Canterbury: The New Normal
Rachel Blake from successful child furniture and design company
Mocka and mother of three reflects on the 'new normal' for
Christchurch.
Wow, what a year it has been for everyone in Christchurch and
New Zealand! At times it has been downright scary, at other
times there has been a deep sense of uncertainty and fragility
around many things we have taken for granted for a long time - like
solid ground! However, more than anything, I am constantly
amazed at how positive people have remained in the face of
adversity. For us, we have grown as a family and become
really focussed on what is important.
The first earthquake in September 2010 was probably the scariest
for the kids - being thrown out of bed in the middle of the night,
with no electricity and the constant aftershocks as we huddled
under the kitchen table. We didn't know anything about
earthquakes - our preschooler didn't even know what an earthquake
was. As parents, the hardest thing was that we didn't
really know what to do - we put on a brave face but didn't really
know how to answer their questions, so we have all learnt
together!
Like everyone, we assumed the September earthquake was "the big
one" and never suspected that they would get worse. And it
did get much worse, especially when we learned that people had died
and our city as we knew it was destroyed. Looking back, it is
amazing how people have adapted. To begin with, everything
was so up in the air - pretty quickly people made conscious
decisions to move forward and with the benefit of 12 months now
behind us since 22 February, significant progress has been
made. There is just a really, really long way to
go!
At a personal level, our now 6 year old knows exactly what to do
in an earthquake - go into your turtle! The children are
stronger and have learnt to appreciate the "normality" of life
after living without power or water and regular interruptions at
random times of the day and night (they often seem to be at
night!). I am convinced our children are more resilient than
their parents at times but also worry that they have had to
experience more than they should at their ages.
The sense of community within our school and all over
Christchurch is amazing - there is a lifelong bond created through
what we hope is a unique experience. By comparison to many,
we were exceptionally lucky but that doesn't stop many memories
that will be burned on the brain forever, like 450 children on a
school field waiting to be collected, screaming as another big
aftershock hit.
Like any big event in life, this has caused us and our wider
family to reassess priorities and to pursue opportunities that we
may not have considered had this not occurred. I am so proud of our
children and how they have responded. They know that life can
be hard at times, that Mum and Dad can't always help them and it
has given them a mental toughness which will help them throughout
their lives.
With our children, I have a strong need to know exactly where
everyone is at all times. Sometimes I wonder whether I need a
full engineers report on their friends' houses before they go
visiting! In all seriousness, the simple pleasures in life
are always the best and stable ground under your feet is a
bonus! Family, friends (and wine) have helped us get
through things so far. We are in a very happy space as a
family and excited about what the future holds for our broken but
not beaten little city.
Written by Rachel Blake, MOCKA www.mocka.co.nz