Shake Shake Shake

On Monday I experienced my first ever earthquake.  It was just before 9 in the morning and I was getting ready to go to school.  The ground started to shake and I thought it was just a large truck driving on the road above my house.  Then, my house began to shake back and forth and I realized it was an earthquake.  I ran outside, but by the time I finally got there it had stopped.  I stood outside talking to my neighbors, all wearing their pajamas, and they kept asking me if I was afraid.  To be honest earthquakes totally freak me out now.  I wearily went back into my house, saw there was no damage, and finished getting ready.  I started walking to school when suddenly 20 students rushed the street and yelled to me that school was cancelled because of the earthquake.  There was no damage to the school, but they closed it in case of aftershocks (There actually was a strong aftershock later that afternoon).  I think we were the only school in the region that was closed.  The epicenter of the earthquake was in Azerbaijan and people as far as Yerevan could feel it.

I had a conversation the next day with an Armenian who asked if we had earthquakes in America.  I said yes, but not usually in Florida.  I then explained hurricanes to her.  She said hurricanes sounded much more frightening because of the water and wind. I told her I was much more afraid of earthquakes because there is absolutely no warning before it strikes.  I hope that was the only earthquake of my Peace Corps service… Oh well, at least I'll be earthquake-free Florida in 38 days! Sorry Washington DC (49 days!), your earthquake last year isn't going to win you any favors ;)