A Bigger Earthquake

I posted on July 13 about an earthquake we experienced on Saturday, July 12. Six Saturdays later, we had another. 

This Saturday, Chile experienced a 6.4 magnitude earthquake. (Quick clarification for Spanish-learners: there are two words for earthquake in Spanish, temblor and terremoto. In Chile, temblor is used for earthquakes of magnitudes smaller than 7.0. A terremoto is an earthquake that registers at or over 7.0 magnitude.)

We certainly felt it. Matt and I were at home when it happened. It poured rain that Saturday, so we were staying in, making curry in the kitchen when it happened. I can't remember which I noticed first, the rumbling sound or the actual shaking. You could hear things rattling, and we even heard a framed photo fall from the other room. Luckily, our power didn't go out, no big furniture toppled, nor did our building sustain any damage. (Our building is a sturdy one!)

It lasted about forty seconds. Matt and I were fine. I think it may have even given me an adrenaline rush! That's not to say it wasn't scary, because for many people, it was. For people who live in less sturdy structures, for people not at home when they happen, for people on the coast, and for homeless people, I'm sure earthquakes are very frightening. 

Do you know what you're supposed to do in an earthquake?

If you can, you should find a door frame and support yourself in it. If you can't get to a doorframe, take a look at the structure you're in. Find someplace to duck and cover so that if things shake and fall, they won't fall on you. We practiced that method at school. 

In Chile, these signs can be found in every commercial building, including metro stations, shopping malls, and restaurants.

They show evacuation routes in case of an earthquake.

They're always green and they always show directions. It's not just an exit sign; it's a carefully planned evacuation route to take in case of earthquakes.

On Monday morning, during my first class, two (adult) students recounted scarier encounters with the earthquake.

One man had visited Viña del Mar over the weekend. Viña del Mar is on the coast, which should give you a clue as to what he had to do with the earthquake hit. When an earthquake hits a coast, there is a significant and justifiable fear that a tsunami will be created. My student was at a restaurant with his friends at the time the earthquake began. After the shaking stopped, they had to run. Bolt, in fact. They ran uphill, following signs that look like this:

This type of sign alerts people to the danger of a tsunami-induced earthquake, and it tells people to seek higher ground. Leave whatever it is that you're doing, don't wait, and run (uphill). Get to the highest ground you possibly can in case a tsunami comes. Once it's determined that a tsunami isn't coming, people are alerted that they can safely descend. Luckily, there wasn't a threat of tsunami this time, but there was one this past March in Iquique.

Another student was in a grocery store here in Santiago with his daughters when it happened. His story was equally as scary. He said when the shaking started, people started panicking and sprinting to the exits. The sliding doors, though, closed and locked. The store guard (all stores here have guards) tried to unlock it, but struggled in the throngs of people. 

He said that people were crying and screaming, and generally panicking. Food items started to shake and fall off the shelves. He grabbed both of his daughters tightly, and told them to stay calm as he examined the building's structure. He noticed a part of an air conditioning unit was suspended in the ceiling above him, so he calmly moved himself and his daughters away from that spot, into a clear area. The shaking eventually subsided, and order was restored. 

Both of their stories were quite scary.

I also understand that there was a 6.1 magnitude in California around the same time. While Chile sustained little damage, California was not as lucky. 200 people were treated for injuries, and there was significant damage to property. 

My thoughts go to those who were affected by that California quake. I hope they heal and recover quickly.

California sits on a fault line, so it, like Chile, is prone to earthquakes. Hopefully neither California nor Chile will experience any big quakes anytime soon! They say it's better for the earth to let out little rumbles over time, so hopefully these quakes are letting the earth breathe a little. 

Update: Chile is expected to have another earthquake in the next 24-48 hours.

When I Can See the Andes, They're Perfect

The smog here in Santiago is bad. No, really, it's bad. Here are some photos I found on the internet of how bad it can get.

It obscures the Andes.

Gross.

Yuck.

Here's a photo that I took in July. You can see a layer of smog settling over the city.

What is smog?

I taught the word "smog" (which happens to be el smog in Spanish) in an environmental unit in a Spanish IV class last year, and some kids didn't know what it meant in English, so let me explain before we continue.

Smog is a type of air pollution (a combination of the words smoke and fog). Unlike fog, smog is manmade. It is caused by the burning of coal within a city. The contamination hangs like a blanket over the city. Los Angeles is notorious for its smog because of all the vehicular pollution.

Why does Santiago have so much smog?

Santiago is the smoggiest city in South America precisely because of its unique geography. Santiago is a large city (with lots of air contamination from cars, buses, and other machines) located in a valley. Santiago is bordered by the Andes Mountains on one side and the Chilean Coast Range on the other. The two mountain ranges prevent the air pollution from escaping, trapping the city in a haze of yuckiness.

Besides the obvious environmental hazards of smog, some personal issues arise. My friend here said that sometimes, when she blows her nose, she find black residue in her mucus. Other friends have reported generally feeling icky due to lack of fresh air in their lungs. Luckily, it doesn't seem to affect me as much as it does some of my friends, though sometimes my eyes feel irritated (so I switch from contacts to glasses until I feel like no smog-related grime is trapped in my eye).

HOWEVER!

However, when it rains, the smog clears. Some people find rain spiritually cleansing, and in Santiago, it is physically cleansing. The rain washes away the smog, bringing it down from the sky and falling into the sewer drains with the rainwater. And this weekend, it poured. It poured rain all day on Saturday. I was actually excited for my Monday walk to work, because I knew the air would be clear and the city would look beautiful.

And rain in the city doesn't just mean a dissipation of the smog, it also means glistening, white snow on the Andes. I couldn't wait to snap some pictures this morning. 

I was not disappointed.

My view from the bus stop. This view is 100% obscured when the smog is bad. 

The city looks vibrant and bright with the haze gone.

We're even starting to get some green outside our house. Breathe, little leaves! Keep growing!

And one photo of me for good measure! 

I am really enjoying the views. It is cold today, so I don't think I'll be spending too much time outside, but it sure does make walking to work or the grocery store more enjoyable. I never get tired of the Andes.

Heavy rain wasn't the only natural phenomenon we experienced this weekend... I'll post about that next!

Recent Photos

This week was normal. Matt and I both worked a lot and did run-of-the-mill things, like grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, etc. I don't have any big events to blog about, but I do have some pictures I thought I would share.

Chilean Dorito flavors include Mexican Taco, BBQ Wings, and Pizza. I haven't tried them, but they look intriguing!

These are the bathroom signs at the Sony building where I teach some English classes. Sony is all about PlayStation!

This is a small mall that looks very similar in construction to the Guggenheim Museum in New York (a cool place if you ever find yourself looking for something to do in Manhattan). It's one giant spiral. I liked the chandeleirs they had.

A quick shot of the city at night. It glows like any large city.

Remember in my Chilean fashion post when I said that everyone in Chile wears a lot of black? I wasn't kidding! Everyone in the US made fun of my affinity for black clothes, but I fit in here in Chile.

Another shot. I took these photos on the metro on Thursday night,

There was a protest on this street today (Friday). I'm not sure what they were protesting. I think it had something to do with education. You can see some of the protestors sitting against the wall. They had torn up newspapers and scattered the pieces.

A shot of some of the hills. The big mountains (the Andes) are the snowy ones I've posted about before; these are in another direction, and they're just small, green foothills. You can't really tell from the photo, but there are little villages of small homes carved into those hills. It's a strange juxtaposition: the people who live in those houses in the foothills are quite poor, while the area I took the photo from is very well-to-do. Many of the poor people who live in those small homes come to town to clean the houses or business in the more expensive areas. They're fairly close in proximity, but in a lot of ways, they're worlds apart.

And here's a photo of me having a hard time getting started on my walk to work on Monday.

Other than that, things, like I said, have been pretty normal around here. One thing you might find silly: I've already started Christmas shopping! I love the Christmas season, and I plan on coming home to visit for two to three weeks around December/January. I have a big family (my parents and brother, lots of cousins, aunts, and uncles), so I've been trying to budget for gifts each week. I'm really enjoying that process!

I've also been trying to send postcards. I'm sending them out slowly, as I'm still not sure about the postal service here in Chile. Hopefully I'll send some more out soon.

And lastly, there are two dates coming up that I'm excited for: September 18-19, and September 22. Keep checking to see why!

Requested: Churches

I have mentioned before how prevalent Catholicism is in Latin America, and how Chile is no exception. (I should note, though, that religious culture here isn't hegemonic. There are Mormons, Protestants, Evangelicals, atheists, Pagans, Jews, Muslims, and unaffiliated parties.)

Of all the different belief systems, though, Catholicism seems to have the largest cultural presence. Like I said before, the Virgin Mary (la Virgen de la Guadalupe) holds great significance here, so her iconography is prevalent, and there are many national Catholic holidays (for which for and school are canceled).

For those reasons, there are lots of beautiful churches in Santiago. A former student of mine, Grant, asked me to post pictures of some of the churches I pass. I've tried to accumulate some good ones.

This is a church near our house. It's been under construction since we got here, but it's very pretty. I like the yellow and white.

This church is near my work. I really like the way it looks. The tiles are irridescent. This church is on a side-street, and doesn't get a lot of sun, but with the sunlight does hit it, it illuminates.

Another shot - I love the arches.

And of course, la Virgen.

This is another yellow church, and it's also close to work. It's a massive building. I had a hard time capturing how big it is, since I could only take a picture from the sidewalk.

It extends pretty far back, too.

This is a gorgeous church we've passed a couple times. It's really pretty, and has a gothic cathedral feel to it.

I like the rose window a lot. The church had a gate in front of it. Behind the gate was an illuminated statue of who else, la Virgen.

This church burnt to the ground when Matt was here in 2011. (He remembers it because it happened when he had first gotten to Chile and was staying in a hostel nearby.)

Yellow seems to be a popular color for churches here!

Concha y Toro Vineyard

On Saturday, Matt and I went to a vineyard called Concha y Toro. Concha y Toro is located just outside of the city proper in an area called Maipú. We went on a winetasting and vineyard tour there with our Australian friends, Elly and Matt.

The tour started with a long, bizarre bus ride. We enjoyed getting out of the city for a bit and seeing the paisajes (landscapes/countrysides).

The weather was perfect for a walking tour. The sun was shining and the temperature was around 70 degrees Fahrenheit (or 21 degrees Celsius - I'm still getting used to temperatures in Celsius).

Concha y Toro was founded in 1883. It is the largest producer of wine in Latin America, and draws many tourists from around the world. We were there as gringos alongside our Aussie friends, and also met Brazilians, Argentinians, Colombians, and a few Chileans. 

Concha y Toro has also garnered national attention as a sponsor for the soccer team Manchester United. The gift shop had not only wine and wine accessories, but also Man U gear!

Although we went during sort of the off-season (the grape plants were not in bloom), we still enjoyed looking at the vineyard.

The grounds were quite beautiful. The photo below is of the home of Don Melchor, the original owner of the vineyard. You can't tell from the photo, but the house is palacial! There are 22 rooms, seven bathrooms, and countless parlors. It is now used as offices for the shareholders.

Truthfully, I don't care much for wine (I'm not a big drinker in general), so I couldn't tell you the names of the wines I tried, or any of the nuanced flavors or undertones. There were three of them, though, and they were all red wines, as red grapes are more common in Chile. The wines we sampled were quite smooth, and they were all French styles (but Chilean-grown and -produced).

They let us keep our glasses as a souvenir.

After touring the vineyard, we traveled to the Concha y Toro cellar, which, according to legend, is haunted by the devil himself, which is why it is known as el casillero del diablo.

According to the legend, many years ago thieves broke into the cellar and stole several bottles of wine. While escaping back to town, bottles in hand, they were ambushed by a dark spirit, thought to be the devil, that killed them. After that, everyone had great reverence and fear for the Concha y Toro cellar, and were too afraid to try to steal from it, lest the devil attack them, too. 

Most legends like this are developed and spread in order to scare poor people into not stealing from the rich. Nevertheless, the legend persists today.

The cellar was very dark. We were told the legend via a cool projection on the cellar wall.

Giant casks in the cellar.

There were so many!

This is just one small wing of the cellar. There were many, many wine barrels.

All in all, it was a really nice time. We had fun with our friends, we experienced a great example of one of Chile's most important exports (wine), and enjoyed the nice weather. 

Matt and Elly

I hope to take more excursions soon. I'll be sure to post about all of them!