I'm not the kind of person who is moved to tears easily. Unless I'm watching a cheesy commercial then of course, all bets are off and the waterworks begin. However, this story about the miners and how they were found to be alive after 17 days trapped 2,300 feet below ground, under the San Jose mine near Copiapo Chile, moved me. Of course I cried.

I cried because these human beings, after living 17 days in a small area I've read is similar to a "small flat," have genuine hope in their eyes. Putting myself in their position, in the faintest of ways, I'm sure I don't come close to the relief they felt when the probe finally reached them and they had the first opportunity to communicate with the world above. And they did so with the note above which simply reads "All 33 of us are fine in the shelter."

"Fine" is a relative term. They're fine relative to what the other option could have been which is ... a dreadful extreme. I always think logistics and really ridiculous details most of the time, though. In this case I wonder what it feels like for them to not shower, to not have a beer, to not watch soccer, to not smell freshly baked bread, to not drive ... to not change underwear, to not brush their teeth, to not hug their wives/girlfriends. Now that this has happened, do they regret the decision to work in the mines? Is that even an option for these experienced miners or is it just their way of life, the way trains or "ferrocarriles" were a way of life for my grandfather.

They haven't yet learned that it will take anywhere from 3-4 months to build a shaft wide enough to bring them up one by one. I was thinking that by the time this is finally accomplished, it will be Christmas time here ... isn't that perfect timing? Not for them though. I'm sure they wish they could be with their families for the upcoming Independence day celebrations (Chileans are a patriotic bunch, especially on the 18th of September and ESPECIALLY since this year marks 200 years since Chileans won their independence from Spain.) I'm sure they wish they could just have their own space, up top, right NOW.

How will they feel once they learn that they have to keep surviving, keep their sanity and keep each other going for at least three more months, probably four? Four months can fly but only with activity and experience. Four months ago it was April (the month I got married) and it definitely puts the length of four months into perspective.

When they pull the miners out one by one in December, flash forward to the future when you see those same images on a screen, reciting a story. This is for sure the story of a made-for-tv movie. Or a tell-all book. In the meantime, I hope the most basic of things for them right now - sanity and comradery.

Labels: 2010, aftermath, surviving

We decided to go to Jumbo (one of the major grocery store chains in Chile) today and it was a madhouse ... literally the lines extended farther than I had EVER seen them... note below:



In his usual strategic/baller manner, G had the great idea to wait in the "15 items or less" line while I weaved around each aisle gathering items we might need for the next few days. We gathered 30 items and each paid separately. We beat the system! Boo-yah!!
But seriously, the grocery store was a NIGHTMARE mess. I think it's insane that we're all over-reacting (and I include myself... why else did I head to Jumbo today along with five billion other peeps?) The fact of the matter is that at least here in Santiago, where damage was minimal, life will most likely be 'back to normal' by Wednesday, if not sooner. Yet there we were, with half of Santiago, buying groceries as if the world was about to end. If that were the case (and we realize it's not, thank God) then I shouldn't be buying ice cream ... considering I only had a 30 item quota, you can see my priorities ... enough said.

The biggest issue we have right now is G's kids. They are in the "campo" which is basically a rural area, type of farm-ish zone, where his ex wife's family has a house there. Normally this is a great place for his kids to spend their weekends, as this place has animals, a pool, nature, fields to run wild, etc. AKA a kid's dream.
But after yesterday morning's events, the fact that they are in the middle of nowhere means that cell phone reception and electricity are likely to come back in full effect daaaaaaaaaays from now. As a parent, this is stressing G out like NO OTHER. And I don't blame him. He spoke with his kids this morning and learned that they had slept int the car with their mom because the family home was unstable (at least one wall had come down in the mostly adobe built house.) Now he can't get through to them at all. Since there's no power there, the most likely scenario is that his ex's cell phone died ... and even though he knows they are safe after the EQ and that their mom and family members are with them, that doesn't mean it allows G to worry less about them. Let's think about this: his kids have no running water, no electricity, no way to get out of where they are due to road closures ... and they're sleeping in a car. He's sure that food isn't an issue since they're basically on a working farm, but as a parent, after a major natural disaster, he's not going to rest until he literally SEES that his kids are ok. If he hasn't heard from or about them by tomorrow evening, most likely he'll grab his car and try to reach them once again. (Note my previous post to learn about his first attempt to reach them).

G has been watching the news NON-STOP since the EQ. Literally nonstop. At first it really, really annoyed me. After all, we were SO FORTUNATE to not have any major catastrophe happen here in Santiago where we live - why on Earth was he listening to one major catastrophe after another on tv (all near the epicenter zone)? Then he set me straight: he's the equivalent of a VP here and many, many people throughout Chile report to him...yet there are handful of people - of those, some who live right where the epicenter occurred - which he hasn't heard from yet. Are they ok? Do they have homes? Are their loved ones accounted for? He watches the news to see what's the latest in each region of Chile. Further, he watches for the simple fact that he hopes to hear that the roads are clear ... that way he can either reach his children or their mother can decide to drive back to Santiago. Needless to say, I am now keeping my mouth shut about the 24-hour news reports in the house...

Finally, my thoughts post-traumatic earthquake are these:

1) I f-ing hate the aftershocks. 11 floors up and believe me they feel like new earthquakes ALL OVER again. Not fun.

2) The emergency response in Chile is inspiring... though I'm concerned that not once did I hear about a tsunami warning for the Juan Fernandez Islands here in Chile ...yet they were devastated by a tsunami and about 20 people are missing.

3) Looting and delinquency is prevalent in the southern regions (7th and 8th) because these poor people have no food, no water, no electricity and thus far, no help has arrived. A curfew is in effect from 9 pm to 6 am in the city of Concepcion in order to halt the said looting and vandalism. In Santiago - at least in the comuna of Providencia where we live - things are very quiet and very "normal." Our visit to the grocery store was chaotic in terms of masses, but surprisingly orderly.

4) I'm tired and have lost all sense of normalcy. Until G's kids are back in Santiago and he's secure in their well-being; until we see advanced efforts in restoring basic infrastructure and necessities to the 7th and 8th regions of Chile; until the aftershocks cease and we all remember what it's like to just live in peace at home --> I'm not going to rest well.

In Santiago - in Providencia specifically (as that's all I can speak to since this is where we live) - we are SO FORTUNATE. I see no major structural damages when I walk outside and I see no one in a panic about missing family members or missing necessities. Yeah the grocery store was a mess, but it was an ORDERLY mess, if that makes sense. Everything we needed was THERE and there was no panic about that.

I wish this same tranquility to everyone who has been displaced and has felt immense misfortune and tragedy by yesterday's early morning events. After such an event, nothing calms the nerves more than NORMALCY. I wish I could say to all of them "come to my home, I'll take care of you" but of course that's not possible. So in place of that, I just hope that G's kids make it back to Santiago safely and that we can once again welcome them into our home this coming weekend ...

Labels: aftermath, earthquake