September 11, 2001
Sep. 11th, 2011 11:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kapuahiI never believed that there were world events of such a magnitude that the moment would stand still and be etched in our collective memories forever. I hadn't been alive for JFK's assassination or the moon landing, so aside from Elvis' death there had never been a moment in my lifetime that was so monumental that it changed the shape of the world that we live in.
I was, at the time, in a relationship with a young woman from Oregon. In the days before even the partial acceptance of same sex marriage, we were dreaming of a future built here in Australia. Little did I know at the time that that day would be the beginning of the end of that relationship.
I had gone to bed early that night, only to have my sister bring the house phone to me while I was sleeping. She had been laying in bed reading when a family friend called insisting on speaking to me. She wouldn't tell me anything, except get up and put the TV on channel 7.
When we hit the living room and watched, the first tower was burning and only a few minutes later the second plane hit. We couldn't even speak as we watched.
We eventually dragged one of our mattresses into the living room and lay on the floor watching. I spent the night trying to phone my girlfriend. She worked as a 9-11 operator at the Portland, OR airport, so my 'what if' scenarios had kicked in and I was worried about her. Because you know of all the places in the USA the Portland International Airport was bound to be a target.
Over the next few days the television in our house was rarely away from a news channel.
How has the world changed since? Sometimes I think it's for the better, we're more vigilant now, we pay attention, we notice things. But there are times that it's not a good thing, people have a right to a religion of their choice, and just being muslim does not make a person a terrorist.
How did it change my life? My girlfriend changed, she can't even bear to leave her country for holidays now. We eventually grew apart and now although we're still friends we barely talk because as she told me in a moment of complete honesty that I'm sure she's now regretting, she chose her country over me and that embarrases her.
My current partner is a US soldier, currently on his fifth deployment in a war that came to pass because of 9/11.
My whole outlook on the world has changed. I may not be American but that doesn't mean that it doesn't touch my life daily. I rarely go into large venues without being fully cognizant of an exit strategy. I always question myself when I go into high rise buildings. I am suspicious of crowds of people and even when I'm out with friends I always scan the people that are around us. Why? I don't know. It's not like I live in a terrorist hot bed. It's just something that has come of the changes that the world has undergone.
Today is the tenth anniversary, please take a moment to remember the heroes that gave all that day, and reflect on the world their sacrifice had left behind.
I was, at the time, in a relationship with a young woman from Oregon. In the days before even the partial acceptance of same sex marriage, we were dreaming of a future built here in Australia. Little did I know at the time that that day would be the beginning of the end of that relationship.
I had gone to bed early that night, only to have my sister bring the house phone to me while I was sleeping. She had been laying in bed reading when a family friend called insisting on speaking to me. She wouldn't tell me anything, except get up and put the TV on channel 7.
When we hit the living room and watched, the first tower was burning and only a few minutes later the second plane hit. We couldn't even speak as we watched.
We eventually dragged one of our mattresses into the living room and lay on the floor watching. I spent the night trying to phone my girlfriend. She worked as a 9-11 operator at the Portland, OR airport, so my 'what if' scenarios had kicked in and I was worried about her. Because you know of all the places in the USA the Portland International Airport was bound to be a target.
Over the next few days the television in our house was rarely away from a news channel.
How has the world changed since? Sometimes I think it's for the better, we're more vigilant now, we pay attention, we notice things. But there are times that it's not a good thing, people have a right to a religion of their choice, and just being muslim does not make a person a terrorist.
How did it change my life? My girlfriend changed, she can't even bear to leave her country for holidays now. We eventually grew apart and now although we're still friends we barely talk because as she told me in a moment of complete honesty that I'm sure she's now regretting, she chose her country over me and that embarrases her.
My current partner is a US soldier, currently on his fifth deployment in a war that came to pass because of 9/11.
My whole outlook on the world has changed. I may not be American but that doesn't mean that it doesn't touch my life daily. I rarely go into large venues without being fully cognizant of an exit strategy. I always question myself when I go into high rise buildings. I am suspicious of crowds of people and even when I'm out with friends I always scan the people that are around us. Why? I don't know. It's not like I live in a terrorist hot bed. It's just something that has come of the changes that the world has undergone.
Today is the tenth anniversary, please take a moment to remember the heroes that gave all that day, and reflect on the world their sacrifice had left behind.
