Overseas Briefing

DUNEDIN — For geology majors, New Zealand is a great place to study abroad. I’ve already had the opportunity to geek out over mudstone boulders and columnar basalt. There are tall volcanoes not too far from glaciers that touch the ocean. At the top of the North Island, one can watch waves crash together where the Pacific Ocean meets the Tasman Sea. And Kiwis — the colloquial name for New Zealanders, a name derived from a small, round, flightless bird and not the fruit — are eager to get us tourists out there to experience their country and see it all.

As a geology major, earthquakes are cool and with New Zealand on the Ring of Fire, this country is very tectonically active. We analyze which oceanic plate is subducting under what continental plate to form the Southern Alps and drive the alpine fault and its subsidiary radiating faults. I admit that I do check the United States Geological Survey (USGS) “Latest Earthquakes in the World” website weekly.

But sometimes, earthquakes are a rude awakening, even for geology aficionados.

As a geology major, I can tell you that the February 22 earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter scale and an epicenter in Christchurch.

As an international student studying in New Zealand, I can tell you that the death toll is already over 250 and entire buildings lay flattened in downtown while the Red Cross continues its search for those still missing. Many neighborhoods could be abandoned, as Christchurch residents may be too afraid to return to their homes.

In the United States, with a population of almost 309 million people, it is possible for a catastrophe to occur in one part of the country and not feel the repercussions of it while living in another. Yet with the wee population of 4.4 million people in New Zealand, any event, big or small, becomes a national event.

Having only spent four weeks in New Zealand, I have already met many people who have family members in Christchurch, all of whom were devastated by the earthquake. I worry with newfound friends, hoping that their father or grandmother will not suffer another heart attack or their houses will stay up with the recurring aftershocks.

As a geology major, it’s even easier to be caught up with the awesome power of plate tectonics and forget that people are negatively affected by earthquakes. Studying abroad moves your center. It’s easy at Middlebury to get caught in the bubble and not pay attention to anything that happens outside of the dining hall menus, but in New Zealand, what affects me the most is what’s happening to my fellow kiwis.