GLOSSARY
Peru glossary

Victor

(PERU 12)

Sex	male
Age	old
Occupation	retired miner
Location	Huaracayo, Yauli region
Date	1995

transcript

Section 1	We are with Victor Patilongo from the community of Huaracayo, located in the region of Yauli. He's retired now, he has worked in several mining companies including the Cerro de Pasco Corporation's smelter in La Oroya. Later he worked for Santander for 33 years. We are going to talk to Don Victor about aspects of his life that stand out.
	What was life like before in your community? Just the same I think. In the old days in the community you had to work on the farms, sometimes you had to go up into the mountains to plant things.
	*Your mother and father were comuneros* (registered community members with rights and responsibilities)?** Yes, they were comuneros. My mother use to plant and cultivate and when there was cane, the community didn't rest. They worked very hard in the community in those days. As far as I can remember, that's what it was like before.
	Did they also rear animals? Yes, that's right.
	Did they just do it for consumption or did they also sell them? No, just for consumption, for our own consumption and some others as well.
	Didn't they sell anything? No. In those days nobody bought anything. People survived just from what they had in the house. We had our own animals. Each comunero had at least 20 sheep and cows too. My father, for example, had lots of cows in 1940, over 30. To have less than 30 was very rare.
	Did he sell them? Generally they were eaten. Occasionally he sold a bull or a cow. That's what it was like before. We didn't sell things like we do now that everything is commercialised.
	How did he get the money to buy salt for example, sugar or other basic necessities? He sold sacks of maize in Junin, in San Pedro de Cajas. People would buy them or they would exchange them for potatoes. They also took black salt back in those days, black salt. Commerce didn't exist in those days.
Section 2	So you practically didn't need money? In those days money was not well known, only the centavos (cents, old currency), that's all. They were like the 20 centimos (cents, new currency) we have today and when they needed to buy seeds they would pay with that. They would use them to go shopping in town. Half a centavo, there were also some centavos like the 50 centimos of today. But, as far as I can remember money was not really necessary. It's not like now that everything is sold, everything is commercialised.
	What other activities did they carry out? They also wove and sewed. My father was a weaver. He used to weave and make clothes. Wool was used to make rustic fabric. It was woven separately. Black wool would be separated, they would prepare the wool, weave it and make trousers, shirts and jackets. In those days they were better than tailors. People didn't wear trousers like these, only mountain trousers.
	Did you like living in those days? No. As time went by and one became older, one wanted to dress up. People were at least wearing shoes by then so one had to go out. There was no entertainment or places where one could work independently so, in this way, we all wanted to go to other places.
	Did all the young people think the same? No, we didn't know.
	And until what age did you stay in the community? Until I was 20, that's all. At 20 years old, or 19 I think, I went to Lima. I wanted to be a driver.
	Did you go on your own or did you have to get permission from your parents? No, you had to leave on your own accord.
	So, did you upset your father? We would leave at night, not in the day. We had to go out at night to look for some money to leave with.
	How long were you in Lima for? I was looking for work in Lima for a month but I didn't find anything. Lima was very clean. It was just the city centre that's all, not a huge city like it is now.
	Aside from being a driver. What other work did you want to do? I wanted to work as a mechanic in a garage, a car mechanic.
	But your speciality was farming, raising livestock, you probably even learned how to knit through your father. No, no he never taught us how to knit, he didn't teach any of us boys, he only taught us to work on the farm with the animals, that's all.
Section 3	How many weavers were there in the village? In those days my father was the only one, there use to be a lot of weavers but now there aren't any.
	So you haven't inherited your father's experience in weaving? There are four boys in the family but none of us have done it. He didn't teach us how to weave.
	And how was work organised in the fields? My father gave the orders and told us where to plant and then when there was some left for sale he would sell it. None of us had a hand in it nor could we say what was to be sold. He owned everything. If he wanted he could sell everything, he didn't let us divide it up. We also raised animals and if he wanted to sell them, he sold them.
	You were right to decide to go to Lima then? That's right, to go and look for work. I saw some young people from Lima coming out from a restaurant and then I made a decision. I just went to find out what it was like in Lima.
	And what did your brothers say? They didn't want to come.
	So they stayed there. Are they still there now? Yes, they stayed there, there's just one there now the other two are no longer living.
	Did they all get married there? They got married and they kept the farm.
	You didn't even have girlfriends in Huaracayo, did you? I used to have girlfriends when I went to the fiestas (festivals, celebrations), that's all.
	So did you fall in love with a girl from your community? No, I had no interest in staying there.
	How much land did you have? In those days we had quite a lot of land
	About how many hectares? We had 10 or 20 but it had to be split up among all my brothers. It was all inherited and that's all we have.
	From your uncles? That's right. For example we just have a plot that is planted that's all.
	Were your grandparents also from Huaracayo? No they weren't, I don't remember where they were from, they had a little house that's all, they didn't have land or anything.
Section 4	And your grandmother? My grandmother was from Huaracayo, yes.
	And have you spoken to your grandmother? Not really, we were just little boys.
	Hasn't your grandmother told you any stories? No, she didn't tell us anything, she didn't tell us anything about the war with Chile.
	You've spoken very little with your grandmother? Very little.
	But you've met your maternal and paternal grandparents? Yes, I've met them.
	Who are your parents most like, your grandfather or your grandmother? My father is more like my grandmother.
	Where did your father learn to weave, did he learn from your grandfather, do you know anything about this? We don't know how my father learnt to weave, where he got it from.
	When you were young and you began to look around you must have seen your father weaving? Yes, I use to see him weaving blankets.
	Since you were a small boy? Yes. The bad thing is he never taught us how to weave blankets, only how to knit ponchos (South American woollen jacket). I tried to knit a part but after that they would send us more and more to the farm. When we were a bit older they would send us off and tell us to care for the cows and sheep.
	And when you went to Lima and you didn't find work, how did you feel? When I didn't find work in Lima, I left.
	How did you feel? I had to find work, I had no choice, you see.
	Did you have a family then or not? I didn't have any family, I was single.
	Where did you live? What did you do? I lived with a friend, I was staying with him there.
	So the capital didn't treat you very well then? Not very well, but not that bad either.
Section 5	Would you have liked to have stayed in Lima? Of course, if I had managed to get work in Lima, but as I didn't manage, I came back.
	And what did Lima seem like to you, was it a radical change in your life? I imagine that it wasn't at all like the life in the community? No, it wasn't the same at all. In comparison to my village, Lima was another thing altogether and it wasn't like it is now. Now I have returned and it's not like it was before, it has changed as well. You see Lima was beautiful, very clean, not like it is now, but I wasn't use to it. Above all I never managed to get work and I returned quickly to the centre.
	Didn't you become ill in Lima? No, I came back in May or June of 1949 or 1950, here again I had to look for work, and so I was moving around and looking for work.
	And didn't you think of returning to your village? Yes, but not because it excited me. I didn't want to return to my village, so for a while I went from one place to another. That's how I came to work in La Oroya.
	What was your first job in La Oroya? In the smelter, I went into the plant.
	What did you do there? Minerals, that's to say I burned minerals and went down the shafts.
	How did they treat you? In those days the work was very hard, extremely hard. The gringos (westerners, foreigners, in this context North Americans who ran/owned the mines) use to make us work for them from 8 in the morning to 8 at night. We would work 12 hours every day. So it was tough. It wasn't like it is now where you work in shifts for less hours.
	And they just paid you for one day? Eight hours no more. They paid us as if we were working just eight hours, no more, despite the fact that, as I said, we worked for a lot more. But, the workers had no rights for these kind of things and the gringos took advantage of this.
	And didn't you protest together with the other workers? The people couldn't protest in those days, because if you did then they quickly sacked you, that's what it was like.
	Didn't you talk about this with your colleagues? Yes, we talked, but that's all. In those days there was no union.
	There wasn't any union? Not in those days, no. They created one more recently, in 1955. There have been a lot of accidents. You had to look after yourself there because if not you would have an accident.
Section 6	And did your work in the smelter change your life? Of course it did. At first I wasn't accustomed to it, because it was very hard and the fumes bothered me and the work and the heat and all that.
	What were the fumes like in the smelter? They used a lot of iodine more than anything because it was the worst area. The worst acid - arsenic - was used there. It fell like flour, it was the worst and in those days there wasn't much protective equipment.
	What did they give you- overalls etc? Did they give you protective gear? Hardly anything, they barely gave us a pair of gloves. They didn't even give us shoes and we had to buy the overalls ourselves. In those days the trousers were blue, but then the Cerro de Pasco company sent green overalls.
	Do you remember when they built the high chimney? Of course, they finished building the chimney more or less in 1955.
	Were you already working there? Yes, I was, señor.
	And what did it mean to you to go to work for the Cerro de Pasco Corporation? Did it change your life when you became a metalworker? Yes, of course it did, mainly because it was my first job and in those days it wasn't easy to find work. I had tried to find work in several places and the work in the Cerro de Pasco Corporation offered security; people knew that at the Cerro de Pasco Corporation you at least had a salary and so I ended up with a fixed salary, at least. That's how it was...
	And what other things changed in your life? Those things, that's all.
	Did you live alone in La Oroya? Yes, well at first I lived alone, because the company only gave houses to people who were married and had families. I didn't have a house at first and I lived in a room in a pension (boarding house). I lived on my own, sharing with a few colleagues, until I got married.
	You got married when you were working in La Oroya? How did it go? Well, I met my wife there and we got married after a while.
	Did your wife come from a different place or did she come from La Oroya? My wife was from Jauja, a little settlement a bit further down, but we met here and got married here....her father was a miner as well.
Section 7	It's common for people from different mining families to get married, isn't it? Yes, of course, it is very common because everyone lives in a camp or in the same city. As you know, almost everyone in La Oroya is a miner's family.
	I imagine you felt less lonely when you got married and started a family? Yes, of course, that's what happened - we had a family, that's what happened.
	And did you continue living in La Oroya? At first we did of course, but not later.
	Why not? What happened? The work in the smelter was very hard and it was hazardous to one's health and that began to affect me...especially because I worked in the furnace...
	Did you work in the furnace for a long time? I worked there more or less eight months, that's all, and my skin broke out in little spots. I had to spread some cream all over myself because my skin became all red. Some creams, like the one made from yant, a herbal medicine, gave me some relief.
	Did you get the cream from the company or from the Ministry of Health? From the company. Everyone was coming out in those spots like some sort of skin disease and our skin would peel off.
	And is that why you left La Oroya? Yes, that's why I left La Oroya. At first I returned every fortnight but it was no use and, since I was afraid of getting skin cancer, mange, or whatever else, I left.
	And didn't the people protest? Yes, we were protesting not just for our benefit, but for our children. It affected everything - even the calamine rooftops didn't last, they would burn up as if a car were on fire. They would get ruined quickly. That's why the entire population started protesting.
	Didn't the workers ever strike? No, nobody wanted to protest at first because they were afraid they would be sacked and left jobless. That's what use to happen. People would protest but they never went as far as striking for fear of losing their jobs. Others would just move to other places.
	There wasn't a labour union or anything? None, there wasn't anything.
	During the three years you were there wasn't there a labour union? There was no union. When I first started work there was no union. They only organised the unions recently, only in the '60s.
	How many years have you worked there, three or four? Three years more or less. The truth is I never managed to finish the fourth year.
Section 8	You told us you were already married at that time, did you have children? Yes, I did. I had a wife and I had a son in 1953; I already had a son.
	So, where did you and your family go to from there? After I resigned we went to Jauja, to my wife's village, where we stayed for about eight months looking for work so we could settle down there, but it didn't work out. The expenses were more than what we got for our work
	What did you do in Jauja? We had some land, a good piece of land, and we planted crops; we cultivated potatoes, we grew good potatoes for sale, but in those days there were no buyers, it was difficult to sell. This was a problem at that time. I said to my wife that wasn't for me. I told her that I would go to look for work and so I went.
	How long did you work there for? Like I said about eight months, maybe a little more but it wasn't as much as a year. After that I went back to La Oroya, once again, to try my luck and to see what I could do. I worked at a bakery for a while but the wage wasn't enough to live on - I earned very little money.
	And at that stage did you ever think about returning to your village? No señor, I didn't want to return.
	Not even for a visit, to see your family? No.
	And why do you think that you didn't want to return to your family? I'm not sure. I just thought it wasn't the right moment. That's how it was.
	A year, and afterwards? After that I went to Santander. I worked there for three months. It was so cold by the cordillera (mountain range) at the time because I went there in June, more or less, when winter was starting. October wasn't to bad and November wasn't either. In December the winter began and the fog began to set in. It would take a car about two hours to get from La Oroya to Santander.
	And did you take your wife to Santander? Well yes, it took us two days. From there, we had to catch a lift to Alpamarca and my wife would say, "Let's go, let's just go."
	Did your wife have authority? My wife was very strong, when she said let's go you had to follow, to obey. What else could I do? I just kept my head down and obeyed her....ha, ha!
	And how were things in Santander? Well, it was quite cold there, it was on a mountain plateau, over 4000 metres above sea level, and it was as cold as ice, I tell you, especially in June, July and August. It also rained; the climate - the conditions - were very harsh. Because of all the nearby lakes the atmosphere was cold. Can you imagine how cold it was in the cordillera?
Section 9	And what did you do, what work did you do? Well, I worked at the Santander company which belonged to some Spaniards - they were the bosses. We worked on big projects, setting up the concentrator and building different facilities for the camp near the lake.
	Near the lake? Yes, that's right. We drained the lake to set up the facilities.
	How was the lake drained? Where did they put all the water? The water drained into a gorge and from there it went to the valleys and to Santa Cruz.
	Which river did all this end up in? Here up to Canta, you see it's a gorge.
	What's the lake called? It was called Santander, like the village.
	Draining the lake damaged nature, were you conscious of that? That's right, you are right, but you know that where the captain gives the order the sailor doesn't and the bosses ordered us to do that.
	And was this the only lake in the area or were there others? No, it wasn't the only one, there were others, there were three in total.
	And did they drain all three lakes? Just two that's all, one remains. That lake is still here.
	And why did they drain the lakes? To be able to work, because, if they didn't, the engineers said that they wouldn't be able to work in the area. At least that's what they said. I wouldn't be able to give you the exact technical details... There were minerals in the lake though - it was like black earth, but there was silver in it...
	In both lakes? In both. They drained them because they had minerals in them.
	Didn't those lakes fill the streams, weren't they useful? There were also streams on the way which irrigated the land and took water to all the communities in the area. There were many streams. There were even hot springs here in the region in a little village called Barrios.
Section 10	Where was the water diverted to? The water from the two drained lakes went to the third lake. They also dug channels in order to drive the water to the valleys below. Where there wasn't much silver left, they removed zinc from the rocks. That's what happened.
	When did people start working there? The Spaniards must have worked there since 1940, more or less - perhaps before - but I started after I left La Oroya. In those days there were only 40 workers. They were from here, locals, and also from Huancavelica and Mucub - from those places. The work increased and grew and there were 600 workers in the company.
	When you arrived, did you mix with people of the area, with any of the communities? Yes, but some [workers] were from the area and through them we got to know everything about the communities. They told us that it was very different before we started extracting minerals. The communities didn't want their pastures to be damaged.
	And did it affect the grass? Yes, it damaged it.
	Have you seen it? Yes, because the grass has changed colour...
	How did the grass change? The grass no longer has the herbs that were good for the sheep that's why the community didn't want the company to occupy more land or extend their waste. Once, when the people were demanding that the company stop occupying more land, they knocked down part of the company building just by force and because they stayed there and didn't move. They had to be forceful because otherwise the company would have done whatever they wanted to. What's more, the tailings were near the pastures so when the wind blew they would scatter everywhere.
	Did you share these problems with the community? Yes, of course, and after some time we became more conscious of the fact that the company was hurting the campesinos. But, honestly, at first that wasn't very important to us, but later it was.
	Were you in contact with the community? Where did you live - was there a mining camp or did you live with rest of the people? Yes, there was a mining camp but it was really close to the community. We were very close by that's why we had a good a relationship with them. We had very good friends among those people. Also, as I told you, some of my colleagues were from neighbouring communities so we all joined in their customs.
	What customs did you discover to be different from your own town's and those of La Oroya? Well, the fiestas and, also, since some people were from the northern Andes, from Ancash, some had customs from the northern region. The dances were beautiful and the fiestas celebrating the villages patron saint on May 4th and, above all, the Independence Day celebrations on July 28 were so colourful... That's all for customs...
Section 11	You were saying the dances were different? Of course, they were really different. It wasn't like the huaylas (traditional songs/dances), which is what we do where I come from, here it was more like the northern dances, like the ones from Ancash. That really was very different...
	Did you learn how to dance? Ha, Ha... no, I'm not a dancer. I only watch, but my wife and my children learnt. They did it well. It's for young people more than anyone else...
	Did you notice any difference in the food? Yes, of course. They had good chupes, like soups, but some things were similar to those in my area.
	*Did you participate in the fiestas?* I didn't so much at first, but later I did. At first I didn't because, as I was saying, the customs were different. They have a cross on a hill, for example, and in May they bring it down. They begin the fiesta on the first and second and on the third they go up the hill to get the cross. About 20 people go and they are responsible for the fiesta - for the expenses and its organisation. That's the way it is. The fourth is the last day and they take the cross back...
	*Does the fiesta* last four days?** Yes, as I was telling you, it lasts four days - four days of celebration in which everyone celebrates until the cross is returned to its spot. And so it goes until the following year - it was like that every year I was there.
	How long did you live in the area, señor? Well, I worked in Santander for 25 years, until I retired. Although my wife wanted to leave I told her we couldn't because I had a secure job and with a family I could not risk going on an adventure, looking for work in different lands. So, despite the hard work, we stayed.
	What did your work consist of? Why do you consider it was hard work? Because we had to work under safety conditions which were not what you would expect. Imagine, I worked underground for a very long time. We would go down 300 levels - one could barely breath down there. Listen, it was very hard.
	How many metres is equivalent to a level? Fifty metres to a level, so every 50 metres we would have to change galleries; after another 50 metres, another gallery, and then another 50 metres. If we would find minerals we would just have to remove the rubble with buckets. We just threw the rubble out. There were little carts which were about 80 centimetres deep, but we still had to carry the rubble in the buckets in the galleries. On top of everything we didn't have protective masks so we, the miners, were afraid of getting ill. You can imagine people suffered of silicosis, a good number died of lung problems and there were a lot of accidents when dynamite was set off - the dust would lift and the &tilder& would lift the smoke which was very harmful...
Section 12	You didn't have protective masks? No, there weren't any - they didn't have enough masks for everyone. They didn't give us any because the company didn't even think it was necessary to buy them because it wasn't there lungs that were rotting away.
	They never gave you one? At the end, seeing that there were continuous accidents, they got breathing machines, but it's not like they were good, they were very small.
	But, in any case, considering the intoxication among the workers, together with the intoxication that went on in the camps, I imagine that the company took all of this into account at some point? No, they never did. There was not a single security engineer that took interest and when the security man arrived he was not effective, even when he tried. Sometimes really good engineers would arrive but they weren't provided with good working facilities. They would stay for 8, 9 months, they would make recommendations to the company, but the owners would pay no attention. They would only react when the workers protested due to accidents or increasing illnesses and there were fewer workers in the tunnel. Can you imagine? That's why my wife insisted that we leave, she didn't want me to get ill.
	Did things change at some point while you were working? Well, of course, there's nothing bad that lasts more than one hundred years, nor is there a body that can resist more than that. Despite the fact that many of my colleagues died and became terminally ill, by the 70s we were organising ourselves and protesting. We organised the labour union and things began to change. Did it change for the better?
	Did the presence of a labour union change the working conditions in Santander? Yes, as they say, we made them respect us and we straightened things out where they belonged.
	What did you achieve? Well, we got things like safety equipment, better services in relation to occupational health, occupational illnesses were recognised and all that... We also got bonuses related to toxic material and other things I cannot remember...
	Were you in the labour union? Yes, of course I was a union member. I even became the delegate of my section but I didn't go any higher because I was getting old... I participated in the strikes and, just in case you are wondering, I never was a scab, I swear.
	*Did you ever achieve anything for the comuneros* that lived near the mine? Did anything improve for them?** Well, there was a time when the animals began dying in the closest community, but I don't remember when that was. At that point the comuneros came to speak to the union and they asked us for help and to speak to the mine owners. That was done, but nobody really paid attention to them. Later though, they demanded compensation and they had lawyers and union advisors giving them advice. But we did try to help them. [The interview is interrupted for a while...]
Section 13	Did you like working in the mines so many years? Well, on the one hand I did, but on the other I didn't like it too much... Yes, because, as I was telling you, it wasn't easy to find work in those days and I already had a family and it was necessary that I work and I felt secure in my position. But, as I also said, I had some fears related to my health and the contamination of the area - because of that I wasn't happy and when my working life was over we came over here.
	What made you decide to retire? Twenty five years were up and, you know, I felt tired. At that time miners could retire. I was installing pipes at work at the time and I didn't like the job like I did before...
	Was it during those final working days? Basically, I was just in the mood to retire.
	Did you retire from the company voluntarily? That's right. I fulfilled my responsibility with my youngest son who was at the Universidad del Pacifico for five years. He graduated in July. Well now that you are finished, I told him, back in July, when he was finishing his course, I'll give the company my resignation letter.
	Was it your goal to have all of your children study? Well, yes, and I managed to do that and that's why I retired when they completed their studies. Your responsibilities are over, I told myself.
	Did any of them want to work in the mines? Well, my son Raul is a mining engineer...
	Why did your son, Raul, decide to be a mining engineer? He really started off with chemistry but I have two sons, the other one is called Edgar - he's in Lima - and he also wanted to study chemistry. Since both were doing that, Raul decided to be a mining engineer.
	Don't you think that working in a mining company and living in a mining camp for so long influenced your son's decision to chose his career? Yes, of course, it could be that - after so many years living in the mine, it could be. He liked tools ever since he was very little and that's how he started getting interested and, finally, he decided to become a mining engineer. At first he wanted to study in Lima but he couldn't pass the university entrance exam so in the end he went to Ayacucho. There he studied with my other son that read chemistry. The other one, Alejandro, is also studying - he went to Ayacucho - then there's the one that is in Lima who studied at the Universidad del Pacifico.
Section 14	That's a private and very exclusive university, how did he manage to go there? My son works very hard so that's how he got in. He got the top marks at school and that's how he got a scholarship at university.
	You must be happy about the achievements of your sons and the goals they have set for themselves. Yes, of course, I always wanted them to study because that's the only way they can improve their lives. Everything I've worked for I've given to my children. I didn't want them to go through what I went through, and I'm going to accomplish this.
	Do you think that life - things in the country in general - has changed in relation to the life you had to lead? I have tried to make things different than it was for me for my family. I think things have changed. Before it was harder to study at university, for example, to be a professional - even going to school was difficult... It's easier now and parents encourage their children to be professionals so that they never lack work and they can improve themselves - that's the goal of every parent. But, at times, because of the crisis in the country, they can't find work even if they study and even if they are engineers they end up being street vendors. Luckily my children all have work...
	Do you get a sense of accomplishment with your children's education and the fact that they have all got a profession? Yes, of course, after I achieved that I decided to stop working, as I told you, and I retired.
	And how's your health? Not too bad, just a few problems that are related to occupational hazards, but things go on.
	What did you do once you retired? I packed up and went back to La Oroya, and here I am...
	But why La Oroya? I don't know, I just decided to settle down here. I couldn't stay in Santander so I came here to La Oroya...
	But, get me out of this doubt, did you ever go back to the community where you were born? Well, yes, after many years. I went back when my father died, only to visit though, and after that I have been back...
	Have you seen or gone back to visit your brothers, your mother...? Yes, sometimes, but my mother is no longer alive and my brothers have built their life in different places, some of them are still there...
Section 15	But, I insist, when you were young you were a comunero, you worked in the countryside over in Huaracayo, did you ever think about going back to your land? Didn't you long for the countryside, your life as a youth? Well, once I left I lost interest in going back to my village for good. I only went back to visit, sometimes.
	Do you have any bad memories that have caused you to reject your land? I don't know if it's bad memories, but I didn't want to go back.
	When you left, were you angry at your family, at anyone in particular? I left perhaps because of my father's personality..., that's what happened. He had a strong personality and I think he didn't like it when I left, but, as I told you, there weren't many opportunities there, how do you call it, opportunities for young people. That's why I left...
	And when you returned to your community did you find things as you left them or had things changed? They had changed a bit, but not much. There are even less opportunities now for young people, I think. They even leave at a younger age now than when I left. I think it's the same, but it's more backwards.
	How are things for your brother that stayed behind? Does he have a family? Yes, he does. He makes a living out of agriculture and a bit from livestock. Things are going so-so for him, average I would say. Now that his children are older, they have all gone to different cities.
	Wouldn't you have liked to live through your retirement in your community like many miners do? No, I wouldn't. I'd rather live in La Oroya which is closer to where my children are. That's the most important thing. That's what we have decided and here you have me living in La Oroya.
	Well, señor, I'd like to thank you for your kindness and your time and I hope everything continues to go well for you...