Christchurch

Last weekend, I went 4 hours north to Christchurch with 4 friends.  Before we left, Jane, Siri and I went to a bakery that is only open on Friday mornings.  Up at 5:30, we walked 30 minutes uphill to the bakery that is in Roslyn, a town even further up the hill than we live.  It was a nice, quiet, and surprisingly warm walk!  The bakery was filled with delicious pastries.  We got a bunch of different things and shared them so we could taste them all!  My favorite was an amazing almond croissant.  It looked like a normal, flaky, buttery croissant with almond slices on the outside, but the inside was filled with a delectable almond cream.  YUM.  Definitely a sweet way to start off a weekend (classes ended Thursday!).

Jane and Siri outside the bakery

Our goodies. YUM

In Christchurch, we spent some time walking around the city on Saturday and Sunday.  Christchurch and the surrounding Canterbury area has experienced multiple earthquakes (4 September 2010, 22 February, 13 June, and 23 December 2011 were the major ones) with thousands of aftershocks.  This has left the city feeling like a post-apocalyptic world.  Walking through the streets was eerie and silent. Empty buildings everywhere, some still with traces of what was happening when it became unsafe to be inside.  There were countless scaffoldings and fences, and even bricks laying in the streets (behind the fences).  It was a very somber experience.  It felt like the earthquakes happened last month, not two years ago.

Just a glimpse of what much of the city looked like.

Despite the saddening city, there is a Re:Start area- a part of the city where people have rebuilt, mostly using portable storage containers! It was a neat little mall with lots of good food (and WiFi!).  It was really neat to see the bits of hope, community, and art that people have brought out of the destruction.

The Container Mall

My friend/Hope roommate, Karen, has family that live in Christchurch, so I went to visit them for dinner on Saturday night.  It was a wonderful evening and I got lots of hugs from her 6-year-old cousin.

Sunday morning, I was a "race mom" for the day!  I went to the Christchurch Marathon to cheer on my friends in the half marathon!  It was a great and exciting day- and they all made personal records!

Up before the sun, ready to conquer 21 km!

The sunrise- Christchurch's clouds were spectacular!

Off they go!

This week started final exams.  I had two this week and I have two more next week!  Then, it'll be time for more adventures!
Well- back to the books!
Love from New Zealand!