tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36001820.post1871331582485098833..comments2023-10-20T08:52:24.875-07:00Comments on this artist's life:: earthquake dreamsWhitney Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00491079459627713472noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36001820.post-46703883691282289282012-04-29T21:07:07.771-07:002012-04-29T21:07:07.771-07:00Hi Nica,
Thanks for sharing your story. I know th...Hi Nica,<br />Thanks for sharing your story. I know the quake in Christchurch was very traumatic. I do not have direct friends, but friends of friends who suffered tremendous loss in that quake and I heard a lot of stories that gave me flashbacks. Surviving a big quake is a life altering experience, one that I am deeply grateful for. It gave me a perspective on life that I sometimes forget when I'm in the thick of things. But knowing that nothing in this life is a given, that anything can be taken away from you at any moment, including the ground beneath your feet, is a tremendous lesson in being humble for what you have. It sounds like we had a very similar experience-- even I had a few friends who had to crawl out of damaged buildings! And Santa Cruz took many years to rebuild. Even today, I see a few scars that are left and only someone who knew Santa Cruz as it was then could see the remains of the earthquake today, now 23 years later.<br /><br />One of the best parts of the quake was seeing how protective people are of one another in an emergency. The sense of love and support I felt from strangers in my community is something I have missed every single day since things went back to "normal."<br /><br />My earthquake dreams are now very rare, and when I do have them they are anxiety dreams, and I am very suddenly confronting death in the form of a collapsed ceiling or building. They trouble me only every once in a while.<br /><br />I do remember also becoming hyper aware of earthquakes all over the world and being like "Oh my god, the world is being destroyed in earthquakes!" But now I realize that earthquakes are a natural part of the earth's rhythm, we just become more tuned into them when we have gone through a BIG ONE. Most are harmless and do not affect the lives of humans.<br /><br />I wish you the best in fully recovering and incorporating the lessons of your earthquake! <br /><br />WhitneyWhitney Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00491079459627713472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36001820.post-30186069705706257732012-04-29T05:17:21.818-07:002012-04-29T05:17:21.818-07:00I just found your blog today and have been reading...I just found your blog today and have been reading it all evening, you are my favourite potter, and a great writer to boot:) <br /><br />About a year and a half ago, 2 days before my 18th birthday, a very large earthquake hit Christchurch (where I live in New Zealand). It was my second day at Fine arts and an adrenaline filled, dream-like experience; I will never forget the rumble of the earthquake approaching. Afterwards I remember being terrified and running home from university across the city park with my veins full of adrenaline and water sloshing around in my shoes from the small volcanoes of liquifaction oozing out of the ground. I witnessing a huge fully-grown tree rip out of the ground in front of me. Not being able to contact your loved ones to see if they were ok was extremely distressing for everyone. My home was an old brick loft apartment in the city which used to be a rubber factory, it was my first flat and I loved it to bits. It had partially collapsed and we were definitely not allowed to go back and get our things. One of my flatmates had to crawl out as he had been inside when it happened. A lot of people were very unlucky, with a couple hundred people trapped under fallen buildings. In the end over 200 hundred people died and most of our historical buildings were destroyed, it was a very sad time for our small city. The biggest thing to come from the experience for me was my shift of perspective, being young and niave I had felt so invincible, the earthquake opened my eyes to the reality of life, it made me realise how little and insignificant I am in comparison with the mighty forces of the world. People really pulled together and helped each other though, we took in a young tourist from Japan, Azusa, her hostel had collapsed and she had no where to go. A small while after she went back to Japan, they had the earthquake/tsunami hit which was pretty unlucky (she was thankfully unharmed). A year and a half later, the city is still closed and only a few of the many buildings that need to be taken down have been demolished, and we are still having regular aftershocks (we get worried if there aren't any for a while as that usually means another big aftershock is coming). I don't get out of bed for anything under a 5 anymore, and all of my vases are blue-tacked down. When I finish my degree I will probably move to Melbourne. Do you still have dreams of earthquakes? I have the same dream at least once a week, I am up in a building with walls swaying like playing cards about to collapse and I have to survive the fall as best as possible. It seems like there are so many earthquakes and disasters at the moment, or maybe it's just that I'm more aware of them now. <br />Anyway, I enjoy your blog and your creations, and thanks for sharing your experiences/thoughts, I find them really interesting. And sorry for the long post, I know you are a busy lady :)<br /><br />my blog is called nicanel if you are interested..nicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01470103188669056410noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36001820.post-50742729687780466862009-10-28T17:43:01.308-07:002009-10-28T17:43:01.308-07:00I moved to the Monterey Bay area 11 months after t...I moved to the Monterey Bay area 11 months after the Loma Prieta earthquake. Everyone has their memories --mostly terrified, dim, small. Yours is devastating and raw. And it made me think of the first time I ever walked the Pacific Gardens mall, with all the fenced-off devastation that took years and years to process.<br /><br />I don't know if a thank you is the appropriate response here, but I feel like you have given me a small, jagged puzzle piece.Mme.Meowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06417770803826764928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36001820.post-12370359217486606532009-10-18T09:48:43.812-07:002009-10-18T09:48:43.812-07:00Oh, Whitney, that is such a terrifying experience ...Oh, Whitney, that is such a terrifying experience and your account of it is wonderfully vivid. Thank you for the reminder of what we need to treasure in life. I read the comment by Brena and it brought me to tears.You are well-loved.Thank you for sharing.<br />p.s. your mom and I have corresponded a little about Fierce Mother Protective Instinct and the careless things that people sometimes say or do.carolbarclay.etsy.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09486214605317194497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36001820.post-7726988810589428142009-10-17T22:25:31.587-07:002009-10-17T22:25:31.587-07:00Thanks for sharing this terrifying experience with...Thanks for sharing this terrifying experience with us. Definitely a life changing event. BTW, You're writing is amazing.DirtKicker Potteryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17602931467150962399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36001820.post-59766880128368587612009-10-17T19:09:24.959-07:002009-10-17T19:09:24.959-07:00I remember when a friend of mommy's called to ...I remember when a friend of mommy's called to let us know about the earthquake. We were glued to the news for hours until we finally reached you.<br /><br />You know when there are major earthquakes, hurricanes, or other catastrophes and the news people tell the people that aren't there NOT to call your loved ones to leave the few lines open for emergency personnel? Mommy and I gave them the finger as we kept hitting redial for about 2 hours. Busy. Busy. Busy. No service. Busy. Busy. Busy. No service. For 2 excruciating hours. 2 fucking hours.<br /><br />The relief I felt when the phone finally rang and hearing your voice on the other end is a kind of relief I had never experienced in my life. Nor have I experienced that kind of relief since. Having no idea where or how you were was awful given the images we were being fed via the news. It's a feeling I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy.<br /><br />If I remember correctly, you had a field day on Mommy's credit card that Christmas. We all had lots and lots of presents that year. Nothing like a shopping spree to celebrate being alive!<br /><br />I missed you so much during that time.<br /><br />xoxoBrena Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13951126052631417848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36001820.post-14044301771392591132009-10-17T18:57:16.708-07:002009-10-17T18:57:16.708-07:00What can I say? Wow. Thank you for sharing.What can I say? Wow. Thank you for sharing.Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17984298474801356345noreply@blogger.com