Terremoto en Chile

At 3:34 am on February 27th, an earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale struck Chile. It was one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded. The earthquake itself and the resulting tsunami killed hundreds of people and devastated the country, particularly the city of Concepcion where my good friend Paula lives.



Paula was a volunteer here for a year in 2008, and we overlapped for a couple months at the beginning of my service. Thankfully, she and her family are ok. This week Paula sent a short story she wrote the day after the quake as well as some photos, and with her permission I’d like to share them with you. It makes the reality of this tragedy seem much more real, and perhaps will motivate you to contribute in whatever way you can to the victims of this and future natural disasters. I translated the story but I’ll put the original Spanish version Paula wrote below for my Spanish-speaking friends.

The Day of Silence

Anguish, horror, fear, the worst that accompany this feeling of solitude in the middle of everything, in the middle of nothing.

The silence abounds in the streets, our faces exchange looks, undressing the panic that surrounds us.

The long and eternal wait for the sunrise, the search for our families, and of not knowing….

The hugs, tears, and happiness of reuniting, a light in the distance gives us hope and keeps us alive, trying to see the lighter side in order to forget the present.

The energy from the bottom of the Earth wants to remain, coming and going as it pleases.

The sunrise comes and with it the silence continues… the calm after the storm, we leave to find food and water, but there is nothing, only abandoned streets and rubble filling the spaces. Is it a nightmare or a horror movie? This is the escape… the belief that it is a parallel world and that we’re not really living this moment.





We are comforted knowing that our family is ok and that no one was hurt, the hours pass as we try to stay calm and think about the coming arrival of help… meanwhile rationing the food and water that we have.



To think that the only method of communication we have with the outside world is my grandfather’s portable radio, thanks to this little machine we learn what is happening around us. But the news that comes to our ears isn’t good, it’s sad and devastating, better to not hear it as sometimes the anguish returns.

We feel powerless, unable to communicate with our friends, I want to believe that they are ok and with their families. The phone battery is dead and there isn’t signal to hear the voices of the people we long for.

A new kind of waiting… the most horrific, dusk arrives. Outside a beautiful sky welcomes us, but inside the memory of the previous night returns, the strength of nature that arrived without being invited, improvised, and changing our lives forever… the fear returns, making sleep impossible, but in the end the soul yields to exhaustion.

The energy continues to dance, at times it is subtle and at other times stronger, waking us occasionally…

Finally, another sunrise, another day with a bitter taste, without expectations, without future plans, only to live the present, it seems as though time has stopped, everything continues the same….

* * * * *

El Día del Silencio

Angustia, horror, miedo, son lo peor que acompaña esta sensación de soledad en medio del todo, en medio de la nada.

El silencio abunda en las calles, en nuestros rostros las miradas se cruzan desnudando el pánico que nos rodea.

La espera larga y eterna para que llegue el amanecer, la búsqueda de nuestras familias y el no saber…

Abrazos, lágrimas y alegría al reencontrarnos, una luz a lo lejos nos da esperanza y nos mantiene vivos, tratamos de verle el lado gracioso para olvidar el momento.

La energía del fondo de la tierra quiere quedarse con nosotros, aparece y se retira cuando lo desea.

Llega el amanecer y con él se prolonga el silencio…la calma después del caos, salimos a buscar alimentos y agua, no hay nada, solo caminos abandonados y escombros inundando ciertos espacios, es una pesadilla o una película de terror? Ese es el escape…creer que es un mundo paralelo y que no estamos viviendo este momento.

Nos reconforta saber que nuestra familia esta bien y que nadie salio afectado, pasan las horas, tratamos de mantener tranquilidad y pensamos que pronto llegara la ayuda…mientras racionamos el alimento y agua que nos queda.

Pensar que la única comunicación con el mundo es la radio portátil de mi abuelo, gracias a ese pequeño aparato nos enteramos de lo que esta sucediendo a nuestro alrededor, pero las noticias que llegan a nuestros oídos no son las mejores, son tristes y desoladoras, mejor no escuchar por que la angustia reaparece a ratos.

Da impotencia no poder comunicarnos con nuestros amigos, quiero creer que están bien y con sus familias…se agota la batería y no hay señal para escuchar las voces de aquellas personas que queremos.

Nueva espera…, la más horrorosa, llega el atardecer, afuera un cielo hermoso nos acoge, pero adentro retorna el recuerdo de la noche anterior, esa fuerza de la naturaleza que llegó sin ser invitada, de improviso y cambio nuestras vidas para siempre…vuelve el miedo, dormir se hace imposible, pero al final cede el alma ante el cansancio.

La energía sigue danzando a veces mas sutil, otras con mas fuerza, despertamos a ratos…

Por fin otro amanecer mas, otro día mas con sabor amargo, sin expectativas, sin planes futuros, solo vivir el ahora, pareciera que el tiempo se detuvo, todo sigue igual…