vicki & i were near the end of a long skype chat about our current UpStage funding proposal – it was almost 1am my time in München, & almost 1pm for her in wellington. we were starting to say goodbye when vicki was given the news that a huge earthquake had just happened in christchurch. it is a strange thing to be on the other side of the world when something like this happens in your own country. i don’t have close family in christchurch but i do have some good friends, & the parents of many friends also live there. so far it seems that everyone i know is physically ok, but at least one family i know has lost their home.

everyone expected “the big one” to happen in wellington, which is where i live when i’m living in new zealand. eight fault lines run underneath wellington, & we experience hundreds of small earthquakes every year, many too small to feel. wellingtonians are trained to be prepared for “the big one” – we dutifully keep on hand containers of fresh water, batteries for torches & radios, & first aid kits. we don’t put heavy objects on high shelves & we use blutak to fix breakable things to shelves. heavy cupboards and shelves are bolted to the wall & we subconsciously take note of civil defence centre signs.

but christchurch – this city used to be considered one of the safest places to live in terms of earthquakes and volcanic activity. the big earthquake last september (bigger than tuesday’s quake, but less damaging because it was deeper, located further away from the city, & occurred in the early hours of the morning) came more or less without warning, but since then there have been ongoing aftershocks. i don’t know if tuesday’s big one is also an aftershock, perhaps it is. but it has certainly been much more devastating.

i’m still waiting for news on one friend. i hope she is ok. i’m sure that everyone there must be traumatised & it’s going to be a long time before things might be “normal” again, if ever. all i can do from here is text, email, & make a donation.