It was second period and the TVs were on in every classroom. We watched the second plane hit and everything felt surreal. Things continued as normal in my little middle school, but people were subdued and shocked. There was nothing on TV that entire afternoon but the news coverage and Andy Griffith, and I remember thinking that they were being more dramatic than I could handle. Patriotism spiked. Fear swelled. And war started. A war we're still upset about, still trying to end. A war that would continue to kill more Americans and instill more terror.
It was second period when I knew something big had happened. I could never have imagined the impact, but I certainly witnessed the tragedy.
What's your memory like?
I was in Japan at the time, and we are 14 hours ahead of the US. I lived in a dorm at the time. We actually had September 11th off of school because there was a typhoon. The next morning, I didn't hear the hallway alarm to get us up on time, but figured it was just turned off from yesterday or something. I went down to the dining room and saw the TV on Japan CNN and saw New York city filled with smoke... It was definitely surreal. My dorm parents were from Canada, my peers were either Swedish, Korean or Japanese so I kind of felt like I was watching something that wasn't affecting anyone around me... But that wasn't the case for long.
ReplyDeleteMy school did not open that day, and one of the other schools that hosted international students actually covered their signage with blankets because, at the time, they thought all 'Americans' were unsafe.
I'll be honest, I would probably feel differently (i.e. feel.. more??) about Sept. 11th had I been in the United States at the time. It certainly affected me, but I guess I just don't feel like I saw the impact of it all as much..
P.S. Hi, Kristy. I just discovered your blog! And I am thoroughly enjoying it.
Hey Alyssa! Good to hear from you. Please keep following along :) It'll continue through December 31st!
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