Where can I even begin to talk about my experience on Septemember 11, 2001. It was a day that changed my whole perspective on this country and my input on life. Anytime I think about this tragic day, I remind myself of the rollercoaster of emotions that ran through my head that day. If 9/11 put any significance in my life, I would say it made me more humble and generous as a human being.
I was just finishing up a very tiring, and in my opinion pointless, day of physical education. I remember being in the gym when an announcement came on. It was very long and seemed important, but many people, including myself, were too distracted from the noise of people talking to hear about it. I was a freshman in highschool and I just got done changing my gym uniform to my regular clothes in the locker room. Instead of waiting to leave in the hallway for my next class, a male gym teacher irregularly told us to go back in the gymnasium. There, I saw every student that had P.E. during that class period. I started getting curious and I asked a student in my class what happened. He was telling me about some sort of terrorist attack that happened in the D.C. and New York. It was a very exciting moment for a lot of people because no one really knew what was going on. We had no access to televisions like the other classes since we were in the gymnasium. A lot of people were talking about leaving school early and there were rumors of early dismissals and such. I didn't see how serious this was until I was allowed to go to my next class. I was shocked to see only about 7 people there instead of the usual 28 students. During that 7th period class, there was no communication from the students nor the teacher. There was no regular lecture or teaching. All our eyes were glued to the television, and that's when I first saw one of the planes hit one of the World Trade Centers. I was astonished. It was so clear and so concrete that I felt like I was watching a movie. My dad took me home early and we picked up my little brother at his middle school. As soon as I got home, I was hooked on the television until the next day.
There were many emotions and feelings I felt that day. The first thing i felt was shock. Now I understand why bad news is always the most attentive from the viewers. It was the evening time when it sunk to me that this situation really happened. That was the first time I ever felt vulnerable in the United States. This is because I had never experienced a tragic event that hit close to home. I really felt sympathy and compassion for the people that lost their lives and families that day. I wouldn't say I was mad like most people, but I definetly was curious about the next couple of days at hand. Would there be another terrorist attack? Is school going to be cancelled for the next week? Is this just a sign for a nuclear attack? Did I have any friends or family that were killed in New York or D.C.? All these questions just ran through my head that night.
One of the things that changed for me after 9/11 was my new perspective on the United States. It really hit me and made me realize that this country isn't perfect and that I was in threat of anything. In a way, I think 9/11 was a step of maturity turning my teen years. It made me more aware of my surroundings and my outlook on the world. Ever since this day, I would watch the news and actually have more care for politics and the issues at hand. I also felt very blessed as none of my family members or friends were killed from these attacks.
Today, I see the news and all I see is people blaming other people for the attacks. I think it's important to find out who was responsible for these horrendous acts and if it could of been avoided. However, I feel that even after a couple years after this day, people have become comfortable again and forgotten about the people we lost that day. I wish people would keep 9/11 in their memories and the impact it had on all of us.
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