all shook up.

first of all, i haven't figured out how to capitalize letters on chilean computers... so please excuse me. grammar nazi that i am, this is driving me nuts.

second, in case you didn't know... i'm in chile, with my friend chasley, visiting my cousin emily.

and third, the earthquake heard 'round the world is affecting us here in south america. in fact, we have been evacuated. emily lives with a host family on the coast of chile, and we're expecting to see the effects of the earthquake in a few hours. tsunami warnings, loud sirens, and a forced evacuation have made for an exciting first day in the southern hemisphere. especially since i was sleeping peacefully when emily woke me up and told me to grab only my purse-- she seemed amused that i wanted to pull my luggage with me as we headed for the hills-- and leave. so you can imagine that i'm looking quite cute as i make my chilean debut-- sweatshirt, nike shorts, unwashed hair, nap-smeared make-up.

so we have moved to emily's boyfriend's home, an apartment high in the hills. i'm intimately aware of just how high in the hills because we walked a great part of it, the dampening of perspiration making me all the more attractive.

the chileans are unconcerned, although the authorities are out in full force to be sure that the evacuation is complete. earthquakes are par for the course around here, and no one seems to take the evacuation seriously. i mean, feels kind of serious to me... but on a continent where i don't know the language, i do what i'm told and feel what i'm told to feel. and if that means not getting upset about the approaching tsunami, that's a-okay with me. although we just reviewed youtube videos of the tsunami in japan and the 2004 tsunami in indonesia... not my best idea.

anyway, here i am... in chile... all evacuated and whatnot.