9/11/2011 - Ten years later

I thought long and hard about whether or not I wanted to write a post about today's anniversary. 10 years has past and I still can't believe it. I feel that living in New York now has given me a new perspective on what it must have been like in those minutes, hours, days, and weeks after the attack. I have walked the streets where buildings once stood and I cannot imagine the amount of chaos that those people faced when the towers fell that morning. I know that the way I looked at the event on that day versus today is very different. 

In 2001, 

I was a freshman in high school.

I was walking into third period Television Production class, when I heard about the first plane.

I watched the second plane hit the second tower live on TV.

I didn't really understand what was happening or why they chose the WTC.

I remember how the entire day was spent discussing what happened, predicting what would happen next, canceling open house that night, and then going home to talk about it and watch the news.

I remember how the next day was my sister's 11th birthday and it just didn't feel like a day to celebrate.

I remember 9/11 being called the JFK Assassination of my generation and it is. Everyone in my generation can remember where they were, what they were doing, and how they heard about the attacks.  


In 2011,

I live in New York City.

I have met multiple people who were living in New York and were affected by September 11, 2001. 

I see the way that those events have changed this city, but I have also learned  that after 10 years the pain has not gone away.

I had my bags checked when I went on the subway yesterday and I have had multiple police officers (more than usual) patrolling my neighborhood this entire weekend because we are on a high alert situation.

I saw memorials in Union Square and Rockaway Beach. People from New York, people from across the country, and people from across the world coming together and remembering the lives that were lost.

I have walked around the outside of the memorial site at Ground Zero and am anxious to see what they have created in memory of those that lost their lives that day.

I can see that having the nation come together on this day means so much to the family, friends, and loved ones of the victims.

I am proud of this city that I now call home.

I was so young when 9/11 happened and I truly did not understand the impact it had on our nation. 10 years later I can look back and see how much we have changed and grown, I feel proud that we overcame this obstacle, and I am positive that we will overcome the next one. I found this video earlier this week and it made me smile. I hope it can make you smile too.