On Tuesday, I thought I was dying. I was maybe a third of the way through my run when I started to feel faint and started to lose my vision. I literally could not see, and that scared the shit out of me. Everything went super photo-sensitive – bright, white and spotty. I could only make out the world around me, vaguely, through this haze of light. Luckily, I know those roads well, and I managed to continue walking along more or less blind until I reached the shade and my eyesight began to return.
Lesson learned: Do not run at midday in the height of summer. And wear sunglasses, maybe. Dehydration isn’t fun, kids.
Then I got a call from work. Another quake in Christchurch. A big one. My issues kind of paled in comparison.
Between my faint spell and finishing off a freelance project, I hadn’t had time to get online all day. Which is very rare for me. But before I went to bed, I checked my email. What do you know…some of my bloggy friends were worried about me and wanted to know I was okay! (Who says Americans are self-centred?) And they’re smart too; as my blog title suggests, I’m in Auckland. And a quick Google will show you that Christchurch is in the South Island, down the other end of the country.
So, thanks Purse, Red, Serendipity, Sunflowers and Revanche – it means a lot 🙂.
NZ has been through a tough year. It’s been an eventful year, a good year, I guess, to work in news. It’s also been a depressing year – all the stories about the ever-rising cost of living – rent, petrol food, national debt, car crashes, drownings, baby deaths, and now, on the heels of Pike River, a second massive Christchurch quake – this time a deadly one. People from all walks of life. Including, to date, at least one journalist, killed when the newsroom collapsed.
I’m sad that I never got to see Christchurch before all this happened. I don’t know what it will look like by the time we get to do our road trip, but it will never be the same. I wonder, in one or two or five years, how many people will still live there; I think it’s safe to say nobody will want to insure any Cantabrian houses after this.
Hug your loved ones. Get insurance. And donate whatever you can – it’s going to be a slow and expensive process to rebuild the Garden City.
[…] agree with eemusings – NZ needs a break. The earthquakes are just tearing Christchurch […]
I’m glad you’re okay. I realized that Auckland was over 1000 km away from Christchurch but I wasn’t sure exactly how strong the earthquake was. I mean… I knew what the richter scale said but wasn’t sure what it meant in terms of if you felt it in Auckland.
I’m glad to hear you’re OK but what an absolute awful tragedy. I can’t even imagine.
I knew you were from NZ but couldn’t remember how far away you were from it. Glad to hear you’re okay.
Natural disasters are scary. I agree with your ending thoughts: I’m going to make sure to hug the people I love.
I actually thought of you as I watched the news and for some weird reason couldn’t remember how far Christchurch is from Auckland. At least you are well. Sending you lots of warm hugs from South Africa.
New Zealand definitely needs a break. It all makes me so sad. I spent a month in New Zealand a few years ago, and found it to be a country with stunning scenery and gracious people.
I’ve been to christchurch and it was a cute little place. It was a city but not a huge one so it felt cozy. These things always seem more tragic when you’ve been there. I feel for the people of New Zealand and hope the losses are at the low end of the predictions.
[…] been getting strange pains, cramps (I think that was due to not eating enough beforehand) and nearly passing out (dehydration, oops.) I haven’t run more than a couple of ks since, er, last year? I’m […]
[…] I’m sure I don’t need to explain the slavish labour part – y’all have heard about the mighty earthquake. […]