Ok, I've decided to tackle a subject here that I've shied away from previously, because at times when I have mentioned it in the past it has provoked quite a strong reaction. The subject: earthquakes.
Here in Chile, earthquakes are a fact of life. Most likely, you will have seen in the news that Chile had a major earthquake back in February this year. In that particular case, the magnitude was exceptional. But a gentle shaking of the earth here is a regular occurrence.
I experienced my first tremor around four days after I arrived. I was sitting on the sofa when I heard an odd creaking noise in the kitchen. My first thought was that something may have fallen down or come in through the window. But then 30 seconds later I felt the floor and the sofa shake. It couldn't have lasted for more than 10 seconds and was nowhere near as strong as those we've had in Birmingham in recent years.
Since then there have been countless tremors, or rather delightfully 'tremblers' as they are sometimes called. I've been aware of two or three and there have been many more while we've been asleep/on the Metro/out and and about. What prompted this post was another one this morning and I can only describe it as feeling like someone had grabbed hold of the bottom of the sofa and shaken it from side to side.
So there you have it. Unfortunately, I couldn't write a blog about my time here in Chile without mentioning earthquakes, they are so common that no-one is phased when the earth moves. In fact, some colleagues of a friend of mine simply grinned and said: "Welcome to Chile. Get used to it." (Thanks Emma)
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