Living life on the line: earthquakes in Chile (Monday March 28—Day 139)

Chileans are obsessed with all things earthquakes: tsunamis, trembles, volcano eruptions. The smallest activity at all makes national headlines and the biggest cotastrophes becomes conversation topics for years to come. And it makes sense, I suppose. Volcanic activty really is part of daily life here. You either live under the shadows of a somewhat dormant snow capped volcano, you sleep through weekly tremors and mini-earthshakes, or you live in a town that still has very obvious earthquake or tsunami damage. I would consider earthquakes to be one of the most fascinating parts of Chilean culture, and one of the only elements that unites this large, diverse country. But unlike other cultural elements, this one can kill. And it does.

Chile has a long history of destructive earthquakes and volcano eruptions. I won`t give you the rundown; if you`re interested, google it. The one that everyone talks about, even more than the volcanic eruption in Chalten, happened last February. An 8.9 quake near Concepcion that caused massive infrastructure damage accross the southern half of the country as well as hundreds of deaths along the coastline due to tsunamis. It has been really interesting to live in this reality of earthquakes over the past two months. Everyone has an opinion about it: the government didn`t do enough to warn its people about the tsunami even though they knew it was coming; the government has(n´t) dont anything to help these families get back on their feet; mother nature is too strong for us to predict so we ought to accept our inevitable doom and live respectfully of her. The range.

But more than mere conversation topics, the reality of earthquakes has been something very tangible: something I could see, touch, and feel. Since I have arrived in Chile, I have probably experienced seven or eight earthshakes—some larger than others. I am not scared, even though I know it doesn`t take much before a tiny shake becomes a major quake. But earth`s plates have been moving for millions of years, and they will continue to do so. What we have experienced is normal, and the best thing to do is remain calm and float through it. Currently I am in Talca—a city three hours south of Santiago and two hours of North of Conception. Not only is it in the heart of Chile`s agricultural center, it is also at the heart of Chile`s volcanic activity. Walking through some of the streets is like walking through a war zone. Crumbling buildings. Shattered sidewalks. Piles of rubble.  It is a challenge to live here, but people get by. They have done a good job recovering from the past earthquake: the transportation infrastructure is back and running and the majority of displaced people appear to have homes again.  Of course, the tourist industry has been slow to gain speed. Four of the five hotels I called to make a reservation are no longer active because of the earthquake, and two of the major (and only) sites (the wine museum and the train station) that I wanted to see are in reparation. But no complaints here. It is better that the people and the government put their monetary and physical effort into helping the real people to recover, rather than pampering its incoming foreigners. Besides, it has been really great way to see how a town (and a country) can live under the threat of earthquakes and with the very real need to respond.