Where Was I on 9/11?

"September 11 Anniversary Flag Hand Painted Upcycled Old Roofing Slate", by Michael Taylor, Etsy.com

On September 11, 2001, I was a senior at the University of Dallas, a small Catholic college and world and half way from New York City, Washington D.C., or  Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It could have been any other Tuesday morning. I was running late for my French class and probably eating breakfast on the way.

Class started at 9 AM, which would have made it 10 AM in New York- a full hour and fourteen minutes after the first plane hit the World Trade Center. Shortly after class began, a student worker from the Foreign Language Department ran into the room to say that second plane had hit the buildings.  He back a few minutes later to tell us there wast a third and fourth plane, but he didn’t have any other details other than that.

I had no idea what he was talking about, so my professor explained (in French) and dismissed us for the day. The story of what I thought she had said was a much funnier until I realized what she had actually said…  However when spoken in plain English, it didn’t make much sense either.

I rushed home to find my three roommates gathered around our tiny TV. We were all dumbfounded and in shock, but couldn’t pull ourselves away.

The first phone call I made was to my dad to ask if he had heard from his brother and sister, who both worked in Manhattan. He had and they were fine. I told him I loved him and  hung up. Then, at a loss from what to do next, I just went to my next class for the day even though I knew it would be canceled anyway. I just need some place to BE.

My college campus was within a few miles from DFW Airport. Over they years, I had grown accustom to the sounds of planes taking off and landing all day. As I walked back to campus, I was stunned by the silence. Even traffic seemed to be at a standstill as the entire world just watched and waited.

I don’t remember what  happened in the days that followed, but I know that some point life must have gone on.

Within the same month, I started an internship at the ad agency which would propel my career. I ended a three year relationship. I wrote my senior thesis on goal setting and accomplishment.

Yes, my life may have gone on, but I am no less shaken and confused but what happened that day. Every September 11th, I watch the memorials and news coverage and remember that day. I learn so much more about what really happened- the personal stories, the kids who were orphaned at birth, the people left behind.  As a mother and a wife, I have a deeper sense of their loss in a way that I did not as an unattached college student. I see so many lives which have not gone on. My thoughts and prayers are with them today.

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