Remembering 9/11
I know this isn't my usual kind of post, but I felt like this is such a huge part of our history now. I remember I was in school when this happened. It was science class...yes, I can even remember the specific class...and I remember at the time, everyone was being rowdy. It's possible that class just started or we were in the midst of travel time and suddenly the PA goes off and our principal was announcing what had happened.
I think the noise and suddenness shocked me. I first thought we were being told there was a plane crash in New York, and I was kind of wondering, why is this news to us here in Missouri? But then the class finally shut up and we started hearing more details. Then the teacher brought out a TV and we started watching the news...and then there was this kind of shock.
There was an upside to having all my family be mostly in one state. I had some relatives in Wisconsin and my other relatives lived in Lancaster, NY, which I knew was far from this so I was relieved in the sense that they were all right. But then the news just kept going and it left me feeling sick and even more confused in a sense because I guess I wasn't quite old enough to understand politics well, not that I know them better now either!
I remember in the years to come afterwards I was wary of traveling. In November 2003 I got on a plane for the first time after these events with a little fear but at least knowing things were hopefully more secure now. Obviously everything went smoothly at that time. But I'll admit, I still fear wary when traveling on planes and I've done a fair amount of traveling for book events via plane. The fear still doesn't leave really. Which in a sense is why I had to make myself pass on wanting to finally attend Apollycon next year. Being in Washington DC and what with all the stuff happening in the news lately, going up that way just gives me bad vibes. But obviously if I was anywhere near local I would soooo be there!
I think I remember even having a surreal moment when I saw in my niece's little social studies book a mentioning of 9/11 because it's like whoa. I was alive when that happened!
But what about you guys? What were you doing when you heard about the crash that we would soon remember as 9/11?
