Stay Gold

Kaming, your comment made me realize that I haven’t updated since visiting the gold mine that made it possible for me to come volunteer in China.  As that volunteer opportunity has now come to an end and I have moved on to the next stage of my journey, it seems high time to get all of [you] caught up!

So yes, my coworker and I went to visit the gold mine that sponsored this teacher-training program.  Looking back, I’m not really sure what I expected.  I think half of me was hoping to find plush accommodations and excellent imported western food while the other half expected a big hole in the ground.  The latter was more correct. 

There were a lot of other things that surprised me though.  For one thing, the company has done an excellent job of emphasizing on the job safety.  When my coworker and I were picked up from our hotel for the two hour long (very very bumpy) ride to the mine itself, we were told explicitly to buckle our seatbelts (for those not in the know, seatbelts are not commonly worn here and though I always try my best to buckle up, I don’t think I have ever been told to do so).  As we rode in other cars throughout the day, we realized that this was one of the many safety policies for all employees, along with: no talking on your cell phone and driving at the same time (of which I am a big supporter!).  Another thing that surprised me was that sections of the mine were being “recycled” and used for farming.  Some things they grew and used at the mine’s cafeteria, which was pretty tasty, and others they donated to the local villages.  Below is a picture of me with a giant pumpkin that they grew on site.

 The open pit part of the mine really does just look like a large dirt clearing with lots of buildings on it.  The entrance to the underground portion looked like a train tunnel.  We didn’t get to go down there, and that was fine with me.  Our guide said his ears always hurt when he has to go down that far.  The working hours here interested me as well.  The mine runs 24-7, but the hours each person puts in seem pretty reasonable.  Everyone works 8 hour days, and the miners are on a 15 days on, 15 days off work schedule, office workers have something similar, but it might be 20 on and 10 off.  The last thing that surprised me was how much gold actually comes out of the mine.  We were told that, with the refining processes that are used at this mine, they can get about 80% of the gold out of the ore, which is apparently higher than other mines.  However, this mine only seems to have about 5g of gold per ton of earth.  It seems like a too much effort to me… 

 We didn't actually see any gold during the trip, but this pile of dirt above is apparently the part that actually has gold in it.

 Our handsome tour guide...

After our tour we had a nice cold beer in a “bar” at the mine.

 I promise to post soon about my last week of teaching and current exploits!