It was like every other ordinary Tuesday morning, only there was one difference; it was my mother’s birthday. Waking up in the morning getting ready to go to school, the only thing juggling around in my head was the fact that I was going to be home from school in 9 hours for a fun and joyous birthday party. Little did I know, this day was going to be one of the most terrifying and memorable days of my life.
Walking into math class with anticipation to finish school, my friends and I began to take our seats to start the daily lesson. As we sat diligently doing our class work, we were interrupted by our principles sonorous voice explaining what had just occurred in New York City. Trying to digest the information that was recently delivered, my heart sank as I realized how many family members worked in the city and could possibly have been affected by this incredulous act of terror. It seamed like only seconds when havoc arose and the schools’ halls were overflowing with students’ parents racing to sign their children out of school. I couldn’t understand why my mother was not a member of the stampede of frantic women harassing the administration demanding to take their children home with them. While I felt, at the time, that our school would be the next target for Osama Bin Ladin, my mother on the other hand was more rational and felt I was safe exactly where I was. (As a compromise, she signed me out of school at 3:30).
As relieved as I was to be leaving school early with my mother, my anxiety increased while listening to the radio in my parent’s new car. The media networks were broadcasting this horrific news on every channel; there was just no escape. Although I lived about 55 miles from Manhattan, It felt as if this event happened right next door because of every television network covering this world-changing story.
Being a young teen at the time, I wasn’t able to grasp the significance of what was actually happening. I didn’t know how this would affect the rest of my life. Thinking back, were there always police or army men stationed at the entrances of tunnels and bridges? Was it always mandatory to take our shoes off while going through security before boarding an aircraft? We didn’t give these things a second thought. Security was taken for granted in the United States. Yet for me, September 11th continues to be a learning process. The fact is my teenage innocence was replaced with a heightened sense of awareness that we are just as vulnerable to the same terrorist risks as every other country in the world. Needless to say, my mother’s birthday party was a bit of a drag that year.
Abraham Dwek
I have always wondered how young people experienced 9/11. Seeing your post was a thought provoking experience for me. While I was watching the whole thing unfold in real time and with an adult's eye you were experiencing probably your first life changing experience. Hopefully, there will be other life changing experiences that will be more uplifting in the future.
ReplyDeleteIt would also be interesting to look at the role of the media in the kinds of changes you mention, such as more police presence -- are they critical? Do you think they portray things are more or less dangerous than they actually are? How does that affect policy and the public's willingness to accept changes (in security, etc)?
ReplyDeleteI remember being in 8th grade during the attack. Every class room was listening to the radio which was playing over the school intercom. Kids where worried about their family members but alot of phones where down. The school was egred to let the students leave but due to the situation, they had to be contacted by a guardian in order to do so. It was a situation that put alot of people in a nervous and unkowledgeable state. With the use of media, people were able to know what was going on at the WTC during Sept. 11.
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