5 years ago today, at 7:30 in the morning, I was driving to school. It was a perfectly normal day, except for the fact that I was going to school early for a Service Commission meeting (a group that you join to boost your college application). I walked into the building, and immediately noticed a group of people in the doorway of a classroom, watching television. As I approached the door, a friend asked, "Meado, did you see the news?" "No. What's up?" I replied. All he could say was "You better take a look at this."
And I did. And my mouth literally dropped wide open.
We proceeded with our brief and trivial meeting. I couldn't believe what had happened, but I also did not realize the enormity of the situation. All I could think about was how just a couple months ago, I was in New York, staring up at the seemingly endless Twin Towers. And now they were just gone.
It didn't take long for it to start sinking in. Everyone, including myself, was just sad. You said hello to your friends, but it by no means pleasant. Just somber "hey"s. In classes, we just watched the news. By the time I got home, I had decided that the death toll was going to be 10,000. At least I was way off. Still though, five years later, it's pretty shocking. We've gotten used to it, but if you actually stop and think about what actually happened, it's pretty much unbelievable.
I'm interested in what other peoples' September 11ths were like. That's why I think there should be a book called "Where Were You?" And it would just be different people writing about where they were and what happened for them that day. I guess for the book to sell, it might have to be just celebrities or people of importance, but I think regular people would be just as interesting. So maybe comment if you want.
They could also do other "Where Were You"s. Like when different records were broken, or other big news events. 9/11 would probably constitute its own book, but others they could probably lump together.
There has been surprisingly little fanfare here in NYC that I've seen. I suppose I live in the wrong part of town. Ground Zero is probably a pretty big deal right now.
Also, if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend the movie "United 93." It is by no means a pleasant experience--I could never sit still. My stomach was always turning because the whole time I knew what was gonna happen--but it is a powerful movie. It seems very realistic and made for reasons other than profit. A lot of the air traffic control guys are playing themselves, which is also cool.
3 comments:
I was walking to brush my teeth in Phibbs 2 (a shitty hall if I ever saw one). Like yourself, I couldn't grasp the weight of the situation and I just walked around like a zombie in utter disbelief. I agree that all too many people have forgotten about what that day means to our nation and it's future. Good luck in the Big Apple Deedle
I was walking back to my room in Seward 2 from the bathroom, when my neighbor, also named Zack (though I think he spelled it Zach) told me. My 9 am theatre survey class wasn't cancelled. We just kind of sat around in class doing nothing and then we headed down to the sub to watch the events unfold on tv.
I was sleeping. My friend Jon from across the hall (Todd/Phibbs) pounded on my door and bursted in. I was still half asleep and hazy; I thought it was a joke when he told me. Then we watched the news on T.V. in his room. I still couldn't believe it and at the time the gravity of the situation hadn't set in. It was surreal.
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