Pandemonium in the Pacific!

Last night was an overall ridiculous evening. Our midterm was in the afternoon, from 1:00-4:30 pm--one of the longest tests I've ever taken--just 3 questions that we had to write novels to respond to completely, so after the exam we were all feeling pretty wiped. We grilled up an all-American meal: steak, potatoes, and corn on the cob (the first time I've ever grilled anything! It's fun, I can see why boys have tried to trick us into thinking it's hard man's work... they just want to be outside having fun on the grill while someone else is stuck in the kitchen) and were in full-swing celebration mode after dinner when we heard the emergency bell ringing at around 9:00. When we all met up, we learned there had been 2 massive earthquakes outside Japan (8.8 followed by a 7.6!), causing tsunami waves throughout the Pacific. New Zealand's North Island had been issued a tsunami warning, and we all had to pack emergency packs to have ready in case we needed to evacuate campus, which is so conveniently located right on the water. So throughout the night we had to reconvene 3 different times, everyone at hilariously increasing levels of drunkenness each time, to hear news updates and weather forecasts. No tsunami waves ever hit NZ, but if they had, we were prepped for outrageous storms ("If the vans are inaccessible, we will hike to higher ground. If necessary, the key to the kayak shed is kept in the mailroom" and other, equally intense instructions) and stumbled around campus preparing for the apocalypse in between games of beirut. Life is so much more exciting on an island!