9.11

The world, as we knew it, changed forever seven years ago on September 11. Time has changed; people and things have changed, but there are still lots that I remember, that I still remember…

I remember: I was eating breakfast when the news broke: an aircraft had flown into the North Tower of New York’s World Trade Center. My first impression was: what a catastrophe! Did the pilot make a mistake? Did the control center screw up? How could a human error as big as this occur? I remember: The second plane soon hit the South Tower. By then, the whole world knew it was not an accident. Still, very, very few knew what was going on.

I remember: Just as I turned on the TV, the South Tower collapsed in front of my eyes. My eyes and mouth were opened wide. I did not know what to say, what to think, nor how to feel.

I remember: On my way to school, the news of the collapse of the North Tower also broke. Also, the Pentagon was attacked. I was not thinking of wars, terrorist attack, anti-American, etc., I was thinking of how many innocent lives have already been lost…

I remember: When I got to school, a colleague told me a fourth plane had crashed. I later learned that the flight was United Airlines Flight 93. The passengers on the plane, upon learning of the terrorists’ attack, struggled and crashed into an open field with the terrorists instead of allowing them to hit the White House. I remember the phrase spoken by one of its passengers, devout Christian Todd Beamer, who said, “Let’s roll!” as he and several heroes sacrificed their lives to take down the terrorists on United 93.

I remember: We received a notice and a standardized statement to read to the students. I remember how heavy my heart was, and how haunting the silence was when reading that statement to those normally loud 13/14-year-olds.

I remember: I was glued to the TV the next few weeks. Watching the hopeless faces at Ground Zero searching for their loved ones, I wept daily with the sons and daughters, husbands and wives that were left behind…

I remember: The local Chinese newspapers reporting that some Chinese people, when watching the news coverage of this horrific attack, stood up and clasped! I remember how infuriated I was at my very own people…

I remember: a bunch of names and places that were previously unheard of in the news: Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda, Kabul…

I remember: the stories of those who died. Are they resting in peace today? Have the wounds of their loved ones been healed since?

I remember: a lot of people suddenly came out to remind us that life is short, to remind us to cherish those around us while we can… I also remember how quickly we became forgetful again…

I remember: 9-11 has happened seven years ago, but to this day, our world continues to be one filled with hatred…