Santiago: Earthquake Diaries

It's been a week since the devastating 8.8 earthquake here in Chile. Obviously life here has been chaotic, I didn't have internet working until Thursday and so have been unable to update all of my faithful blog followers :)
Chile is a country that is hurting, but it is amazing to see how people have come together to support one another during this crisis. Saturday after the metaphorical smoke had cleared I knew I should get my own earthquake story on paper (while it was all so fresh in my mind), so I began writing blog posts in Microsoft Word to be published when the internet came back up. So here it is:

Saturday, Feb. 28 12:30p.m.
Well, for a minute there I thought the terrorists had won. Last night I was awakened around 3:35 a.m. by an earthquake that shook the house for almost three minutes. Currently the news is saying it was an 8 on the Richter scale. It’s a horrible feeling to wake up scared, and clouded by sleep I sat in bed for a few seconds paralyzed by fear before I gathered my senses and moved to the doorway of my room. My host mom yelled for me to join her in the kitchen, where she and I and the two dogs rode out the rest of the earthquake in the patio doorway.

After the earthquake passed, waves continued to lapse out of our pool for about 5 minutes. Broken glass littered the floor. The sliding glass doors from my room to the patio had been locked and shut, and were now completely open. Power, internet, and telephone service was cut off. According to the news the death toll is at 122. I think we live our everyday lives with a sense of safety and comfort, always knowing that we are never truly safe in this world, but never truly understanding our helplessness. As the earth shook beneath me, I was terrifyingly aware of my complete vulnerability.

9:52p.m.
I guess I’m not quite sure what to do with this newfound understanding of my powerlessness. I must admit that I am wavering between praising God and questioning him. With the current death toll at 214, I have a hard time marveling at the greatness of God amid my relative inconsequence. I am feeling small and powerlessness, and I suppose that’s appropriate since that’s exactly what I am. I guess that is what makes God great. My life is a drop in the ocean of time, and while my emotions feel to me of great importance, why should God care about them? Yet our great God cares, and he is here with us amid all the destruction and death.

It is hard to be isolated here in a time of crisis. The phones and internet are still out, and so I have been unable to alert my family in the States of my safety, talk with my fellow students here in Chile and make sure they are all okay, or hear the outside world’s reaction to this tragedy. It would be so comforting to me to be able to talk with my parents! Our only connection with the world is the TV, and we have been watching the death toll rise all day. The president, Michelle Bachelet addressed the nation about an hour ago, and apparently this earthquake was the 5th strongest ever recorded in the world—stronger even than Haiti! We have been feeling after-tremors all day, and it has been extremely emotionally draining to face such a fearful event without the support of anyone who knows me or speaks my language.

The current public announcement is that we are not to leave our houses until Wednesday, because the roads are cracked and impassable and all of the city buildings need to be tested to ensure that they are not structurally dangerous. This is lonely and boring, especially without internet or phone communication. However, thanks to God we now have power. University classes were supposed to start Monday, and school opening dates have been postponed for at least the next week. Please pray for strength for me and for the people of Chile.

The photo below is of a church that was badly damaged:



and the Museum of Bellas Artes:



Now I'm back to writing in the present moment. I am so thankful for the outpouring of concern and prayers from those of you in the States. It has been a huge blessing to realize that you all care so much! Classes at La Católica, the private school, begin on Monday, but the University of Chile sustained some major damages and classes there don't start until the following Monday. Because they have had to delay classes at the U of Chile, they won't end until July 30, and I am set to return the 14th! Sadly, this means that I won't be able to take classes at the U of Chile. However, I am trusting God that this is what's best for me.
The classes I'm planning on taking are as follows:

Chilean Poetry at the End of the Century- my attempt at getting Spanish Lit credit without having to read Don Quijote
Woman and Society in Chile- YAY
Spanish for Foreigners- snoozefest
Armed Conflict and Humanitarian Work

And guess what? I don't have any classes on Fridays! I am super nervous for the start of classes but I'm sure it will be fine. I'm just taking it one step at a time.