Take 2. I wrote this last night, DIDN’T publish it, and somehow it was gone this morning. So, I will recount and highlight the past two weeks. We went on our amazing Costa Rica trip over the weekend of September 14. Chris, Ryan and I had a spectacular time and enjoyed the jungle animals, zip lining, a boat ride and the waterfalls. It was not a typical “Tina” vacation, where I lay in the sun and chill. It was an adventure! At the zip line venue, we had to climb vertical ladders to get to some of the platforms, and occasionally had to climb from tree to tree (on ladders). I have zip-lined before and this wasn’t the case. We were hot and sweaty even before the climbing began. The water after we were done was pure bliss on our lips. Even though I am complaining a bit, the scenery was awesome and we saw monkeys in the trees just above our heads! How cool is that? The second day, we visited native animals and then walked many many steps up (and down) to see the three giant waterfalls at La Paz Waterfall Gardens. In other words, we got our steps in while enjoying these awesome views. We all really enjoyed the Marriott resort in San Jose. We are thankful that we had friends who recommended this trip. I would love to go back and check out the beaches. Maybe someday??
So, we returned to Mexico City on September 17, as Chris needed to go to work on the 18th. Ryan had that Monday off because the school extended the holiday weekend with an administrative day. So, Tuesday, September 19, all was “back to normal” until 1pm. I had gone to my exercise class and had driven to my cooking class for my “regular” Tuesday fun that started at 11am. Then….
As the 6 of us were just about to sit down and eat our food that we prepared, a friend said, “Did you feel that?” Before any of us could really respond, the whole building began to shake. We honestly didn’t know what to do. I had read to get by a big piece of furniture because if the building collapses, there will be a “triangle of life” for you to breathe and be saved. BUT, I have since learned that that only works with drywall construction, not the concrete that is used here. Basically, if the building falls, the floors will line up like pancakes. YIKES! Not good. Lesson learned. So, as the building was shaking and the 5 foot chandelier was moving side to side, I looked out a giant window onto the terrace of the 2nd floor condo. What I saw will never leave my mind. I saw a 15 story building moving side to side. I know that they are designed to move, but seeing it almost felt surreal. Beyond the tree line, beside that building, we heard a big “boom” and I saw a plume of black smoke. It was extremely scary. I have never been to war, but it felt a bit like that. You have no control of what will explode, or how long the disaster will last. I still don’t know what the smoke was all about. But it was too close for comfort, for sure.
Obviously, the building we were in did not fall. I was in the Bosques area, which is about 5 miles from the devastation and about 5 miles from where we live. After the shaking was over, we then decided to go outside, where many people had already congregated. I had already heard from Chris that he was OK, but hadn’t learned of the school yet, where Ryan was. The phones then all were useless. The system was too overwhelmed, so our phones were out of service for a bit. Eventually, we found out that the students and staff were safe. I am so very thankful that I was with some new friends. It was very scary and “misery loves company”. 😦
After I got back home, I gave my dogs hugs and they seemed completely at ease. I looked around the condo and saw many cracks, almost in every room. Later in the day someone came and checked it out and says that structurally, we are OK, but there are many areas that need fixed. It still amazes me that we live in “The Ring of Fire” and we have actually experienced 2 earthquakes. Now that I have experienced these, I will say that the first really wasn’t “so bad”. Just a little bed shake!
After the quake, there was no school the rest of the week, and my kiddo and I headed to the USA. Since Houston is a quick, non-stop and relatively inexpensive flight, we purchased the tickets on Wednesday and left on Thursday. We had a wonderful time visiting friends, eating and shopping. We returned to CDMX on Sunday, and he did not return to school until Tuesday! The aftermath is still pretty bad. There are teachers displaced and there are still many people homeless and hungry. It is amazing what the people are doing for each other. I know people who were actually pulling people out of buildings!
We are thankful to be safe and alive. Thanks for all of the well wishes. We are “back to normal” and praying that no more “sizmos” come here!!
God Bless!
~Tina
PHOTOS from above:
- Costa Rica
- The building I saw MOVING!
- Cracks in our hallway
- Debris from the building I was in (ground floor as we were walking out)
The Hazens in Mexico 