Shaking things up with Mother Nature (again!)

I still find it hard to believe that mother nature sent us another big earthquake (6.0) on the exact one year anniversary of last year's huge quake (7.6)...and almost at exactly the same time.  Last year was at about 8:30am and this year's was at about 6:30am.  Coincidence?  Whatever you want to call it, it was enough to have one of my kids ask if we could be away on Sept. 5th next year for fear of what it might be next time.

 

Last year's quake was a strong, long lasting (3 minutes!) quake that happened just after the kids arrived at school.  3 of our kids were starting their day and our oldest was at home with Kurt and I working on a proposal for the internships he would be doing that year as part of an elective course he was taking called LEEP...which stands for Lifelong Experiential Education Program.

 

As the earth began to shake and the noise from the rattling windows and doors got louder, the 3 of use stood up and pondered what we should do, but when things began to start flying off the shelves and glass started to break, we suddenly knew that it was time to run outside, which we did...but, the quaking kept going for at least another two minutes.

 

When we darted down to pick up the kids at the lower campus, there was broken glass everywhere, but the kids, just pre-school thru 5th grade, were all well cared for and loved.  The quake had happened during the morning meeting out in the outdoor palapa....far away from any glass....and had found all the teachers close enough to all the kids to give hugs and immediate instructions.  Lots of excitement filled the air and each kid had a story to tell.

 

When we drove up to the upper campus (grades 6-12) we found the kids up the hill/mountain, as a tsunami warning had been issued by then.  Of course, this is more worrisome and fearful to most than the actual earthquake, so reports of this precaution sent a new found fear into our children when they thought it was all over.  Lots of conversations ensued over what all these events meant and what our family plan of re-connection would be.

 

We then drove home to find dad with our property management team cleaning up all the broken bottles and items that had flown off the shelves, mostly in the kitchen.  The neighbors were all out front and we met many of them for the first time as we had just moved in 2 weeks prior.  It was amazing to see a community bond and connect thru such an event.  We, at that moment, knew that our time in Costa Rica would be just fine.  Not to mention the minimal damage sustained by all the buildings, if any.  Kurt and I were living in San Francisco during the Loma Prieta quake of 1989 which registered a close (and lower!) 6.9 which leveled many buildings, including our own, killed 63 people, flattened a second of the Bay Bridge, and stopped the World Series.  So, to see Costa Rica roll with the flow so easily, it made us all feel much better.

 

But, this year, the quake was loud and strong enough to wake us all up and send us again flying out the door in our PJ's.  Well, except for the two teenagers, who woke up and rolled over despite our jumping up and down about the excitement of being woken up that way.  No broken glass or power outages this time.  And many of the kids in the neighborhood were all asking if school would be cancelled again...but, no.  We did have a second really good aftershock a few minutes later and then one again that night....but, they all just seemed fun and not so scary.  Dare I say that after so many quakes this year, that we are actually getting used to them?!

 

But, what this quake did do was remind us again that mother nature is supreme, that the Ring of Fire is real, and that community is everything.

Flood (check), Earthquake (check) and Fire (check)

Yep...we have now lived thru them all.  So, good...now we are done!  Many of you know that in late June our upstairs bathroom flooded our downstairs laundry, hall and office at our home in Ross.  So, while we were moving our belongings, we were also remodeling!  All the damages walls, floors and ceilings had to be ripped out and replaced.  But, somehow we got it done in the middle of everything else.  Then on Sept. 5th we had the BIG quake here and then last night we had a fire! 

Our property manager had come over earlier in the day to replace a whole bunch of light bulbs that had stopped working since the quake and to put some of the recessed lights back up in the ceiling because they had come loose and were just hanging.  The one light that hangs over the bench we have been using as our "backpack" bench was one of them that had been hanging.  Marissa had gone down the street to interview a neighbor for a school report and the big boys were at the nearby Country Day School with all the teenagers playing Capture the Flag as a fundraiser to help replace the roof on the cafeteria at Country Day that had collapsed in the earthquake.  William and I were playing around on the computer looking at photos of different frogs, when I smelled this smell.  When I looked up I saw smoke coming from the light over the bench.  At the same moment, the light popped and went out.  The major smoke seemed to stop, but when I got a flash light I could see that smoke was still coming from the bamboo on the ceiling around the light fixture.  I stood and watched it a while hoping it would stop, but it did not and the smoke started to cling to the whole ceiling.

I then called the property manager and they had two guys over in a  couple minutes, Marcus and Michael.  They used the fire extinguisher from my car, then actually brought in a hose from the outside and sprayed the ceiling all down.  I was worried about the water, but they said that the house was made of cement and tile, so it will be fine.  And it appears to be!

We never saw any flames, just sparks and smoke....but, that was plenty.  Good thing it is a "cool" day today (I say this because it is still close to 80 degrees) so I can have the whole house open to air out.

It's a quiet Friday and I just returned from getting my toes and nails done by a neighbor lady who has a little salon in a guest house at her house.  Her name in Marlin and as she does my nails she tries to teach me Spanish.  The cost for both a pedicure (today she also gave me a coffee scrub) and manicure is about $10.  Not bad!

Made me forget about the fire anyway for a while (until I walked back in the house...it smells like a camp fire!).  But, this too shall pass.

One Month Anniversary in Costa Rica

Today is Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012 and marks the one month arrival of our family to Costa Rica.  In some ways it feels like we have always been here, and in other ways it feels like we just arrived.  Settling in over the last month has been alot of fun.  The kids started school and are in their second week so far.  Compared to the complaints prior to our departure, no one has said much other than positive comments and all 4 seem to be taking it all in, adjusting, and enjoying all that this adventure has to offer.  I take that as a good sign and a sign of good things to come.  Knowing that we still have 11 months to go for our time here and how much we have improved in our Spanish already, have learned how to get around, and where to buy what...it makes me realize that we have come along way in a short time. 

 

Today is also the one week anniversary of the big 7.6 quake.  While our area sustained little to no damage, other areas have reported more than we have here.  The kids school is doing a collection of important items....powdered milk, water and diapers.  There is a contest between the grades and of course, all our kids hope to win by bringing in some of the large water bottles we had bought after the quake, but did not use as our contribution. 

 

This is also the day that the tooth fairy came for William after loosing his very first tooth.  He told everyone he saw today that he had lost a tooth...incredibly proud of this milestone.  After many discussions about whether there is just one Tooth Fairy or one from each country, it was decided by William that he thought that he would get money from both countries (which he did...a $1 gold piece and 2,000 colones worth $2 US).  He told me that the Tooth Fairy gave him money from both countries because she knew he would need money to spend here and then money to spend when he gets back in the US next year.  Sometimes you just can't argue with the logic of a 6 year old....he is just wiser than most of us at times. 

 

The kids continue to experiment with the after school activity choices.  Today Marissa had gymnastics and then BATON.  She has been so interested in taking baton and now that we have come all the way to Costa Rica, we find a baton teacher!  Go figure.  She also teaches the gymnastics class and is a really nice young gal from Georgia.  She told me she did baton all thru college and that it is really big in the south where she grew up.  Marissa is really excited.  The big boys had their second day of weight lifting at the Jungle Gym with other kids from their campus and both will have soccer and basketball starting next week.

 

Oh, and while Marissa tried out her new classes, William had his first playdate with a little boy from Vancouver, Canada.  It went really well and they seemed to get along great.  They both have been asking to play together, so it was nice to make it happen today.

 

Kurt called tonight and the kids all told him stories of the last few days.  I myself, have had a terrible time sleeping since he left on Monday.  Both the little kids are sleeping with me and every time they move, I wake up thinking it is another earthquake.  A few times it was actually an aftershock which doesn't help me get over all this jitteryness.

 

The last thing that happened today was that tonight was Christie Green's retirement party back at Ross School.  I still can't believe that I was not there, but I sent flowers and notes from both Dominic and I.  I spoke with Christie a few days ago and she totally understands, but I still wish we could have been there.  Being on the Green Team is an honor that Dominic will never ever forget.