I was in Tokyo when I heard the news, miles and miles away from the city I have grown to love. I had been out of school the day before for an unexpected tropical storm and was half hoping we would be out another day. When my mom shook me awake at 9:30am instead of the usual 6:00 in the morning I was excited. “More rain?” I had asked. When she shook her head, I must have looked confused. That is when she turned on the TV and I saw the horrific footage of the planes hitting the twin towers, followed by their imminent collapse.
Walking through the city today I couldn’t help but hear everyone around me recounting their story of where they were on 9/11 all those years ago. It is easy to pick up on the sadness in their voice, but of you listen closely, you can hear something else…a sense of pride in the city where they belong, and a hint of hope for a brighter future.
Where were you this time 11 years ago? As a way of remembering, share your story in the comment box below.
I was at school. 8th grade. I used to call the housekeeper everyday around 9am to remind her to press the rec button on my VCR to record my favorite show. That day she told me she couldn’t because there was a airplane crash showing on tv instead. I was so confused but hung up and went back inside the classroom. Nobody at school told us what had happened.The internet wasn’t that common in schools yet I guess. When my dad came to pick me up, he had that weird look on his face. I said I wanted to see it because I just couldn’t believe what he was telling me. I was extremely shocked as everybody else and deeply sad. 11 years later I’m here, living and loving this city as if it was my own and wondering how such thing could be done to human beings by human beings.