By Lila Renrik
What earthquake, here in the middle of Christchurch, not likely". "If you paid attention during your geography classes young man, you would know that I have told you all many times, Christchurch is built on a swamp and therefore the likelihood of an earthquake having much effect on us in this city is very small."
I will save both my junior and my High School geography teacher's blushes by leaving out their names, but ever since I was a young child and I'm now quite a bit older having had a few birthdays ending in 0, successive teaches have preached the same thing to me and no doubt scores of other Cantabrians, regarding the relative safe haven, insulated from earthquakes we in Canterbury live in.
So you can imagine my surprise when on September 4 2010, at 4.35am on a pitch black, deftly still late winter morning, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook my house off its foundations, shattered windows and rearranged our landscape. Within the 45 seconds or so, when our world shook its socks off, our house became unlivable, our section became a terraced back yard with two trenches a meter wide and in places two meters deep and all services were cut. The next hour was spent wading through water, mud and sand ensuring our neighbour's and my children, who live in three separate parts of town, were all ok. Remarkably, only a few people in all of Canterbury were injured, thank god.
In the cold and darkness of the aftermath, we sat in the remains of our house, waiting for daybreak, waiting for the aftershocks and whatever daylight would lie before us. Ironically, as we sat in the torchlight of our bedroom, sitting out the dark, the first thing that came to mind was, "those buggers were full of Shiite!"
Mind you, in their defence I have since learnt that the last time this fault line was active was 16,000 years ago, and the ability to detect such historic evidence had most likely, only recently become available. Although all of my past teaches seem to be ancient themselves at the time, it is highly unlikely any were present then, although one grey haired old codger must have been born about then. Also, again to spare their blushes, I have just found out that the mud and sand that rose from deep below our gardens and roads, bursting through the surface wherever it pleased, like a pimple erupting through your skin, is in fact called "Liquefaction", go figure? That is one word I have never, ever heard before and certainly was never part of my collective geography teacher's vocabulary.
All this goes to show is that time, like people move on and no matter what we are told today, about today, or tomorrow, is just conjecture, based on some historic data and so-called educated guessing.
I, like my decrepit old teachers, will tell my grandchildren what I know, and what I believe, straight from the heart with no malice or intent to deceive, yet, time may indeed prove to my own grandchildren, that even their wise old, good-looking, fit and friendly old grandparent, may also be full of Shiite? I wonder.
What earthquake, here in the middle of Christchurch, not likely". "If you paid attention during your geography classes young man, you would know that I have told you all many times, Christchurch is built on a swamp and therefore the likelihood of an earthquake having much effect on us in this city is very small."
I will save both my junior and my High School geography teacher's blushes by leaving out their names, but ever since I was a young child and I'm now quite a bit older having had a few birthdays ending in 0, successive teaches have preached the same thing to me and no doubt scores of other Cantabrians, regarding the relative safe haven, insulated from earthquakes we in Canterbury live in.
So you can imagine my surprise when on September 4 2010, at 4.35am on a pitch black, deftly still late winter morning, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook my house off its foundations, shattered windows and rearranged our landscape. Within the 45 seconds or so, when our world shook its socks off, our house became unlivable, our section became a terraced back yard with two trenches a meter wide and in places two meters deep and all services were cut. The next hour was spent wading through water, mud and sand ensuring our neighbour's and my children, who live in three separate parts of town, were all ok. Remarkably, only a few people in all of Canterbury were injured, thank god.
In the cold and darkness of the aftermath, we sat in the remains of our house, waiting for daybreak, waiting for the aftershocks and whatever daylight would lie before us. Ironically, as we sat in the torchlight of our bedroom, sitting out the dark, the first thing that came to mind was, "those buggers were full of Shiite!"
Mind you, in their defence I have since learnt that the last time this fault line was active was 16,000 years ago, and the ability to detect such historic evidence had most likely, only recently become available. Although all of my past teaches seem to be ancient themselves at the time, it is highly unlikely any were present then, although one grey haired old codger must have been born about then. Also, again to spare their blushes, I have just found out that the mud and sand that rose from deep below our gardens and roads, bursting through the surface wherever it pleased, like a pimple erupting through your skin, is in fact called "Liquefaction", go figure? That is one word I have never, ever heard before and certainly was never part of my collective geography teacher's vocabulary.
All this goes to show is that time, like people move on and no matter what we are told today, about today, or tomorrow, is just conjecture, based on some historic data and so-called educated guessing.
I, like my decrepit old teachers, will tell my grandchildren what I know, and what I believe, straight from the heart with no malice or intent to deceive, yet, time may indeed prove to my own grandchildren, that even their wise old, good-looking, fit and friendly old grandparent, may also be full of Shiite? I wonder.
| Lila Renrik is a Wealth Creator. She enjoys a relaxed and fun lifestyle working from home on her computer or from anywhere that has an internet connection. She has been asked to assess many opportunities, giving her insight to many that are flawed by their need for technical know-how or that are fly-by-nighters with ridiculous income claims, only achievable by a few. Lila wants to save others the regret of pursuing 'go-no-where' or 'too difficult' schemes, by sharing what has worked for her. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lila_Renrik |  |
