I really don't have much of a 9/11 story. I think the main part of it lies with the fact that I am in the West Coast. I have yet to hear of someone from the east, that doesn't have a great story of how they saw fires, the towers collapsing and people running. For me, it was all shown on TV. That's as close as I came to living it. I was actually asleep when the whole thing happened. By the time my parents heard about it from a neighbor and woke me up, the towers were gone. I am actually quite drawn to watching the whole thing over again on the internet (some people can't stomach it). I think its because I still quite fathom the scope of such an attack. It was just so terrible and at such a large scale, that it boggles the mind. Everytime I look at those scenes, I just think to myself how the world changed at that precise moment. It's just too enormous.
Now, 9/11 is going to be a day when everyone asks: "So what were you doing in 9/11?" Kind of like when asked "What were you doing when Kennedy was shot?" But have you ever asked yourself, "What were you doing the day before? What were you doing 9/10, the last normal day before everything was turned upside down for all of us. As expected, most people probably have no recollection of what they did. Now, its obviously not a critical question. It's not like people were asking themselves "what was I doing Dec. 6 1941," but seeing where we are now in the world, I sometimes wish I did remember, at least for sentimental purposes.
I think you mean December 7th 1941.
ReplyDeleteNo, I meant December 6th. Meaning, what were you doing the day before.
ReplyDeleteThat paragraph was dealing with what memories you have the day BEFORE the attack.
Hyrax, that is an amazing question. There is only one thing that I remember from September 10th. It was my second year at Stern. My first year, on September 9th, there was an United Nations International Parade going down Madison Ave. I happened upon it as I was walking down 34th Street to go to Kmart. I always had my camera on me, so I took pics. Anyways, the next year, 2001, I didn't think the Parade was happening because I went down to Madison Ave on September 9th, and the parade wasn't happening. The next day I was on my way to Kinkos, and I noticed the parade again. I took pics again.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason I remember that is because the next day as the attacks unfolded in front of me, I quipped how ironic it was that the country was under attack the day after an International Parade celebrated America's, and New York's, diversity. And, that was what I was doing the day before 9/11.
-OC
I don't remember the 10th, but I remember about 2-3 weeks before 9/11. I was arguing with my friend's mom about the plans of my friend and his triplet sisters. Due to the terror attacks, she was not sending any in their first year of post-HS education to Israel. I argued that they were just as safe, if not safer, in Israel.
ReplyDeleteOn 9/11, one of the thoughts that ran through my mind around when the towers fell was 'Oh man. I was right.' It was a sombering, depressing realization.
I was at work a good part of the day on Monday the 10th. I was very angry about a number of things. I was feeling devastated by the recent death of a dear friend and was feeling quite isolated.
ReplyDelete