Where I Was

On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was in my college apartment, getting ready to go to class. It was a morning like any other. My alarm clock went off and I drug myself out of bed. Took a shower, got dressed, had my orange juice, like I always do. My computer was on, so as I picked up my book bag to head to class, I glanced at the screen. A friend of mine had IM'd me...."Have you been watching the news?" "No", I replied, "Why?" "Turn the TV on", he said, "the World Trade Center has been attacked." I turned on the television and watched, unsure of what was going on. An airplane had hit the WTC? They were talking about terrorists. I left and started walking to class. It was beautiful outside. The campus seemed quiet, except for the military jets that flew over. In my class, everyone was chatting about what was going on. No one really knew yet exactly what had happened. Our professor came in and taught class as usual. Afterward, I went back to my apartment. Mom called. She told me that I had better fill my car up with gas, because the rumor was that the stations might run out. Of course, I knew that I shouldn't give into that panicked behavior like everyone else, but I wanted to get home that weekend. I wanted to make sure I was able to get home to see my parents and sister, so I (like everyone else) went to the gas station and got in line. Cars were lined down Kingshighway waiting for gas. There were probably 10 cars in front of me, but I didn't care. It wasn't important. For once, I didn't get impatient waiting in a line. All of us were there for the same reason. We were confused about what had happened. We didn't know what else to do. I turned on the radio in my car. The only thing on any station was coverage of the day's events. I listened as they told of the deaths...I couldn't stop the tears. My normally selfish routine had been interrupted by something bigger than me...something I couldn't control. I didn't personally know a single soul who died that day, so I don't know what it feels like to be a person who did lose a loved one. What I did feel was an attack on something I love.....something that until that day, I did not realize how much I took for granted. My country. Our freedom. The great people who live here. My home.