Flashback into the Miner's world

Believe me when I say that beneath the earth is another world of its own. A world that could make or break you. A world where you hear a crack of the wall and you start to recite your last prayer. The squeak sound of a mouse would make your adrenaline pour heavily. A world where you go in with your white garment and come out in black.

My journey with other interested exchange students into exploring the Miners world was quite thrilling and adventurous. On this faithful Thursday morning we started our journey by visiting the residential area of one of the Pole's most respected profession, Miners.

A beautiful sunny day ;)

My exchange mates and I had a walk in the Nikiszowiec district of Katowice where the Polish economy builders lived during their committed service by doing one of the world's most dangerous jobs. The district has a unique architectural design built with red bricks for approximately 1000 workers which also include the availability of a school, a church, a post office, an hospital, a bakery, a swimming pool and a police station.

A world of international students :)

After seeing what the Miners world look like above the earth, we proceeded to see some of what the Miners experience beneath the earth. We headed for the museum of coal mine in Zabrze where we had a trip of 320 metres beneath the earth...awesome! :D

Students wearing a Miner's helmet before going underground.

Remember safety is the watch word when going underground. Each of us were given a Miner's helmet as our head protector because the height in the coal mine is quite short and the easiest accident anyone could have is to hit his or her head against a metal or even when there is a shake beneath the earth one could have stones drop on his or her head. Therefore having the Miner's helmet on is very essential.

Still smiling :D

    
I remember that not only was the helmet essential for the Miners but also the usefulness of wearing a white shirt as a visibility sign. Back in the days of the Miners they didn't have access to electricity and all they could use was lamps and the use of white shirts when working underground.

A hard labourer :(

Respect a Miner when you see one.

Well the story wasn't so smooth for we tourist as well because we got to a point where we had to almost crawl on our knees for about 5-10 mins beneath the earth. :(

It wasn't funny :(

Me smiling just for the photo pose :p

Nevertheless, it was a great experience for me and I guess for other students as well...Before having such tour beneath the earth, I have never had any thoughts about the Miners and how dangerous their job could be. But after living in the Miners world for almost two hours, my respect for them as grown so much and I really admire their courage and discipline.

Finally, we all made it out alive ;)