The month of March tends to be a low key one for English teachers. Most return from some type of vacation home or trip when classes are not in session in February. Chileans tend to have their vacations in February and then are slow to start up English classes again at work, so class schedules tend to be light for the month of March.
Last year this left me struggling financially, but this year is fortunately different. I was able to anticipate the situation and find private classes with people that are reliable, and so I've started up with most of them already. In the meantime, my mornings are free. While I am not making money during that time by not having classes, it is a nice luxury of being able to sleep in a bit, take my time making breakfast, and run errands that would be more time consuming at other times of the day. It's also a nice way of getting to settle in again, do some spring (or in this case fall) cleaning, and get myself prepared for teaching a full schedule again.
Another nice thing about March is that it's a time when a lot of new English teachers come to Santiago. I was able to get in contact with some of them before they came over, and we have gotten to meet up. It's nice getting to meet a new group of people and hear their stories of traveling and what brought them to Chile. I even met two people who spent a semester in Granada, Spain! (as I did)
It's also a good time to reconnect with old friends. The past few weekends have been spent celebrating birthdays and going to barbecues, and it's nice seeing people again after the summer. Our lives have had twists and turns along the way and we've had distinct paths (despite being in Santiago), but it's nice when we can meet up and share what's been happening.
And what would Santiago be without some good old earthquakes? We've had two within the past 4 days. The first one was at about 4:30 in the morning on Friday. I was asleep in bed, and it woke me up. My bed was shaking, but not too strongly. I decided that I would only get out of bed or start to freak out if I heard things starting to fall, and luckily that didn't happen. It lasted about 20 seconds or so (by my best guess).
The second one happened at about 6:30 this evening. Ironically about an hour beforehand my clock fell off the wall and broke when a friend was over. The adhesive sticking it to the wall had worn off, and she suggested that perhaps the earthquake from earlier loosened it from the wall. So no clock in my apartment for now.
I was sitting on my bed using my computer when everything started to shake. It was much stronger than the one a few days before, and I started to get scared. I stood in the doorway and heard my kitchen cabinets rattling. There 30 to 40 seconds seemed to last an eternity, but once it was over I breathed a short sigh of relief. Then I began to prepare an emergency bag. I´m getting nervous with having had 2 earthquakes within such a short time, and they get pretty strong with me living on the 20th floor.
There are already news reports about this recent earthquake. There are no injuries or major damage reported, and luckily there was no threat of a tsunami.
Is another earthquake going to happen? This last one was a 7.2 at the epicenter, which was in Talca (about 4 hours south of Santiago). To give some perspective, the big one in 2010 was an 8.8 with the epicenter in about the same area. I don't know if another one is going to happen, and I can't spend my time worrying about it. All I can do is have an emergency bag ready and be prepared.
We'll see what the rest of March holds. Hopefully April will be more stable, both financially and geographically.
Showing posts with label earthquake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label earthquake. Show all posts
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Good Times, Good Friends, Sensation, and Japan
The weather likes teasing us here in Santiago. We've had days that have only gone up to 70 and have seemed like autumn, which are then followed by days with a very strong sun and temperatures of almost 95. I actually prefer the hot weather to the cold, so if mother nature wants to tease me a bit with a cold day every once in a while but still give us nice summer days I'm ok with that.
Last weekend I went to a barbeque with friends on Cerro San Cristobal. There were about 7 of us there, and it was nice catching up with them. None of us could believe an entire year had passed since we arrived, and we talked about our summers and plans for staying in Santiago. Thanks to our genius planning we didn't bring any plates with us, but we improvised and used plastic bags instead.
This weekend was the pancake breakfast that I went to last October. They were expecting a big crowd this year and opened an hour early, so I got there right when they opened. A big crowd came around 10, and I met up with some friends when they arrived around then. After browsing some books we took a leisurely stroll and got drinks and chorillana.
The big event of the weekend, however was Sensation. It's basically a huge dance party with electronic and techno music, and in order to get in you have to dress completely in white. I got my ticket back in December, and it was an amazing event. The theme was Wicked Wonderland, and so there were things throughout the night related to Alice in Wonderland. There were videos of her wearing all white and going through various scenes of the story projected on huge screens around the area, white flashes of fire and fireworks, huge butterfly wings opening up after the lyrics of "spread your wings and fly" people dressed up like dolls with white hair, white balloons with lights inside of them, the list goes on and on. In an outside area there was food and drinks as well as different companies with entertainment booths to promote their products. I found it ironic that a cigarrette company had a booth which had large signs about the dangers of smoking was giving out lighters which also had a warning on the front of it with the same warning. El Mercurio (a newspaper here) had a booth set up with Just Dance on the Wii, and after having played it at my brother and sister in law's house when I was home for Christmas I played a round dancing to Walk Like an Egytian.
I would be remiss to not bring up the tragedy in Japan. I woke up last Friday morning and booted up my laptop while getting breakfast, and I went to cnn.com to see what was happening in the world. The pictures of the tsunami sweeping over Japan seemed surreal. The images of houses on fire while being swept along with the tsunami seemed right out of a blockbuster apocolyptic movie, not like something that was happening in real life. I know a few people that were exchange students from Japan, and luckily they are all ok. I also have a coworker here in Santiago who lived and taught English in Japan for three years, and he has understandably been deeply affected by it. As the news gets worse and worse, I find myself torn between wanting to know what is happening but not wanting to since the news is so horrific there. I also can't help but feel a bit guilty that I am living in a place that experienced an earthquake but did not suffer a fraction of the destruction and mayhem that is currently going on in Japan. I want to make a donation to the relief efforts, but the cynical side of me fears that scammers use this as the perfect opportunity to make a quick buck.
To end on a positive note, here is the view of the Estadio Nacional from the window of my apartment.
Last weekend I went to a barbeque with friends on Cerro San Cristobal. There were about 7 of us there, and it was nice catching up with them. None of us could believe an entire year had passed since we arrived, and we talked about our summers and plans for staying in Santiago. Thanks to our genius planning we didn't bring any plates with us, but we improvised and used plastic bags instead.
This weekend was the pancake breakfast that I went to last October. They were expecting a big crowd this year and opened an hour early, so I got there right when they opened. A big crowd came around 10, and I met up with some friends when they arrived around then. After browsing some books we took a leisurely stroll and got drinks and chorillana.
The big event of the weekend, however was Sensation. It's basically a huge dance party with electronic and techno music, and in order to get in you have to dress completely in white. I got my ticket back in December, and it was an amazing event. The theme was Wicked Wonderland, and so there were things throughout the night related to Alice in Wonderland. There were videos of her wearing all white and going through various scenes of the story projected on huge screens around the area, white flashes of fire and fireworks, huge butterfly wings opening up after the lyrics of "spread your wings and fly" people dressed up like dolls with white hair, white balloons with lights inside of them, the list goes on and on. In an outside area there was food and drinks as well as different companies with entertainment booths to promote their products. I found it ironic that a cigarrette company had a booth which had large signs about the dangers of smoking was giving out lighters which also had a warning on the front of it with the same warning. El Mercurio (a newspaper here) had a booth set up with Just Dance on the Wii, and after having played it at my brother and sister in law's house when I was home for Christmas I played a round dancing to Walk Like an Egytian.
To end on a positive note, here is the view of the Estadio Nacional from the window of my apartment.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
No Earthquake for Dad's Birthday This Year
One year ago today, I was living in my first place in Santiago. I was asleep and was woken up by the shaking around 3:35 in the morning. After getting out of my room, I was huddled in the living room area with Fabiola and her boyfriend Gustavo. We had only met a few days before then, but we became companions. Fabiola made us food while we listened to the radio, and I wandered out to get us food. Gustavo seemed the most scared out of all of us, as he's from Colombia and had never experienced an earthquake before. And in the midst of everything I know my family was home worried sick about me. I remember the shaking, the darkness, and the uncertainty.
It's one thing to see about natural disasters on television, but to actually be witness to one leaves such a huge impression on you. Even as I type this, I am left wondering if there will be another earthquake. If so, where will the epicenter be? How long will it last? And last but certainly not least, how strong will it be?
I think that they are all valid questions and that it is normal to have that fear. But at the same time I'm realizing that I'm not going to let that fear take over my life. Sure, I will take common precautions to prepare in case of an earthquake. But since it is not anything I can control I think that worrying about it too much is a waste of energy.
As I type this, I am also happy to be moving into my own apartment. It took some perseverence on my part, as the owners did not want to lease to a foreigner. They were unable to do a credit check on me, and I was unable to provide a cosigner in Santiago for the lease. But after showing paychecks and agreeing to pay 2 months of security deposit, I got an AMAZING apartment. It is completely new, and the building has a pool, laundry room, grilling patio, movie room, and a mini gym. It's only about 400 square feet, but it will be big enough. Here are some pictures of it:
And oh yeah, as you can probably tell from that last picture, I will be living on the 20th floor.
It's one thing to see about natural disasters on television, but to actually be witness to one leaves such a huge impression on you. Even as I type this, I am left wondering if there will be another earthquake. If so, where will the epicenter be? How long will it last? And last but certainly not least, how strong will it be?
I think that they are all valid questions and that it is normal to have that fear. But at the same time I'm realizing that I'm not going to let that fear take over my life. Sure, I will take common precautions to prepare in case of an earthquake. But since it is not anything I can control I think that worrying about it too much is a waste of energy.
As I type this, I am also happy to be moving into my own apartment. It took some perseverence on my part, as the owners did not want to lease to a foreigner. They were unable to do a credit check on me, and I was unable to provide a cosigner in Santiago for the lease. But after showing paychecks and agreeing to pay 2 months of security deposit, I got an AMAZING apartment. It is completely new, and the building has a pool, laundry room, grilling patio, movie room, and a mini gym. It's only about 400 square feet, but it will be big enough. Here are some pictures of it:
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Another Earthquake
So there was another earthquake here today.
I was sitting in English class teaching a one on one class. The ground started to shake, and my student smiled at me and said in English, "It's an earthquake". I gave him a serious look and was a bit nervous and he said to me in English, "The ground is shaking."
After about 20 seconds or so everything stopped shaking.
In my next class we talked about the earthquake, and I leared it happened at 12:36 PM and was a 5.3 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was Curico, which is about 100 km (I think) from Santiago. It ended up being the perfect way to introduce the past progressive:
What were you doing when the earthquake happened?
I was teaching a class and speaking English.
Facebook is down and so I can't post an update there. I called home to let my dad know I am fine. Now I'm off to teach another class. :-)
I was sitting in English class teaching a one on one class. The ground started to shake, and my student smiled at me and said in English, "It's an earthquake". I gave him a serious look and was a bit nervous and he said to me in English, "The ground is shaking."
After about 20 seconds or so everything stopped shaking.
In my next class we talked about the earthquake, and I leared it happened at 12:36 PM and was a 5.3 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was Curico, which is about 100 km (I think) from Santiago. It ended up being the perfect way to introduce the past progressive:
What were you doing when the earthquake happened?
I was teaching a class and speaking English.
Facebook is down and so I can't post an update there. I called home to let my dad know I am fine. Now I'm off to teach another class. :-)
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Replicas
So earlier today there were some strong aftershocks. I was in the teacher's lounge since I had a free period, and we all felt the shaking. After a few seconds we got up and made our way outside. The students made their way outside with our help, and we were out in the very middle of the campus for about 10 minutes or so.
The students were told to stay outside, but the teachers were given the OK to go back inside and get anything they needed. As some teachers ventured back in, everything started shaking again. We were then outside for about another half hour or so. There were some kids that were upset, and parents started coming by to pick up their kids from school.
Once the students were safely inside and their classes resumed, Erin (the other teacher in the program at my school) and I headed off to the Civil Registry to pick up our international IDs. Teachers told us that they would still be open despite the aftershocks, so we headed out. We got there around 1:30, as they are scheduled to close at 2. They were closed, so we will have to come back another day.
I decided to grab some hot chocolate and churros at the same place I went with friends after we were at the Registro Civil about 2 weeks ago, and altough it was expensive it was good as always. And they have free wifi, which was a plus so that I could update this and let everyone know I was ok.
I haven't been home yet, but I am assuming that my place is not damaged. Our electricity or internet may not be working there, but that is something I can live without for a while.
I just hope that Chile calms down soon.
The students were told to stay outside, but the teachers were given the OK to go back inside and get anything they needed. As some teachers ventured back in, everything started shaking again. We were then outside for about another half hour or so. There were some kids that were upset, and parents started coming by to pick up their kids from school.
Once the students were safely inside and their classes resumed, Erin (the other teacher in the program at my school) and I headed off to the Civil Registry to pick up our international IDs. Teachers told us that they would still be open despite the aftershocks, so we headed out. We got there around 1:30, as they are scheduled to close at 2. They were closed, so we will have to come back another day.
I decided to grab some hot chocolate and churros at the same place I went with friends after we were at the Registro Civil about 2 weeks ago, and altough it was expensive it was good as always. And they have free wifi, which was a plus so that I could update this and let everyone know I was ok.
I haven't been home yet, but I am assuming that my place is not damaged. Our electricity or internet may not be working there, but that is something I can live without for a while.
I just hope that Chile calms down soon.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Picture update
So here are pictures to go along with my last post:
The awesome clip ons:
My school
Celebrations in the street to help raise money for the earthquake:
When cars came to a red light, people would go out into the crosswalk and juggle or dance and have a small can to get donations from people driving by.
A bus with the now infamous phrase associated with the earthquake, Fuerza Chile 27.02
A fundraiser at my school to help out with the earthquake:
This was the third mini van full of food/clothing donations they got.
Spending time with the roommates watching the national telethon:
Friday, March 5, 2010
Settling down again and school
This week has not been a normal one to say the least.
A few times throughout the week we were without electricity and/or lights, and our internet connection was very slow or nonexistent. I also tried going to the grocery store, and there were huge fences up with police guarding the sole entrance. They informed everyone that the grocery store was closed until the morning. I also faced this same problem when trying to go to an eyeglass place that was inside a shopping mall.
Since my sunglasses were lost or stolen before the earthquake, I tried to see about getitng them replaced. Just as I was dreading, pretty much the only place that could fill the prescription (thanks to my prescription being so strong) would cost close to $500. I was determined to find some clip ons or something cheaper than that, and sure enough I succeeded. After walking down Calle MacIver (which has eyeglass place after eyeglass place), I finally found one that had clip ons. The woman who helped me pulled out a cardboard box with about 5 different types, and I settled on a smaller pair for 4000 pesos (about $8). They totally make me look weird and flip up for extra dorkiness, but at this point I don't really care about that.
I've been getting to hang out with people here too. A few days ago another person in the program told me that a bunch of people were going to a local swimming pool, and so I headed out that way to meet them there. It turns out the pool was closed, so we walked to the Plaza Ñuñoa and sunbathed there. After a while we played some cards, and some people brought along a soccer ball.
I´ve also spent time with the roommates and got to meet Mathias, the German guy that moved in right before taking off for vacation to Bolivia and Peru. It has been nice just sitting around and talking together, and they have been helping me out with little things all along the way. I feel so lucky to have them as roommates.
After the delays with the earthquake, we had out first day at school yesterday. Everyone was friendly and welcoming, and it was just a day for the teachers. There was a lot of talking and meetings, and it was overwhelming hearing so much Spanish spoken so quickly and for such a long time. Both Erin (who is also at the same school) and I were left in a daze.
Today at school was much better. The teachers had almost the entire day to plan by themselves or by department, and so we got to talk with the English teachers one on one and got to see more of the school. Our schedules are not set yet, but we will be observing for the first week to get a feel for the classes and how everything goes.
Tonight there is a Telethon that our school is doing to help raise money for the earthquake victims. From the looks of how they were advertising it when I left it should be pretty interesting. The rest of the weekend I´m hoping to get to do some furniture shopping, maybe go to the beach, and possibly do sky diving with some friends. We shall see what the future holds....
A few times throughout the week we were without electricity and/or lights, and our internet connection was very slow or nonexistent. I also tried going to the grocery store, and there were huge fences up with police guarding the sole entrance. They informed everyone that the grocery store was closed until the morning. I also faced this same problem when trying to go to an eyeglass place that was inside a shopping mall.
Since my sunglasses were lost or stolen before the earthquake, I tried to see about getitng them replaced. Just as I was dreading, pretty much the only place that could fill the prescription (thanks to my prescription being so strong) would cost close to $500. I was determined to find some clip ons or something cheaper than that, and sure enough I succeeded. After walking down Calle MacIver (which has eyeglass place after eyeglass place), I finally found one that had clip ons. The woman who helped me pulled out a cardboard box with about 5 different types, and I settled on a smaller pair for 4000 pesos (about $8). They totally make me look weird and flip up for extra dorkiness, but at this point I don't really care about that.
I've been getting to hang out with people here too. A few days ago another person in the program told me that a bunch of people were going to a local swimming pool, and so I headed out that way to meet them there. It turns out the pool was closed, so we walked to the Plaza Ñuñoa and sunbathed there. After a while we played some cards, and some people brought along a soccer ball.
I´ve also spent time with the roommates and got to meet Mathias, the German guy that moved in right before taking off for vacation to Bolivia and Peru. It has been nice just sitting around and talking together, and they have been helping me out with little things all along the way. I feel so lucky to have them as roommates.
After the delays with the earthquake, we had out first day at school yesterday. Everyone was friendly and welcoming, and it was just a day for the teachers. There was a lot of talking and meetings, and it was overwhelming hearing so much Spanish spoken so quickly and for such a long time. Both Erin (who is also at the same school) and I were left in a daze.
Today at school was much better. The teachers had almost the entire day to plan by themselves or by department, and so we got to talk with the English teachers one on one and got to see more of the school. Our schedules are not set yet, but we will be observing for the first week to get a feel for the classes and how everything goes.
Tonight there is a Telethon that our school is doing to help raise money for the earthquake victims. From the looks of how they were advertising it when I left it should be pretty interesting. The rest of the weekend I´m hoping to get to do some furniture shopping, maybe go to the beach, and possibly do sky diving with some friends. We shall see what the future holds....
Monday, March 1, 2010
Back to Normal.....
So today it seemed like everything was back to normal.
In the morning I went out towards the hostel to see how all of the others were doing, and we went out for coffee, hung out at the park, got some lunch, and then went out for coffee. There were new people here so it was good getting to meet them. Along the way I picked up a newspaper to hang on to for memory's sake.
I passed by a grocery store on my way home and was puzzled to see a gate and the police guarding the entrance. They told me that it was closed until tomorrow, even though there were people inside and it was obvious that it was open. I found out that they did that to prevent too many people from entering and the possibility of looting or stealing.
While we were enjoying things pretty much completely normal (with the exception of small piles of dirt and rubble and a few streetlamps with a light missing), we saw images of complete destruction, looting, police, and tsunamis after some strong aftershocks south of here. It seemed like we were in a completely different world and hard to believe that about 200 miles south of us such chaos was playing out.
When I returned in the evening, Fabiola and Gustavo were home, and her son Fabian was visiting. Fabiola made some more delicious food for us, and I feel like I would not be eating as well as I am if it were not for her. We watched the news while we ate and talked about random things while we got to know each other better. Claudia (my other roommate) finally made it home, and it was a relief to see her.
We've had some problems with the internet not connecting or being slow, but if need be I can always go to an internet cafe. A few times the lights started to dim, and apparently we might have completely lost power so we turned off all the electricity for a while to be on the safe side. Other than that, here has not been a problem.
Here are some pictures of after the earthquake (and the lack of damage in my area) and spending time with my roommates. I wanted to post some more pictures, but the internet is incredibly slow and I have given up on adding them for now.
In the morning I went out towards the hostel to see how all of the others were doing, and we went out for coffee, hung out at the park, got some lunch, and then went out for coffee. There were new people here so it was good getting to meet them. Along the way I picked up a newspaper to hang on to for memory's sake.
I passed by a grocery store on my way home and was puzzled to see a gate and the police guarding the entrance. They told me that it was closed until tomorrow, even though there were people inside and it was obvious that it was open. I found out that they did that to prevent too many people from entering and the possibility of looting or stealing.
While we were enjoying things pretty much completely normal (with the exception of small piles of dirt and rubble and a few streetlamps with a light missing), we saw images of complete destruction, looting, police, and tsunamis after some strong aftershocks south of here. It seemed like we were in a completely different world and hard to believe that about 200 miles south of us such chaos was playing out.
When I returned in the evening, Fabiola and Gustavo were home, and her son Fabian was visiting. Fabiola made some more delicious food for us, and I feel like I would not be eating as well as I am if it were not for her. We watched the news while we ate and talked about random things while we got to know each other better. Claudia (my other roommate) finally made it home, and it was a relief to see her.
We've had some problems with the internet not connecting or being slow, but if need be I can always go to an internet cafe. A few times the lights started to dim, and apparently we might have completely lost power so we turned off all the electricity for a while to be on the safe side. Other than that, here has not been a problem.
Here are some pictures of after the earthquake (and the lack of damage in my area) and spending time with my roommates. I wanted to post some more pictures, but the internet is incredibly slow and I have given up on adding them for now.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Earthquake....
So it was a laid back day yesterday. It turns out my school orientation was changed from Friday to Monday since my school only starts on Thursday. I ran some errands and went with Ro to her school and we caught up over coffee. After that I explored the city more on my own and getting lunch with some people with the program I became annoyed with myself when I realized I had somehow lost my prescription sunglasses. After retracing my steps and calling the stores I was at they didn’t turn up.
I hung out at the hostel to see if anyone wanted to grab some dinner together but went home around 7. I was doing some reading on the internet and gorged on some cookies and then turned in around 10 or so.
Then around 3:30 AM I was awoken by some shaking. It started getting stronger, and I thought, “Shit, this is an earthquake”. I rolled out of bed and laid curled up with my knees and face on the ground. I heard things in my room clattering to the ground. I stayed that way until the shaking stopped.
I made my way to the doorway of my room, and it turns out that my roommate Fabiola and her boyfriend Gustavo were there too. “Daniel, ¡ponte tus zapatos y quédate en la puerta!” she told me. (Put on your shoes and stay in the doorway)
About a minute after that, it seemed like things calmed down. She told me to be sure to get my ID and money to take with me, as there might be a marremoto (tsunami). I fumbled around my room in the darkness to find them, since I still don´t have enough furniture to store or organize all of my things.
Gustavo asked me to try to call a number for him on my cell phone, but the nerworks were all down. Fabiola lit some candles and tried her internet and of course it didn´t work. She brought out some emergency bottled water in case we would need it.
At this point I was wondering what would happen if we had another earthquake. The house I´m living in is old, and as it is part of the roof is missing and is covered with some metal beams and some type of plastic tarp.
Fabiola then told me that one of the neighbors was very sick and she and Gustavo were going to help her. She told me that if the ground started shaking again to run outside since the house is so old and that there was the chance of the roof falling.
I almost didn´t pack it, but I brought a flashlight I got from Target before I left. It doesn´t need batteries, and it only depends on the energy you create by turning a crank on it. My brother showed it to me a few years ago, so I bought one and have had it for a few years in case of an emergency like this.
My thoughts then went to possibly having to evacuate and losing all my things. I even considered if I was going to end up in the hospital or if this house was going to survive. I thought about things that now I wished I had done differently: perhaps I was too strict with some of my students or too harsh of a grader, maybe I should have helped out at home more, etc.
I then snapped into action and packed my messenger bag with things I would need if we needed to evacuate: family pictures I brought with me, my camera, hand sanitizer, a first aid kit, my money and credit cards, IDs and my passport. I also realized I never backed up my laptop with anything on it, but I brought a few flash drives with me. Luckily I was able to back up all of my files (including all of my pictures) and added the flash drive to my messenger bag.
While they were gone I tried to check out for any damage to the house. Part of the wall started crumbling in various parts of the house, and we also lost the doorbell. Luckily it looks like the damage was pretty minor though.
About half an hour later Fabiola and Gustavo returned. They had a radio and batteries so we sat down and listened to the radio while Fabiola made us some tea and brought out cookies. We kept on hearing “La cosa importante es que mantengan tranquilidad. También quita el gas y eléctrico para evitar accidentes.” (The important thing is to stay calm. Also remember to turn off your gas and electricity to prevent accidents.)
Fabiola shared her experiences of the Chilean earthquake of 1985, and at that time she was pregnant with her 2nd daughter. This quake happened around 6 PM, and her husband and youngest daughter drove to see their new apartment that had been recently painted. Since her youngest daughter was asleep her husband stayed with her while Fabiola went up to the 2nd floor to see it. It started when she was up in the apartment, and it ended up losing an entire wall. Luckily she and the daughter she was carrying was OK.
During this time I was trying to get a text message through to my program director letting him know I was OK. It didn´t go through for a long time, but finally it did go through. Around the same time Fabiola´s son Fabian called to say that he was OK.
Tuning in to the radio, we heard that the epicenter was located about 5 hours south of Santiago, and that it was an 8.8 on the Richter scale there and an 8.0 for us in Santiago. Only the extreme south and north of Chile escaped this quake. We then heard that a famous church in Providencia (the neighborhood of Santiago where I was staying in the hostel) had lost its famous church and bell. Both had been over 100 years old. At that time (around 5:30 AM) we also heard that 6 people had died so far.
We turned in around 6 AM, but we had our emergency bags packed in case if we needed them. There was an aftershock sometime an hour or 2 later, and I woke up to use the bathroom.
It is now 9:30, and I made myself a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Fabiola just popped out of her room and got a call that her daughter is OK. I´m trying this up in Microsoft Word since the internet isn´t working but will post as soon as it is up and running again.
I went back to sleep for a while, and around 12:15 our landlord Mario arrived. We showed him the damage, and he told me that he was trying to call all of us on our cell phones and on the home line but wasn’t able to get through at all. As of now he doesn’t know where Brenda (his girlfriend or wife) is. We also haven’t heard from Claudia (my other roommate who is a nurse), and we are hoping that she is OK either still at the hospital where she works down the street or staying with her boyfriend.
We turned on the news, and the pictures of up north in Concepcion are downright scary. Buildings were completely destroyed at the hands of a 8.8 on the Richter scale. Fabiola and Gustavo went out to do some shopping or walk around, and after chatting with Mario for a bit I decided to brave a trip to the supermarket to stock up on food.
I wanted to bring my camera to take pictures along the way, but Mario said that it would possibly be dangerous so I decided to leave it behind. People were out and walking, and the busses were running. I went to Lider, which was near the Metro and was hoping that it would be open. When boarding the bus a guy told me “Es claro que esté cerrado.” Rough translation: It’s going to be closed, are you stupid?
I got off at the bus stop and was relieved to see people walking out of the supermarket with bags of food. It was packed inside, and I wasn´t even able to get a shopping cart or basket. I simply decided I would carry whatever I got with me until I got checked out. After getting milk, orange juice, eggs, bread, ham, turkey, cheese, and a few other things I got into line. It stretched almost to the back of the store, and while I was waiting I spotted some candles. I grabbed some of them in case if we would need them again. About halfway through waiting my arms were starting to give out. I asked a couple behind me if they could watch my things while I got a basket. Luckily a young bagger ran and got me one. Once I got back in line we chatted a bit. I ran to get some Coke Zero, and they smiled at me. I told them jokingly “Coke es muy importante para los gringos.” (Coke is very important for us Americans). The guy lifted up his 6 pack of Escudo beer and said “Y la cerveza es muy importante para los peruanos.” (And beer is very important for us Peruvians).
After checking out I was able to catch a bus back without a problem. I ran into Mario leaving on the way back, and we chatted for a short while. I checked with him that I had my keys with me before we parted ways.
By this time it is about 2:30, and about a minute after I got back Fabiola and Gustavo showed up. They went to his apartment and it is fine. They also got to chat on the internet with family, and when I heard that I told them I needed to go to talk with my family and let them know I was fine.
Around 2:45 or so I got to call my dad and talk to him. Everyone was relieved to hear from me, and I also updated my Facebook to let everyone know I was ok. It was a relief to get to talk to my dad and brother and let them somewhat know what happened.
By the time I got back Fabiola had cooked some lunch for us. I´m glad that I went to the grocery store, and we had pasta with hot dogs and tomatoes and some bread. I shared my Coke Zero and we had some melon for dessert. While we were eating we felt another aftershock.
I got some extra water to be on the safe side, and on the TV now they are talking about a tsunami that is going to hit Hawaii and that there was an earthquake in Japan also. It is pretty scary seeing all of these pictures of what has happened at Santiago´s airport as well as all of the areas that have been destroyed. It´s even worse seeing that this is affecting other parts of the world.
Fabiola mentioned conserving lights and water to be on the safe side too, and I agree that it is a good idea. I still have my emergency bag packed and ready to go if need be.
It is now 7:15 on Saturday night, and I dozed off in front of the TV for a while. After I woke up I cleaned up my room a bit and took a much needed shower. I got shaved too and feel much more relaxed after everything that has happened. I also put in some laundry since I will be staying in tonight.
It is a littler after 8 PM, and Gustavo has got the phone line working as well as the wi fi connection. I am going to post this now so everyone can read all of the details of what has happened so far.
People are saying that things are going to get back to normal by Monday. I will keep updating if anything else major happens.
I hung out at the hostel to see if anyone wanted to grab some dinner together but went home around 7. I was doing some reading on the internet and gorged on some cookies and then turned in around 10 or so.
Then around 3:30 AM I was awoken by some shaking. It started getting stronger, and I thought, “Shit, this is an earthquake”. I rolled out of bed and laid curled up with my knees and face on the ground. I heard things in my room clattering to the ground. I stayed that way until the shaking stopped.
I made my way to the doorway of my room, and it turns out that my roommate Fabiola and her boyfriend Gustavo were there too. “Daniel, ¡ponte tus zapatos y quédate en la puerta!” she told me. (Put on your shoes and stay in the doorway)
About a minute after that, it seemed like things calmed down. She told me to be sure to get my ID and money to take with me, as there might be a marremoto (tsunami). I fumbled around my room in the darkness to find them, since I still don´t have enough furniture to store or organize all of my things.
Gustavo asked me to try to call a number for him on my cell phone, but the nerworks were all down. Fabiola lit some candles and tried her internet and of course it didn´t work. She brought out some emergency bottled water in case we would need it.
At this point I was wondering what would happen if we had another earthquake. The house I´m living in is old, and as it is part of the roof is missing and is covered with some metal beams and some type of plastic tarp.
Fabiola then told me that one of the neighbors was very sick and she and Gustavo were going to help her. She told me that if the ground started shaking again to run outside since the house is so old and that there was the chance of the roof falling.
I almost didn´t pack it, but I brought a flashlight I got from Target before I left. It doesn´t need batteries, and it only depends on the energy you create by turning a crank on it. My brother showed it to me a few years ago, so I bought one and have had it for a few years in case of an emergency like this.
My thoughts then went to possibly having to evacuate and losing all my things. I even considered if I was going to end up in the hospital or if this house was going to survive. I thought about things that now I wished I had done differently: perhaps I was too strict with some of my students or too harsh of a grader, maybe I should have helped out at home more, etc.
I then snapped into action and packed my messenger bag with things I would need if we needed to evacuate: family pictures I brought with me, my camera, hand sanitizer, a first aid kit, my money and credit cards, IDs and my passport. I also realized I never backed up my laptop with anything on it, but I brought a few flash drives with me. Luckily I was able to back up all of my files (including all of my pictures) and added the flash drive to my messenger bag.
While they were gone I tried to check out for any damage to the house. Part of the wall started crumbling in various parts of the house, and we also lost the doorbell. Luckily it looks like the damage was pretty minor though.
Fabiola shared her experiences of the Chilean earthquake of 1985, and at that time she was pregnant with her 2nd daughter. This quake happened around 6 PM, and her husband and youngest daughter drove to see their new apartment that had been recently painted. Since her youngest daughter was asleep her husband stayed with her while Fabiola went up to the 2nd floor to see it. It started when she was up in the apartment, and it ended up losing an entire wall. Luckily she and the daughter she was carrying was OK.
During this time I was trying to get a text message through to my program director letting him know I was OK. It didn´t go through for a long time, but finally it did go through. Around the same time Fabiola´s son Fabian called to say that he was OK.
Tuning in to the radio, we heard that the epicenter was located about 5 hours south of Santiago, and that it was an 8.8 on the Richter scale there and an 8.0 for us in Santiago. Only the extreme south and north of Chile escaped this quake. We then heard that a famous church in Providencia (the neighborhood of Santiago where I was staying in the hostel) had lost its famous church and bell. Both had been over 100 years old. At that time (around 5:30 AM) we also heard that 6 people had died so far.
We turned in around 6 AM, but we had our emergency bags packed in case if we needed them. There was an aftershock sometime an hour or 2 later, and I woke up to use the bathroom.
It is now 9:30, and I made myself a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Fabiola just popped out of her room and got a call that her daughter is OK. I´m trying this up in Microsoft Word since the internet isn´t working but will post as soon as it is up and running again.
I went back to sleep for a while, and around 12:15 our landlord Mario arrived. We showed him the damage, and he told me that he was trying to call all of us on our cell phones and on the home line but wasn’t able to get through at all. As of now he doesn’t know where Brenda (his girlfriend or wife) is. We also haven’t heard from Claudia (my other roommate who is a nurse), and we are hoping that she is OK either still at the hospital where she works down the street or staying with her boyfriend.
We turned on the news, and the pictures of up north in Concepcion are downright scary. Buildings were completely destroyed at the hands of a 8.8 on the Richter scale. Fabiola and Gustavo went out to do some shopping or walk around, and after chatting with Mario for a bit I decided to brave a trip to the supermarket to stock up on food.
I wanted to bring my camera to take pictures along the way, but Mario said that it would possibly be dangerous so I decided to leave it behind. People were out and walking, and the busses were running. I went to Lider, which was near the Metro and was hoping that it would be open. When boarding the bus a guy told me “Es claro que esté cerrado.” Rough translation: It’s going to be closed, are you stupid?
I got off at the bus stop and was relieved to see people walking out of the supermarket with bags of food. It was packed inside, and I wasn´t even able to get a shopping cart or basket. I simply decided I would carry whatever I got with me until I got checked out. After getting milk, orange juice, eggs, bread, ham, turkey, cheese, and a few other things I got into line. It stretched almost to the back of the store, and while I was waiting I spotted some candles. I grabbed some of them in case if we would need them again. About halfway through waiting my arms were starting to give out. I asked a couple behind me if they could watch my things while I got a basket. Luckily a young bagger ran and got me one. Once I got back in line we chatted a bit. I ran to get some Coke Zero, and they smiled at me. I told them jokingly “Coke es muy importante para los gringos.” (Coke is very important for us Americans). The guy lifted up his 6 pack of Escudo beer and said “Y la cerveza es muy importante para los peruanos.” (And beer is very important for us Peruvians).
After checking out I was able to catch a bus back without a problem. I ran into Mario leaving on the way back, and we chatted for a short while. I checked with him that I had my keys with me before we parted ways.
By this time it is about 2:30, and about a minute after I got back Fabiola and Gustavo showed up. They went to his apartment and it is fine. They also got to chat on the internet with family, and when I heard that I told them I needed to go to talk with my family and let them know I was fine.
Around 2:45 or so I got to call my dad and talk to him. Everyone was relieved to hear from me, and I also updated my Facebook to let everyone know I was ok. It was a relief to get to talk to my dad and brother and let them somewhat know what happened.
By the time I got back Fabiola had cooked some lunch for us. I´m glad that I went to the grocery store, and we had pasta with hot dogs and tomatoes and some bread. I shared my Coke Zero and we had some melon for dessert. While we were eating we felt another aftershock.
I got some extra water to be on the safe side, and on the TV now they are talking about a tsunami that is going to hit Hawaii and that there was an earthquake in Japan also. It is pretty scary seeing all of these pictures of what has happened at Santiago´s airport as well as all of the areas that have been destroyed. It´s even worse seeing that this is affecting other parts of the world.
Fabiola mentioned conserving lights and water to be on the safe side too, and I agree that it is a good idea. I still have my emergency bag packed and ready to go if need be.
It is now 7:15 on Saturday night, and I dozed off in front of the TV for a while. After I woke up I cleaned up my room a bit and took a much needed shower. I got shaved too and feel much more relaxed after everything that has happened. I also put in some laundry since I will be staying in tonight.
It is a littler after 8 PM, and Gustavo has got the phone line working as well as the wi fi connection. I am going to post this now so everyone can read all of the details of what has happened so far.
People are saying that things are going to get back to normal by Monday. I will keep updating if anything else major happens.
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