Friday, March 21, 2025 - Day 220

Friday, March 21, 2025

Good morning!! ☀️

Yesterday’s post sparked some responses, so I wanted to add a few more details to complete the Chile earthquake story.

After the longest three minutes of terror in my life, everyone stayed outside, bracing for the aftershocks. I connected with two of my coworkers, but the third was nowhere to be seen. We waited over an hour, and he never came out. Not knowing if there was any internal damage to the hotel, we feared the worst—that one of the floors had collapsed and he was pancake trapped or worse.

To ease the anxiety, the hotel chef came outside to reassure the crowd. His English was so-so, and my Spanish was even worse, so one of my coworkers translated. The chef insisted the building was safe and urged us to come inside for a continental breakfast. My first thought? This guy is a chef—what does he know about structural integrity? No one moved quickly. But he kept pleading, and little by little, people trickled in.

We gathered in the lobby as a few staff members set up a modest breakfast station. It was oddly comforting—though I’d call it high-alert relaxation. The coffee was strong (probably the last thing we needed), and the pastries were a nice touch. No one talked much. Most of us were fixated on our phones, trying to get service and contact loved ones.

Then, finally, our missing coworker strolled into the lobby. Unharmed. Completely calm. We bombarded him with questions, but the most pressing one was: “Where have you been?” His answer? “I stayed in my room, lying on the bed.”

No fear? No rush for safety? No nothing? He was unfazed! Either the guy was cool as a cucumber or had a death wish. Im still not sure what going on in his head.,But we were just relieved all four of us were accounted for.

After a couple of hours and only mild aftershocks, we decided to head back to our rooms to freshen up. Surprisingly, the hotel still had electricity and water—remarkable after an 8.8 quake. So, we took the stairs. Fifteen floors for me. Grateful I was in decent shape, because wow…that was a hike!

Back in my room, I picked up lamps and scattered belongings, and that’s when I spotted the water bottle. That was stupid to leave behind. I would have probably died of dehydration had I become trapped.

I stepped into the shower, letting the hot water run over my head, trying to ground myself. And then—things started moving again.

Panic hit me. A repeat from just a few hours ago.

I shut off the water, scrambled to dry off (poorly), dressed as fast as I could, grabbed the water bottle this time, and bolted down the stairs. I don’t even remember passing anyone. By the time I reached the lobby, the aftershock had passed. I took a deep breath and scanned the lobby looking for any familiar faces. I could feel my body running on fumes by this point.

I reconnected with my coworkers and told them I wasn’t sticking around to wait for more aftershocks. One joined me, and we set off to explore Santiago and see the aftermath. The other two stayed put.

It was a beautiful day, eerily normal despite what had just happened. We wandered for miles. The destruction was minimal. We even stopped at a bar for lunch. If not for the morning’s chaos, it could’ve been any other day. We didn’t return to the hotel until after 6:00, had a quick dinner, and collapsed into bed—fully dressed, just in case. And for the first time since the quake, I slept. Hard.

Nothing else happened that night. Whew. Other than figuring out how to get out of the country four days later, it was finally over.

Change of topic.
Off to PT and OT this morning. I really would like to go back to bed. Yesterday’s tax day wore me out. Anyway…we’re going to head out for the long drive to Glenview. Not sure what to expect—I’m still not convinced they’re all that beneficial. But I’ll keep showing up, at least for now.

Have a great Friday. Welcome to spring (one day late)!

Love you guys! ❤️

Attached photo - Bear and Cindy saying goodbye as I head off to prepare taxes.