Madison Dale, from the University of Florida, explains why she enjoyed learning about New Zealand’s natural disasters, and the lasting impact of the Christchurch Earthquakes. She writes:

When reflecting on the past year, one of the events that stands out to me is the massive amounts of natural disasters our region experienced, namely the hurricanes Irma and Harvey. As with all natural disasters, while there was fear, there was also a rallying of the community. In Florida we heard many touching stories of generators being shared, makeshift shelters opening, and neighbors helping neighbors. It reminded me a lot of the stories we heard in New Zealand regarding the Christchurch earthquake. Though the earthquake occurred in 2011, the city is still rebuilding and the impact is visible.

The earthquake occured on February 22nd, 2011 and killed 185 people. We learned about the impact of the earthquake on a city bus tour where we went past the official and unofficial earthquake memorials. The city government created a memorial, but citizens also created their own memorial. The victims’ family members found chairs that reflected their loved one’s personality and painted them white. The memorial was meant to be temporary, but it became a cornerstone of the community and was made permanent. This was our first example of the Christchurch community banding together.

Two of our in-country guides were Christchurch natives, and they were able to give us first hand accounts of the earthquake. Our guide, Bruce, described how the community was frustrated but eventually persevered. Many people lost their businesses, so to provide a cheap, effective way to create income, people started rebuilding with storage containers. We ate breakfast in a cafe that was half brick and half storage container, and we ate lunch in a storage container market, pictured right. What once was a temporary fix became an eclectic, permanent part of the town.

While in Christchurch, we heard many inspirational stories about the community getting through a tragedy. The local government put on campaigns to boost community morale, including commissioning huge, intricate murals on the sides of destroyed buildings. They also turned an empty lot into a “Dance-o-mat.” Basically, they constructed a dance floor and speakers, and in the middle they put washing machine that was modified to play music. For $2 you can hook your phone up to the machine and play anything on your playlist over the speakers for half an hour. After dinner one night, our study abroad group went, played music, and danced on the Dance-o-mat floor. It was cool to see all the ways the community made the best out of a horrible situation.

While studying in New Zealand, we learned a lot about nature, national parks, and the unique environment in New Zealand. But in Christchurch we focused more on community and people. Of all the lectures we heard abroad, our Christchurch lessons were my favorite because it showed the strength of community in the face of tragedy.