Many people on social media sites have been posting about where they were or what they were doing when they either heard about or saw the live footage of the attacks. I remember being at school and having no idea what was going on. Which in all honest, was probably a good decision for the school to make.
My friends and I could guess that something was happening. Our teachers were on edge and there were a lot of early dismissals. We started with a class full of students and ended the day with maybe a third or a fourth still present. I am 100% sure that if someone had told me while at school what was going on, I would not have taken it well.
I didn't go home that day. Instead my mom had me go home with a friend. This friend's dad worked in the Pentagon and their family hadn't been able to get a hold of him all day. Thankfully they eventually did hear from him. Many families weren't as lucky.
There are a lot of things that I remember that happened in the days right after 9/11. I remember we didn't have school for a few days and that phone reception (both land line and cell phone) was unreliable. My mom, sister, and I stayed with my friend's family until classes started again. The news was constantly showing footage of the crash sites and missing people. Even though our parents tried to shield us from it, we caught glimpses of the news anyway.
It was scary, confusing, and difficult to process. I remember feeling a lot of confusing emotions and taking a lot of time to understand what had happened.
In the days after the attack, I went with my girl scout troupe to a hotel near the Pentagon to give out water and food to the families who were there. The hotel was the headquarters for the victims and families. When we arrived, my friends and I were swarmed by foreign press asking us tons of questions. It was very intimidating. Later we were thanked by the admiral (or general? I don't exactly remember their title, but they were very important) who was in charge. He was notifying and consoling the victims families. It felt good to help out, even a little bit.
As time went on, more and more security measures were put in place. Airports had a lot more metal detectors and restrictions. There were a lot more security personal in Washington DC. Places where I used to be able to just walk right in, suddenly had guards and metal detectors everywhere. I was a lot more aware of my surroundings.
September 11th 2001 was a major turning point in my life. I still remember a time when things were a bit more laid back (for lack of a better term). A lot of sudden changes happened and I was faced with emotions I had never experienced before.
There are many days were I wonder what our world would have been like if the terrorist attack had never happened. There are other days where I wonder what it would have been like if I had been older in 2001. Then there are the days where I wonder if something like that will happen again?
9/11 had a major impact on my life and I don't think I'll ever be able to forget.
Thank you for reading.
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