story11180.xml
Title
story11180.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2004-12-04
911DA Story: Story
My Historical Moment
It was September 11, 2001 when the world changed in front of my eyes. I was a sophomore in High School when the Twin Towers got hit by two airplanes. It happened during English class, with Mrs. Van Trees. The first thing I remember of that day is Mr. Coke, a teacher from an upper level English class, coming to our classroom and whispering something to Mrs. Van Trees in her ear. I believe the reason for the whisper was for her to be calm and think of a way of how to handle the situation but she could not help to break down in tears. I guess she got upset due to the importance of the buildings because when she said ? the World Trade Center has being hit by an airplane? we had not been informed of the reason why the towers were about to be completely demolished. She turned the TV on and we all watched. At first, I did not understand what was going on because I knew the buildings as the Twin Towers and not the World Trade Center. I remember saying to my classmates ?where is that?? and realizing that I was not the only one confused. As soon as I realized that I had been up on the last floor of one of them, I was just amazed. Then, on the bottom of the screen, the TV shows a white building on fire as we hear the reporter saying ?another airplane has hit the Pentagon Building?. We all looked at each other with fear and that is when it hit home. Most of the parents of Oakton High School work for the government or in DC. It clicked for us. This was not an accident; it was an attack against the United States of America.
The first person I thought of was my dad. At the time, he was working for the Venezuelan embassy in Georgetown and I was worried for his life. I was also a diplomat and that made me more scared because I did not know what was going to happen. Scenes from movies like The Siege started popping in my head. I started to panic and wanted to call my dad desperately. Believe it or not I was a shy girl in that class but I did not care anymore and let the tears come out. I asked a girl named Marissa if I could use her cell phone and of course, I was not the only one trying to call a loved one because the lines were all busy.
It was time for me to go to my 6th period class, Orchestra. Mrs. Maclin let us use her phone to call our parents. I called my house and Carmen Maria, our nanny, answered the phone. She does not speak any English so I had to tell her what had just happened to the Twin Towers. I also told her to tell my mom that I wanted her to pick me up because I was very worried. When I went to math, my teacher had a pass for me to leave home. I could feel the eyes from everybody. I felt like a coward for not staying but I wanted to be with my family. I was so confused. The instant I saw my mom I cried. She calmed me down and we went home. All we did that afternoon was watch the news on the TV. Later that night, President Bush spoke to the nation. I felt angry because how could someone dare to mess with the United States of America? At the same time, President Bush?s speech made me feel much better. I felt like the face of America was lifted just a little so it would show its strength to the world.
After September 11, the way people saw America changed. I definitely did not think the US was invincible anymore. I was scared for my life and the life of my loved ones. Even now I do not think we are completely safe and my heart still beats faster when I see or hear an airplane go by. It is true that every generation has its historical moment and each person who experiences it has their own story. This is my story of 911, a historical moment that will remain with me forever.
It was September 11, 2001 when the world changed in front of my eyes. I was a sophomore in High School when the Twin Towers got hit by two airplanes. It happened during English class, with Mrs. Van Trees. The first thing I remember of that day is Mr. Coke, a teacher from an upper level English class, coming to our classroom and whispering something to Mrs. Van Trees in her ear. I believe the reason for the whisper was for her to be calm and think of a way of how to handle the situation but she could not help to break down in tears. I guess she got upset due to the importance of the buildings because when she said ? the World Trade Center has being hit by an airplane? we had not been informed of the reason why the towers were about to be completely demolished. She turned the TV on and we all watched. At first, I did not understand what was going on because I knew the buildings as the Twin Towers and not the World Trade Center. I remember saying to my classmates ?where is that?? and realizing that I was not the only one confused. As soon as I realized that I had been up on the last floor of one of them, I was just amazed. Then, on the bottom of the screen, the TV shows a white building on fire as we hear the reporter saying ?another airplane has hit the Pentagon Building?. We all looked at each other with fear and that is when it hit home. Most of the parents of Oakton High School work for the government or in DC. It clicked for us. This was not an accident; it was an attack against the United States of America.
The first person I thought of was my dad. At the time, he was working for the Venezuelan embassy in Georgetown and I was worried for his life. I was also a diplomat and that made me more scared because I did not know what was going to happen. Scenes from movies like The Siege started popping in my head. I started to panic and wanted to call my dad desperately. Believe it or not I was a shy girl in that class but I did not care anymore and let the tears come out. I asked a girl named Marissa if I could use her cell phone and of course, I was not the only one trying to call a loved one because the lines were all busy.
It was time for me to go to my 6th period class, Orchestra. Mrs. Maclin let us use her phone to call our parents. I called my house and Carmen Maria, our nanny, answered the phone. She does not speak any English so I had to tell her what had just happened to the Twin Towers. I also told her to tell my mom that I wanted her to pick me up because I was very worried. When I went to math, my teacher had a pass for me to leave home. I could feel the eyes from everybody. I felt like a coward for not staying but I wanted to be with my family. I was so confused. The instant I saw my mom I cried. She calmed me down and we went home. All we did that afternoon was watch the news on the TV. Later that night, President Bush spoke to the nation. I felt angry because how could someone dare to mess with the United States of America? At the same time, President Bush?s speech made me feel much better. I felt like the face of America was lifted just a little so it would show its strength to the world.
After September 11, the way people saw America changed. I definitely did not think the US was invincible anymore. I was scared for my life and the life of my loved ones. Even now I do not think we are completely safe and my heart still beats faster when I see or hear an airplane go by. It is true that every generation has its historical moment and each person who experiences it has their own story. This is my story of 911, a historical moment that will remain with me forever.
Collection
Citation
“story11180.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 23, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/7627.