Wednesday 28 March 2012

Still quaking...

After a year and a half in Chile we were beginning to think we had worked out all there was to know about daily life here, though it turned out we were mistaken... We had yet to experience our first proper earthquake.
For me and indeed all of us, earthquakes are not an everyday occurrence. In fact many people back in Europe joked that moving to Chile in 2010, the very year of the last major earthquake here, was a good plan as it was unlikely to recur too soon. Not quite apparently, and shortly after arriving there was often talk of the occasional tremor which I must admit I didn't always even notice, especially the nocturnal variety. However even I eventually identified moments when I could hear furniture shaking and of course have felt a number of small movements while we've been here, none of which had been particularly alarming. Until Sunday evening at around 7.30pm...
The girls and I were sitting in the kitchen finishing off dinner when suddenly DH called out from the living room that another tremor was beginning. He came rushing in while we all watched the walls sway from side to side, as if we were on water, first slowly then with greater force for what seemed like forever. Meanwhile we could hear shouts going on outside our door, cutlery and crockery rattling and more interminable rocking. At first we were faintly amused, though we were soon gripped by fear as we wondered whether to dive under the table or try to leave the building (we are on the fifteenth floor)... The nausea from the movement added to the terror provoked by having apparently no control over the situation was a powerful combination. DD1 was also frightened when she saw how worried we were though we tried to keep calm...DD2 meanwhile went on eating, blissfully unaware of any potential danger... In the end it only lasted forty seconds but they were among the longest and most anxious of my life. It was with enormous relief that I saw the building regain its stillness as my heart continued to pound away in my chest. Thank goodness construction here takes seismic activity into account... If we can withstand 7.2 degrees on the Richter scale I think we can be fairly reassured our building isn't going to crumble as in a disaster movie...unless we are very unlucky. However I still had a very sleepless night after that, every tiny sound or movement sending me into alert and am now more clued up on what to do in the event of any further quakes. Everyone here seems to be an expert on the matter but apparently the most common advice is not to leave one's building during a tremor, but to sit, crouch or lie near a robust piece of furniture which would serve as protection in the event of something falling from above. Previously there had never been time to get into any kind of safety position but this time was definitely different... Just hoping there won't be a next time.

Friday 16 March 2012

Autumn term begins...in March

It was a rude awakening indeed last week as the morning after returning from Rio, suitcases yet to be completely unpacked, I had to be awake, alert and at school by 8am to meet DD1's new teacher and hear all about the new challenges facing the children of Year 2 at her (nominally bilingual) Chilean school. The teacher herself was serious and wasted little time in addressing the key issues while also requiring that the assembled parents filled in a questionnaire about their child's strengths and weaknesses which was a taxing but stimulating exercise for my Spanish. The rest of the meeting was taken up by lots of noisy banter in rapid Chilean from the other parents, mainly about whether or not the annual contribution to the parents' social fund should be increased or remain unchanged. It was one of those rare opportunities to see what goes on beyond the school gates as parents are usually very much encouraged to stay away...
The next day DD1 bounded out of bed even before 7 o'clock, so keen was she to return to school and see her friends. Like last year, many parents had turned up both together in elegant attire for the obligatory photo of their adored niño/a beginning a new school year and at least one family was filming the momentous occasion even before registration at 7.45am...
An hour or so later it was DD2's turn to return to her nursery, slightly less enthusiastic than her sister but also curious to meet her new tia and see her new "classroom". She was delighted to see some old faces from last year as well as numbers and letters adorning the walls and a proper whiteboard on one side, feeling very grown up compared to what she calls the "chubby-cheeked children" who have moved up to her former class.
A week and a couple of days on and the novelty of getting up early is beginning to wear off for all of us except DD2 who is glad we're back on her wavelength. It has been hard adjusting to the punishingly early schedule again after our extended summer break but we cannot really complain too much... Meanwhile the first tangible signs of autumn are here with cool mornings, leaves gently beginning to fall and shorter days. Both girls have already come down with their first snuffles of the season... Having said that this is not at all autumn with grey blustery skies; the sun still shines practically every day with occasionally a short-lived fog in the morning and escalating temperatures by afternoon. Clothes for the morning or evening are completely unsuitable by 3pm and the school run, by which time we are wilting in the considerable heat and sweating profusely, bad-tempered from our lack of sleep... Normal life resumes in Santiago. If you can call it normal...

Friday 9 March 2012

The girl from Ipanema

Last week we celebrated the extra day of leap year by boarding a plane to Rio de Janeiro for a final fling before returning to the rigours of the new school year this week (more about that to follow)...
It was a fabulous trip to what must be one of the world's most naturally beautiful cities. Situated on a sprawling bay overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Rio is a metropolis with protruding hills and palm trees along miles of sweeping, golden beaches...all under the out-stretched embrace of Christ the Redeemer on one side and the imposing Sugar Loaf Mountain on the other. As we left the airport heading into the city we looked up and saw huge dark birds circling and gliding overhead... just one of the signs that we were somewhere new, exciting and exotic.
Exotic is probably a word which sums up Rio rather well, from its landscape, its vegetation, its tropical climate, its scantily-clad inhabitants to its food and cocktails, all of which we encountered at some point during our stay. Due to the Brazilians having already adjusted their clocks (an aspect which wasn't entirely clear to us for the first day and a half), we were in the same time zone as Santiago but suddenly in quite different surroundings and climatic conditions. While Santiago is warm and dry though cool at night, Rio was hot and humid all day long which was rather uncomfortable at first. Also this meant that indoors the air-conditioning was invariably set at full blast therefore also not ideal (a scarf or cardigan was essential extra clothing). Needless to say we tended to prefer the natural environment outdoors and just tried to keep ourselves hydrated as far as possible, although the inevitable traveller's tummy struck its evil blow (fortunately limiting itself to DH and myself, thus sparing us the agony of sick children on holiday). Interestingly there were very few families on the tourist trail but lots of gay and straight couples and also young adults in general.
We managed to strike a reasonable balance by aiming for half a day of sightseeing activities in the morning and spending the rest of the afternoon on the beach. The sand on Ipanema beach was as fine as golden flour, while at the foot of Sugar Loaf Mountain it was more like brown sugar. The girls were happy either way, busily digging and burying, shaping and constructing. Meanwhile the water of the Atlantic was turquoise and clean although the waves were often huge and the pull of the undercurrent dangerously strong.
One of the most memorable moments of the trip came as we were finishing lunch in Santa Teresa, a bohemian area on a hill whose cobbled streets and inviting shops, cafes and art galleries wouldn't look out of place in a fashionable part of London. A trio featuring a trombonist, an acoustic guitarist and a pianist began softly playing authentic bossanova which perfectly captured the mood and setting. We managed to linger at our table for long enough to savour the magic while the children attempted to take photos of the musicians until DD2's wriggling and fiddling with the trombonist's microphone became too much and we had to leave the establishment to remove the disturbance... Maybe Rio is more of an adult destination, though the girls loved the train ride up the Corcovado to see the statue of Christ and the cable cars up Sugar Loaf went down very well too. Plus the incredible beaches... An unforgettable and essential part of the South American experience for all of us.