The Word On Everybody's Lips

This week went fast. Perhaps partly because I mixed the weekdays in my head and until 2pm on Friday afternoon I thought it's Thursday. When I finally realised that it's actually already Friday and I can go home in two hours, you can imagine the joy! Why can't all the weeks be like that?!

Not that the week was otherwise a delight. The aftermath of the earthquake takes up all the energy - worrying for the people in the south or even some here in Santiago, discussing the consequences and problems brought up by the earthquake. There are still people without electricity, food, or connection to the outside world. But when you compare it to Haiti, for example, Chile was extremely lucky even though the quake in Concepcion was a thousand times stronger than in Haiti. Because it hit at 3.34am saved many lives, people were in their homes and already for the most part with their loved ones.

Terremoto. That's earthquake in Spanish. It is not something you expect to happen no matter how much the scientists have been forecasting it to happen. It's a surreal feeling. If you have been reading The Santiago Times, the English language online-newspaper where I have been working already a month (how the time flies!!), you have noticed that all the articles this week have been about the earthquake. Terremoto is what everybody is talking about. "How are you? Where were you when it happened? Were you scared? Did your apartment survive?"

Our building didn't suffer any visible damages, but we were without gas, warm water or lift nearly a week. Which is nothing in comparison to the people who have lost everything because of the quake or the tsunami. The two balconies on the left of the highest floor (7th) are ours.


We were lucky as the damages in our apartment were not that big. We lost a coffee jar and three delicious wines which made the kitchen look like the butcher's workshop. And my wonderful milkshake mixer! But we've replaced it already. Probably the most expensive piece we lost were our Dolby Surround speakers that snapped in the middle. Snif.


The worst damage on our street was this neighbour's wall that crumbled down like a Christmas cookie.


Some buildings had their windows broken. On Saturday after the quake we went exploring and searching for an open restaurant because we didn't have food or gas and the shops were closed. The city was like a ghost town!


One of the churches in Providencia lost a roof.


No other visible damage to be seen on one of the main streets, Avenida Providencia.


Museo de Bellas Artes is another old building, like the church, that didn't survive the tremors unharmed.


Such nature disasters as the earthquake never come alone. It was almost immediately followed by the tsunami at several locations, and now there has even been talk about dangerously smoldering volcanoes that might erupt any moment. Not to mention the people who take advantage of the vulnerable situation and go looting just because they can. It will be a long while before Chile and its people can sleep their nights safe and sound. Fuerza Chile!