Christchurch

Last night we played American drinking games with all of our roommates from around the world. Instead of names we just call each other by our various countries of origin (Sweden, Irish, Holland, Austria, Spain, etc.), Kyle somehow got the nickname Vegas. Luckily we didn’t try to keep up with the likes of Irish but somehow Kyle still woke up sick as a dog.

When we finally pulled ourselves together we headed into downtown Christchurch. You would have thought the earthquake was a week ago. The whole main section of the city is completely blocked off because it is too dangerous (the red section of the map). They do not have the manpower for all of the demolition that needs to occur so the buildings are still standing in shambles. Apartment buildings, businesses, and homes are all vacant giving the whole city a bizarre energy. The rubble is still here as they are slowly turning it into gravel, leaving whole brick buildings crumbled on the streets. I think the first effort was to fix all of the roads and they have not even begun to think of the rebuilding stages yet.

Now that we are seeing our part of town in the light of day it is very similar to an ugly version of Venice Beach. It is definitely a surfer’s neighborhood with surf shops, thrift stores, and bars. The seagulls here are hilarious. The noise they make is somewhere between a baby crying and a bird attempting to meow- a lovely chorus to wake up to. It is beautiful and sunny this afternoon and we are enjoying it while it lasts.

Some news coming tomorrow… until then!