How Long?

Apparently we are supposed to be having these aftershocks for the next 2-3 months while the rocks settle into position. That is a long time. I certainly hope they become weaker and come less often. Although we are getting used to them. The girls hardly notice them anymore, and if I'm driving I can't even tell when we're having a 6.0. Maybe we'll miss them when they're gone;)

Speaking of missing, Dave is once again in Santiago & I do miss him. He left this afternoon and will return home tomorrow afternoon. There is a dinner that he needed to attend tonight, which is the reason for this quick trip. I want to fly somewhere for dinner. Wouldn't that be fun?;) Soon after his airplane took off we had a 6.3. When Dave & I talked after he landed he made the comment that the aftershocks are keeping me company... I think I'd rather be alone than have them for company.

The girls & I did have company over. We ordered pizza and had fun with a friend from church & her daughter (her husband has night school). Yamin is from Peru, moved to Miami when she was 8, fell in love with a Chilean & and ended up in Antofagasta. She was in Arica, about 8 hrs north for the past week and returned last night... I'm pretty sure she is going to have a heart attack if she feels one more quake, even though she has missed most of the aftershocks.

Dave just called and I guess the president of Chile was at the dinner tonight... guess both of us are trying to rub shoulders with government officials this week.

The past 2 years we have spent the week between Christmas & New Years in Iquique. It has great beaches, a free seal show & zoo and is just a pretty city. We had planned on going there again this Christmas, but I just read in the paper that the road is closed until the end of the year... translated into Chilean, it should open up just in time for Easter (if we're lucky). The road is very twisty & windy because it follows the ocean. There are many large cliffs and many large rocks above the road. Apparently some of the roads between Tocopilla and Iquique didn't fare too well and have cracks and large rocks on them. Guess we'd better start looking into other options.

Our Relationship

I've been tagged again, so here's a bit about me & Dave. I'm also tagging Suzette, Christine & Joel (for comedy's sake).

*How long have you been together? Known each other over 9 years, married over 8
*How long did you date? 7 months
*How old is he? 31
*Who eats more? me
*Who said I love you first? Dave
*Who is taller? he is
*Who sings better? I do... no contest
*Who is smarter? In math & business, Dave. Music & health, me. We compliment eachother well.
*Who does the laundry? Susan... but before Susan came into our lives I did
*Who does the dishes? See above. When she is not here either I do them or we play foosball and the loser does them
*Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me. We change sides of the bed almost every time we move to a different house. Guess we're not completely creatures of habit.
*Who pays the bills? Bills? What? Oh, I'm supposed to, but I hate it so sometimes I need a gentle reminder.
*Who mows the lawn? The gardeners... the lawn grows so slow that they only come once a month & it still barely needs a trim
*Who cooks dinner? Nobody. I usually make a bigger lunch & we just have sandwiches or leftovers for dinner (when in Chile, do as the Chileans)
*Who drives when you are together? Dave
*Who is more stubborn? Depends on the topic... we each have areas where we are less likely to 'give' than the other.
*Who kissed who first? He tried to kiss me several times & was denied. But it was worth the wait... it made that 1st kiss extra special.
*Who asked who out? He asked me
*Who proposed? He did
*Who is more sensitive? Me... hands down
*Who has more friends? In Chile he does... in the US I do
*Who has more siblings? He does- 12 kids in total. 7 in my family. We plan to beat both families combined at a whopping 20;)
*Who wears the pants in the family? We go back & forth

Fun Pictures

Hailey minding her own business just as the camera crews started noticing us. The girls with the mayor.
Had I known we were going to be so famous I wouldn't have gone with wet hair & I would have put a little makeup on;)

I've been finding little ways for us to help the people in Tocopilla not only because they need it, but because my girls need it as well. Each time they help others they are able to cope with the whole experience better.

On Saturday people from the Army were going around collecting food, clothes, etc. for the people in Tocopilla so we packed up some stuff to take out to them. I brought my camera along so that we could get a picture of the girls with the big truck. As soon as we got out of the car to give them the stuff people with camera's, microphones & video camera's came running towards us. Let's just say I gave a pretty pathetic interview in Spanish and we had our pictures taken with some man that everybody felt we needed a picture with (we later found out it was the mayor for the city). Thank goodness the power was out when the interview probably aired;)

Yeah!

Yesterday is the 1st day that we have had electricity the entire 24 hours! And last night is the 1st night that I slept soundly... there were no big aftershocks to wake me up!

Flashback

This picture looks so similar to a photo in one of my science books from elementary school. I remember learning about earthquakes and assuming that if I ever experienced one that I would see cracks like this all over the place. Fortunately we have to go further north to find such things.

Even More

I didn't realize that the map I posted below would continue to change with each new earthquake over 4.0. Right now it is at 27 since Wednesday, so if you want to see how many we have had, just look below because it will probably be more up to date than the information I type.

23 Earthquakes Over 4.0

Since the 7.7 on Wednesday there have been so many aftershocks. I'm not sure how many in total, but 22 have been larger than 4.0. On an average they are moving farther south, closer to Antofagasta. In the last hour we had a 6.0, a 5.2 and a 4.8, all 34-40 miles from Antofagasta, just off the coast of seal beach (there are literally thousands of seals there). The map above shows the earthquakes locations, size and time... there are 23 on there but there have been so many the older ones are being covered by the more recent ones.

Were We in the Same Earthquake?

I'm learning that extra time is needed when we leave the house for now because every time we run into a neighbor, friend, or even somebody that we were only introduced to once they want to exchange earthquake stories. I enjoy doing this, but I need to get better at planning my time. Most of the stories are similar... parents on their way to pick up their children from school, or people working or shopping. It is so interesting to me that although we were all part of the same earthquake, our experiences have each been so different. There are some stories that are worth posting:

• The Mission President and some others had just picked up a new batch of missionaries from the airport. They stopped at La Portada for pictures and then went to pick up some pizza. At first they thought they weren't feeling well because they were hungry, but then realized it was a bit more than that when they saw the cars outside bouncing like crazy. What a start to a mission! A sister missionary from Tonga was so nervous before the quake, and much more after.
• Another friend was riding a bus with her baby and had absolutely no idea that there had even been an earthquake until the bus stopped to pick up hysterical people waiting to get on the bus.
• Carolita, my parents exchange student, doesn't understand why everybody was so scared because she was in a swimming pool and loved that it turned into a wave pool... crazy girl;).
• A friend whose son is in Hailey's school class had the best (or worst) story by far. She was at the mall with her 4 year old and 2 year old when the earthquake hit. It gets worse. The 3 of them were in the elevator all alone! Can you imagine? It was stuck for 15 minutes following the quake, sometimes with,but more often without light. I thought my experience was bad, but it doesn't even compare. She also had a 6 yr old in school and a baby at home with the nanna. She for sure wins the prize.

Things are Improving

Each day is getting better. Today the schools opened up, but most of my friends and I kept our children home again. With such big aftershocks and electrical problems yesterday it just didn't seem worth the hassle and worry. We made it a fun day by inviting some friends over for lunch & to play. I have been trying to figure out what we can do to help the people who have lost so much. After talking with the mission office we learned that the Mission President and some others were planning on going up to Tocopilla to take a lot of food and supplies and assess the damage. My friend, Ruth and I started making cookies, cupcakes and rice krispie treats to send with them and the children wrote letters and drew pictures for the missionaries serving there (there are 4) and the church members as well. We we were about 1/3 of the way done when the power went out (again!). The stove is gas, but the oven is electric. We found a friend close by (actually another gringa) that has a gas oven so we went to her house to finish up. They had been waiting on us to bring the goodies before they left, but unfortunately with the added time it took to pack up all of the food, cards and 5 kids, they needed to leave before we arrived. But we were able to give the goodies to some missionaries who will be in Tocopilla in a couple of days so they will take it with them then. It will be interesting to hear more personal experiences soon and learn more about the damage and what help is needed further north in the next few days. Oh, the power came on as we took the last batch of cupcakes out of the oven;)

As far as aftershocks today... we still had some, but the largest was 5.4 so that is good news. The most noticeable was 5.0 and 20 miles away in the peninsula across the bay from us. And the hotel that fell on some cars was cleaned up today... amazing- I drove by it this morning and they were just starting to lift the large pieces and take them away, and by tonight it was completely cleaned up.

Some Pictures of the Aftermath

Restocking shelves... can you imagine how much easier it is on those who have food storage? Of course, those who have been impacted the most are the ones that can't afford much food storage.

This map should give you a better idea of where we live (Antofagasta) in relation to the epicenter. The earthquake was felt as far away as Santiago and even Sau Paulo, Brazil (on the other side of the continent). The rest of the pictures are from Tocopilla. We have driven down this street several times on our way to & from Iquique. Now people are guarding their belongings after removing them from damaged and destroyed homes.
Waiting in line for water.

Children in their emergency housing.

Big Aftershocks

The power is back on after being off for a couple of hours again. We have also had some decent-sized aftershocks...6.8, 6.2 & more 4's & 5's. They seem to be traveling closer & closer to us, now at about 55 miles north of Antofagasta (ya, that's how close the 6.8 was). I certainly hope they stop soon!

Also, I guess the reason the big quake damaged the hotel yesterday (because everybody in the city really seems to take pride in the fact that the buildings are built to withstand bad earthquakes) is that rather than the ground moving horizontally like it normally does, it was also moving vertically.

Since yesterday we have had quite a few military helicopters flying overhead from the South, I assume taking supplies to the hardest-hit areas.

I honestly don't know how single parents do it. Dave gets home tomorrow night & it is not soon enough. I am so tired & I'm sure that I'll sleep in my clothes for a second night in a row tonight just in case we have another biggie. I'll keep you posted if anything new happens... well, if we have power;).

And as if Yesterday Weren't Enough for a While

I just returned from Hailey's school to find out when classes will resume (which is possibly tomorrow, if not then Monday). When I went to get in my car I found the most disgusting present waiting for me on the hood... a huge dead rat. What sick person would do such a thing? I thought I'd find a picture to post, but just the thought is still making my stomach queasy. The nice people at the school disposed of it and cleaned the hood. Wish they could wash away the memory as well.

A Little More Info

• We're still getting aftershocks... 1 1/2 hrs ago we have a 5.0 w/an epicenter 40 miles away from Antofagasta. Yesterday 3 of the aftershocks were over 5.0, with the largest 5.7. Rumor has it there have been 30+ small aftershocks... don't know where to verify that info, but I know I have felt a lot.
• An elevator in a medical building where my neighbor works crashed to the ground during the earthquake... miraculously nobody was inside. If an elevator can come crashing down, imagine what people in houses and shacks made out of clay & such have experienced in the hardest-hit areas.
• I think the power will remain on at this point. It returned @ 9:00pm, but then kept going on and off until 2:00am. (I know the time because a bunch of lights in the house turned on & woke me up;)). And speaking of power... I had assumed it would take a couple of days for the power to return... maybe it was an automatic assumption after experiencing the power outage in Michigan in June of 2004.

The Raddison Hotel on the Way to Hailey's School

Pictures really don't do it justice.

And I Thought a 5.0 was Something to Write About...

Last Wednedsay was a 5.0, then yesterday 7.7... what does next Wednesday have in store for us? Hopefully nothing! Here is an email I sent to the masses, but just incase I don't have your email or accidentally missed you, here it is:

Thank you for all of the calls & emails. The power came on almost an hour ago, just 9 hours after the earthquake hit (although has gone out several times while typing this email... ah! we also just had another aftershock...). We are ok. A bit shaken up (literally), but that is only to be expected. All of the pictures were quite topsy-turvy on the walls, a few fell onto the floor, some books fell, a tile cracked & a vase broke, but that's it. Amazing for a 7.7 earthquake... especially when you consider we were just over 100 miles from the epicenter and the picture you are seeing all over the news of part of a hotel falling on parked cars is just down the street from us...we drive by it every day on the way to Hailey's school, the grocery store, church, everywhere. The city of Antofagasta is pretty much rock & everything is built into the rock. Because of this, when we have earthquakes (which is quite often, just not of this magnitude) we feel it but there is no damage. Thank you for your concern. If you want more details you can read the novel below;). The worst part was that I was unable to get to Hailey. School was just about over and I had buckled up Ava & Jinnie & pushed the button to open the gate... it started to open & then stopped, but started shaking. At first I thought it was a problem with the gate. Then I realized my car was shaking & for a split second I thought it was having mechanical problems. I then saw people running out of the apartment building screaming and I turned off the car, hopped out & got the girls out as quickly as I could... the shaking was very strong at this point and I was afraid the parking structure we were on was going to collapse (but it didn't). I have no idea how long the earthquake lasted. It felt like minutes, but I'm sure it wasn't that long. We have earthquakes all the time here... 5's & 6's even, but it's never been like this. I felt like I was in the ocean riding the waves on a body board. What a relief when it was over! I immediately looked at the ocean for any sign of a tsunami (we live above tsunami level, but the road we take to Hailey's school is along the coast), but it looked pretty calm. The swimming pool did look like an ocean however... it is normally calm, but it had large waves and didn't settle down entirely for about 10 minutes. All of the power was out & I was unable to open the gate to leave and get Hailey. One of our neighbors in the apartment has their children in the same school that she is in and we give each others children rides, so I went to call them to ask if they could help, but the phones were dead. Their maid assured me that they would bring her home. I waited & waited. The girls & I said a prayer, thanking Heavenly Father for our safety and asking him to help us find a way to get Hailey home, and that Hailey and Dave were safe (he was at the mine and at this point I had no idea where the earthquake had originated... it was so strong where we were I can't imagine what it was like in the epicenter). I was getting really antsy... we would walk up to our apartment, look around, try the phones, walk down to the street again... just hoping Hailey would be home with the neighbors soon. Another neighbor came home & was so concerned that Hailey was still at school that he said I could take his car and get her. I decided to wait a little bit longer for the other neighbor. After what seemed like forever, they arrived... without Hailey. She said that Hailey wasn't there and the teacher said she had left with a friend. Now I really panicked because what friend she would have left with, and what if it wasn't really a friend at all? I left Ava with the neighbors maid & her kids & hopped in the back seat with Jinnie & we started speeding to the school to find her. We stopped every car that we passed that we knew attended the same school & none of them had seen her. We were just pulling out of the neighborhood to a main street when my neighbors husband passed us with Hailey in the back seat! Yeah! We quickly turned around & followed them home. All that we can figure is that the teachers made a mistake with all of the confusion going on and told my neighbor the wrong information because Hailey was there the whole time... infact, she was the last child there (poor girl!). When my neighbors husband arrived at the school he was told that his children were with his wife, but Hailey was still there (they know we are neighbors), so he brought her home to me! About an hour later we finally heard from Dave. He was farther away from the epicenter, but still felt the quake very strongly. He was with people from the US, Canada & Brazil touring the mining facilities and then they flew out this evening to Santiago so that Dave can present the 2008 budget. This is his big project of the year. Great timing. There have been several aftershocks, but not bad... the biggest a 5.7 (I know... sounds bad, but after a 7.7 it's a peice of cake;)). The girls and I have talked a lot about earthquakes, read about them in a book, and have offered many prayers of thanks and comfort. Just as I was tucking the girls in the power came back on... we danced and sang! It was so fun and really helped the girls feel at ease going to bed. We are safe, the girls are in bed, the power is on (for a minute anyway;)) & now the reality of all that has happened today is hitting... we have truely been blessed that there wasn't more damage, inguries & deaths. love, Kim

1st Steps!

Yesterday the girls and I were in the playroom when Jinnie surprised us all. She was in the middle of the room, where she stood up and walked to me! We were all so proud of her! Jinnie has been walking with the help of furniture, walls and hands for a while, but when we would try to get her to take a few steps in between people she refused, so this caught us by surprise. I will post pictures later!

5.0 Earthquake

Just the other day I was thinking that it had been too long since we'd had an earthquake, so today we had one! The epicenter was 65 miles away & it measured at a 5.0. The amazing thing is that when we have earthquakes not much happens... we feel it & things shake, but nothing gets damaged. Everything in Antofagasta is built into rock and supposedly that is the reason. Like the primary song says, 'the wise man built his house upon a rock.'

We Finally Know

A week after the original swabs were taken, we finally know what type of bacteria caused this ear infection in Jinnie (the lab decided to be extra slow & then shut down for a holiday so it took FOREVER). She has a staph infection. It's good to know exactly what the bacteria is because now the doctor knows exactly what antibiotic to give her. Poor girl... hopefully this will be the last one for a while.

I've Been Tagged

STUDY BREAK! Suzette tagged me, so I need to post 6 things you may not know about me and tag 6 others who need to do the same. I'm tagging Sara, Brooke, Beth, Rachel, Christine & Amber... Rachel & Christine, that means you actually have to post something;). So here it goes...

1. I always know when I'm not getting enough sleep because I get a sore throat. Like today... it certainly feels like I have strep, but I'm pretty sure it's because I haven't been getting enough zzzzz's lately.
2. It takes a really long time for me to get sick of things. Like food. I love leftovers. I could eat the same meal (well, if it's food that I like) for breakfast, lunch & dinner for days & never complain. Same with music. If there is a CD that I really like, listening to it 50 times in a row (as long as I can sing along) is wonderful!
3. Decorating small areas like bathrooms or halls is fun for me, but a large area like a living room or a large playroom makes me nervous. I just can't seem to pull everything together like I want to in large spaces.
4. I enjoy cooking & baking, but only in the extreme. For example, making dinner every night is not fun. But making a large meal with lots of yummy sides & more than 1 dessert for a bunch of friends is so fun! If you're going to make a mess, you might as well REALLY make a mess, right?
5. This next part is not to complain or be a snob, so please don't take it the wrong way. I love having a maid... really, I do. But for me the best part of the day is 3 when Susan goes home. Then my house is completely mine again!
6. I hate to wash my face at night. I know I'm supposed to (& I'm actually doing a lot better than I used to), but it seems to just wake me up right when I should be feeling sleepy. Gross, I know.

Rejected

The final offer that Dave & his negotiations team presented the union was rejected today. All of the members of the union voted & apparently think they deserve (or at least hope to get) more. They have 1 week to come to an agreement or the strike will start.