story3429.xml

story3429.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I went to my U.S. History101 class as usual. I was surprised that there were so few cars there that day. There was only a handful of students there and noone was talking. It was very unusaual. Our instructor was late. When he arived he said that he was surprised anyone showed up and that most classes had been canceled. Obviously something stange was going on and I seemed to be the only one who didn't know what it was. I'll never forget what he said next, "I don't see the point of sitting in class today and studying history when our country is MAKING history." My heart sank as I knew that something awful must be happening. I was too embarrassed to ask anyone what was going on so I headed for the Student Lounge to watch the news. I got there just in time to see the 2nd plane hit. As the events of that day quickly became clear, I kept thinking of my sister and her family who I just returned from visiting in Hampton Virginia 2 weeks previous. As she has a son in the navy and her home is surrounded by naval and airforce bases, I was concerned for their safety. I picked my children up from school that day and we went home and had a long and frank yet calm discussion on what it all meant to witness this day. That evening around 8pm, I went to gas up my car because I knew prices were soaring. I noticed that I was the only one on the road. No businesses were open except a few gas stations and everyone's lights were on in their homes. It was quiet and surreal. the next few weeks my mind went back and forth between reality and the dreamlike feeling that I seemed to share with the rest of the world. Today I and others at the University of Idaho are wearing nametags of those who were killed last year in an effort to show respect and unity. School children are wearing red, white and blue and there is a nervousness in the air and a quiet that makes me reflect on my thought of 9/11/01. But, I know that God is with us an all is well.