story3656.xml
Title
story3656.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-11
911DA Story: Story
I was living in Keene, New Hampshire on Sept. 11, 2001. Keene is a very small town/city in the southwestern corner of NH. I was a Spanish teacher at Keene High School at the time. I remember that day like it was yesterday.
It was 2nd block and my Spanish 2 students came in when the bell rang. They had no idea what was going on because they were in class when it happened. I myself did not know anything either. I was about to begin class when one of my former students came into my class and said that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.
I didn't really know what to think. I couldn't picture this at all. It didn't seem real. He said that it is all over the news and that there are a lot of students and staff watching it on tv in the library. It still didn't seem real. I didn't realize how serious the situation was. Two minutes later, the principal got on the PA system and informed us of what was happening. The whole class was in shock and confused. Many students did not even know what the World Trade Center was!
Some students were scared because they knew some relatives who worked in NY. I immediately turned on the radio to hear any information I could get. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It seemed like a dream.
From then on, things were not the same for awhile. I remember flying for the first time after the event in December to visit my family in Arizona. Everyone on the plane including myself were observing anyone who walked by them. Security guards at the airport were especially alert as passengers walked through the security censor. It's too bad that something so terrible had to wake us up to see what freedom really means and that we aren't always invincible.
I recently moved to Arizona to be closer to my family. As my boyfriend and I drove out to Arizona from New Hampshire, it was amazing to see how everyone is supporting the U.S. with flags, flowers and other memorial sites. It makes me proud to be an American.
Nerissa Patrone
Tucson, AZ
It was 2nd block and my Spanish 2 students came in when the bell rang. They had no idea what was going on because they were in class when it happened. I myself did not know anything either. I was about to begin class when one of my former students came into my class and said that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.
I didn't really know what to think. I couldn't picture this at all. It didn't seem real. He said that it is all over the news and that there are a lot of students and staff watching it on tv in the library. It still didn't seem real. I didn't realize how serious the situation was. Two minutes later, the principal got on the PA system and informed us of what was happening. The whole class was in shock and confused. Many students did not even know what the World Trade Center was!
Some students were scared because they knew some relatives who worked in NY. I immediately turned on the radio to hear any information I could get. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It seemed like a dream.
From then on, things were not the same for awhile. I remember flying for the first time after the event in December to visit my family in Arizona. Everyone on the plane including myself were observing anyone who walked by them. Security guards at the airport were especially alert as passengers walked through the security censor. It's too bad that something so terrible had to wake us up to see what freedom really means and that we aren't always invincible.
I recently moved to Arizona to be closer to my family. As my boyfriend and I drove out to Arizona from New Hampshire, it was amazing to see how everyone is supporting the U.S. with flags, flowers and other memorial sites. It makes me proud to be an American.
Nerissa Patrone
Tucson, AZ
Collection
Citation
“story3656.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 15, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/9027.