This particular Tuesday, I had Advertising 230, which was in a huge lecture hall. The class was from 8am-10am and met every Tuesday and Thursday. As I headed out the door that morning at 7:45 to walk to campus, the first plane was hitting the south tower.
I had no idea.
During class presumably all 200 of us had no idea what was happening in the world as we learned about advertising principles. Today, somebody surely would have received a text. This was a good few years before texting, but most had cell phones.
When I walked back to the house at 10am I remember having a skip in my step, I was in such a good mood. I mean, why not? Life was good -- as far as I knew.
As I walked up to my room that I shared with my big sis I noticed that several girls were huddled in the room next to me, and watching tv. I didn't think much of it and headed into my room and turned on the radio.
There was no music. There was not a commercial. There was talking. Lots and lots of talking. I was annoyed. Where was the music? I am a big fan of radio and I don't like to listen to deejays talk.
I switched the station. More talking. Talking, talking, talking.
My annoyance masked the thought to actually listen to what the deejays were talking about. I was self consumed.
At this time I walked next door to see what was going on. Maybe something was wrong with the radio.
I had to almost shout to get their attention, "WHAT IS GOING ON??!"
I was met with a collective, "SHHHHHHH!!!!!!" from all the girls huddled in the room.
At this moment I looked up at the tv and one of the Twin Towers in New York City was falling down. I literally froze where I was standing and goosebumps covered my entire body.
After that everything was a daze.
I didn't go to my afternoon class, a political science class, because at the time, something felt morbid about that. In hindsight, I wish I would have now. The prof probably had amazing insight and could have given us some more explanation or theories.
I do remember wanting to talk to all of my family. I do remember being scared something might happen here. Or in Omaha, Minneapolis, Kansas City or Chicago. All the big cities that make a circle around Des Moines, IA.
I do remember feeling confused.
I'm still confused. How can a person hate another that much? How can someone have *that* much hate? How can a word like genocide be in our vocabulary? I almost cannot handle the enormity of it all.
But, I will. Handle it, that is.
I will continue to teach others about these acts of evil done to a supposed "classification" of people. We have to.
Where were you at September 11, 2001?
4 comments:
something i hope to never understand is how people can hate like that.
I was 13 years old, my 13th birthday had been two days before. I was getting ready for school (grade 8) and I also turned on my radio and was annoyed that all the stations had nothing but the "news" on. I ended up turning the radio off without listening to it and finished getting ready for school.
When I got on the bus to school people were talking about it and once we got to school our teacher turned on the TV and we watched the news as he tried to explain what happened.
I can remember coming home from school that day and my aunt who was living with us at the time was glued to the TV and she was SO angry, cursing at the people who did it.
Crazy to think it's been 10 years...
I was taking an Amendment test in my 12th grade government class. My teacher's husband came in and semi announced something happened, but she said we needed to keep going. I went two class periods before anyone acknowledged what was going on. My mom made my sister and I come home early in case something worse happened.
I heard my math teacher said she told everyone she would not turn a tv on because what was going on was not as important as calculus. Ignorant!
I got home and called my dad immediately because he works for the Chicago Board of Trade (across the street from the Sears Tower) to make sure nothing happened.
I was 20 and I was a junion in college. I got up for my 9 am class, went down to have breakfast, and one of the girls called me into the tv room - she had the today show on and they were re-playing the first plane hitting the towers. I remember being super confused. And then we spent the rest of the day glued to the tv. I don't think anyone went to class that day.
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