebook follower but in this case they were right on, they mentioned an American made documentary that in 2005 had won many awards and suggested viewing it... it's called Devil's Miner. This great hostel that I am now staying at has a showing of it every night, so last night I made my pasta dinner and plopped down to watch. What an eye opener. It basically follows the story of a 14 year old boy miner and through his eyes explains SO much of the seeminly unexplainable about this town, the mysterious (or not so) mountain or silver looming over it, and its people. I've included a youtube link to the trailer if you are so inclined to check it out, but you should really try to find the actual documentary if you're interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqk-Scp6Lw8. Also, you can imagine my feelings watching this the night before I was to venture into the very tunnels of that mountain.
This morning, we were divided into three groups... since I could speak Spanish they put me with the French couple and the Spanish speaking guide. After getting all decked out in our gear, we were taken to the miner's market to buy soda, cigarettes, alcohol, coca leaves, and dynamite to take as gifts to the miners. It was an interesting experience and I chewed my first coca leaves! I chose to take some soda and dynamite (after all I wanted to see the explosion... and here it's completely legal to buy). After that it was up to the mine... up, up, and up the mountain, named Cerro Rico, or literally Rich Hill. As we were preparing to enter the tunnel, I started to realize my French companions (in their fifties) may not have been up for the challenge that was to come. I was right. We got about 15 minutes in and the lady couldn't handle it. It's small, it's dirty, it's ridiculously hard to breathe, it gets hotter as you go, and you have to constantly be careful of carts coming down the track to jump out of the way... afterall it is a working mine. So, after ditching those two, it was just the guide and I - I guess that meant he thought he could move at a faster pace and that he did. Shimmying down some 70 meters or so in little tunnels, wooden ladders, crawling around meeting people, blowing up dynamite, and the shimmying back up those three "stories" of the mine... whew! Let's just say that even with a hankercheif mask and being in the gas safe areas etc. breathing still seemed to be optional! I don't have athsma, clostrophobia, or anything, but at times I just wanted out to BREATHE FRESH AIR!
That begs the question, how do they do it? Some of them 12 hours a day down there, 6 days a week!?!?! One starts to understand why the work expectany of a miner is only 10 years. In fact, they say call it "the mountain that eats men," a nickname well deserved due to its suspected "consumption" of 8 million lives to date. There were years of forced labor to exploit the silver and now it doesn't seem a whole lot better, as the people here don't feel like they have any choice but to work there.
When it was time to set off our dynamite stick, I was introduced by my guide to Gabriel, he was 15 years old. As he wrapped, arranged, placed the fuse, and lit the dynamite, I couldn't help but think, this is a CHILD. After the big boom (and it was... no doubt about that), we (my guide and I) sat down in the rubble to chat with Gabriel. I asked him if he studied as well as worked in the mine. He said he used to be able to study... said he'd been working in the mine with his older brother for two years. You could hear in his voice that he wished he could still study. I asked him if he got lonely and he said he had gotten used to the work, so not anymore. He wouldn't look up from picking at the soda bottle I had given him, he never smiled...when I thanked him for his time, wished him to continue working with God on his side, and told him to keep dreaming... he looked into my eyes and I thought my heart might break right in half in that very moment. They were possibly the saddest 15 year old eyes I have ever seen. He looked broken... where was his boyish spirit? He looked as if he might cry himself and simply said, "yeah thanks, bye."
Scooting and climbing my way out of that boy's hole in the middle of gigantic mountain, I couldn't concentrate, I couldn't focus... all I could think about was again "what now?" This is why I'm here... to learn about a people, a culture, a life that is not my own. After all, is what I do, teaching, work? Not after seeing what these young (and old) men do everyday to support their families. The options I have in my life, are unfathomalbe to these guys. The obligations I've had in my life, ie: to study, are long lost dreams for them. I don't want to help I just want it to be different... I want to care! I want to care about what's happening here STILL.
It was as we were on our way out when my guide said "Kate, I know you said you'd done some volunteer work and now is your time to travel, but I just thought I'd mention that I've started and English program for miners or ex-miners who want to become guides... it's a kind of eco-tourism course. Is there anyway you'd be interested in volunteering to teach English for a while?" At first I was just like, no I can't... I don't have time. I have plans, to travel, to see more, to do more... wait a minute to DO more - hmmmmm.... so I just took his email address and said I'd think about it but I wasn't sure it would work out.
So to all of you who responded to my post asking "WHAT NOW GOD?" thank you for reminding me that God PUTS whats next in our path. I went back to my hostel, asked to stay on another night (as I was planning on moving on tonight), and emailed my new friend telling him I was interested and we needed to talk some more about the details. I still don't know if this will come through, but if it does, what an amazing opportunity it would be. It's a gorgeous old city, a kind-hearted people, and a terrible situation for which we are looking for solutions.... maybe, just maybe I could be a small part of the solution!
Until soon,
kate (awarmas= a bird in Achuar... trying to go where He is sending me)