Earthquakes

I don’t think I have written about earthquakes yet, which might be because I remember feeling only one weak tremor last semester. Furthermore, as far as I can tell from the maps that locate earthquake epicentres, most earthquakes tend to hit the east of Taiwan (which is logical as its mountainousness betrays the region’s proximity to a tectonic plate boundary). Therefore, even 5 points on the Richter scale in Yilan, which is not that far away from Taipei, feel closer to 2 in the capital. So I am told, at least, for I have no idea what 2 points on the Richter scale are supposed to feel like.

Recently, two such earthquakes (both at least 5 points on the Richter scale) struck the east of Taiwan. The first happened while I was in the shower, and for a few seconds I was not even sure it was an earthquake. I thought that perhaps the hot air had risen to my head making me dizzy. When I leaned my arm against the wall though, I felt it swaying with me, and at that point I grew mortified that I would either die naked and afraid, or, in the better case scenario, be discovered in the rubble, naked and afraid, by a rescue team.

The second earthquake struck while I was doing my homework on the living room couch. I distinctly remember being more reconciled to the situation: I was just listening to Szell’s orchestration of Smetana’s first string quartet, and it dawned upon me that of all the deaths one could die, this one would not have been the worst.

Anyway, I clearly survived both times (as did everyone in Taiwan), though not without consequences. Being unused to earthquakes, I am still new to the supposition that an earthquake occurring is as likely of an explanation for everything swaying as a momentary loss of equilibrium. This knowledge has not been to my benefit, as a hyper-awareness of my surroundings has fooled my brain several times into suspecting tremors. For several days after the shower incident, for example, I was not able to get rid of the feeling that the room was swaying with me. Same with sitting on couches. I wonder whether suspending a pencil from a table or some similar technique would assuage my senses in these situations.

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