story2374.xml

story2374.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

As usual, I was about 15 mins early for my class. I exited the subway and saw the first tower on fire. I decided to walk block closer and find out what exactly had happened. I overheard someone said that a plane had crashed into the tower. I have to admit, I did not believe it. After standing there for about 20 mins, I decided to skip class and stay the two blocks away from the towers. I knew I couldn't walk away, I had to stay. I stood there long enough to witness about 5-6 people jump out of the towers - talk about having your heart drop to the floor. I thought to myself, "I wonder what it's like having to choose between a loose loose situation - stay in the building and have my body burn to ashes or jump and hope that my family finds my body, so they can have some closure. Standing there for those few hours was like watching a movie - it all seemed so unreal. When both towers fell down and everyone and everything had to leave the site, it was like hitting the rewind botton on the remote. To me it was all in slow motion. What I had witness that day did not sink in until I got home and starting crying uncontrollibly. I knew I had to do something to help. I signed up to do some volunteer cooking and cutting so the workers can eat at ground zero. After volunteering from 12 midnight to 7am, someone ask for help to carry some boxes. Not many raised their hands for that. I did. I turned out that those boxes was going to the Command Centre where all of our Major Heads were. It was the most amazing experience of my life. I was estatic at the thought of doing it again, and so I did. I am grateful I got the chance to have closure in a couple of different ways. Most of all, I have incredibly amazing friends who helped me work through the anger and hurt I felt towards the people who had done that awful crime. I had to understand that God was still in control and that unfortunately, that is the way that many of us know how to deal with conflicts - hurt and kill. I would like to let people know that there is a God and that he is still in control. If you would like to know more specifically what helped me, please contact me at: msoman74@yahoo.com