The current view:
I caught the direct bus to uni so I got here much earlier than I need to be. So I thought I'd come and relax for a bit before class.
It's still the same view from the window - The Metro to the right, Aotea Square down in the centre, and the Auckland Town Hall's flag at half mast.
I haven't talked about Christchurch. Mainly cause I feel talking about Christchurch on my blog just feels...difficult for me. It's one thing to post a facebook status telling people to hope and pray for a broken city, yet when I post it on my blog, it's another dimension of personal. This has been the reason why I haven't blogged recently. If I write a blog post, I feel obliged
to talk about it. Eight days better and I feel I'm in the right place to say something.
When the earthquake happened, my boyfriend did not understand why I felt so distraught about it. Never in my life have I lived in Christchurch. In fact, I've only travelled there twice to my knowledge, the last time being 2007. I don't have family living there, I don't have close personal friends there. Yet the day of 22 February I didn't move from my seat in the living room as the coverage unfolded in front of my TV screen.
8 hours I think I sat in front of the tv, constantly refreshing news sites for new updates.
My boyfriend said it wasn't worth it to feel the way I did, that I shouldn't let it get me down.
'Well what else am I suppose to feel?...seeing my country broken the way it is,' I told him.
He didn't really have an answer for that.
Boyfriend meant well. He cares for me in the same way I care for my country, never wanting to see it hurt. The faces of victims are permanently displayed on the front pages of news sites. I don't think I ever imagined to go through something like this before.
I'm blessed to live in the country that I'm in. New Zealand, where I've lived for 19 years, has always been my home. From a Christian perspective, I know that this difficult time for our country will be overcome. The Devil always finds ways to tear us down. New Zealand is too strong to take down the city. There;s a reason why it's called Christchurch.
And that city, which I always thought could be my second home if I ever left Auckland, will be on my mind always. Christchurch still remains to be one of the most beautiful and cultural cities to be in.
So to Christchurch, I love you. To New Zealand, stay strong. While I sit in the heart of Auckland city, opposite the New Zealand flag, my thoughts are about the city that is broken, but never gone.
