Christchurch is like a ghost town. Not in the deserted old westerner sense, but in the memory of our host, Andrew from BECA Engineers (Jeremiah’s employer). He pointed to empty lot after empty lot as he toured us through the city center, remembering that this one was a 10 story office building, or that his friend used to work in that 8 story building but it’s gone now, pancaked in the earthquake, February 2011. The epicenter was directly below the city center. Several cranes are at work eating away at the tall buildings, taking them down piece by piece. Almost none remain, and Andrew says he looses his bearings because all the old landmarks are gone. Buildings that remain often have bracings holding their facades on, or empty windows blinds fluttering in the wind, ready to be torn down. Fencing companies and cone companies have done well–lots of territory to block off. It’s not been easy on the residents. Most people know someone who died in collapsed buildings, and they’re on pins and needles, wary for the next one but without any way to predict if it’ll be tomorrow or when their grandkids are grown.