Commemorating 9/11

10 years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it still is hard to believe it occurred. Americans from coast to coast stood together as a united front against terrorism in honor of the victims of this terrible tragedy. Where Americans stand on the War on Terror is another story but, one thing is for sure, Americans will never forget 9/11.

On Tuesday, September 11, 2011, I was in the 8th grade. I, unlike many people, had no idea that this tragedy occurred. I went the entire school day without knowing. After taking the public city bus home from school, I still had heard nothing. I finally learned of the attack after 3pm when I got home from school. I remember walking into the house and my grandfather asked me if I heard what happened. I told him that I hadn't and he told me, "We were attacked!" I 100% thought he had lost it. I asked him for some clarification as I didn't understand what he was talking about. That's when he explained the events of that morning and told me to watch the TV because they've been covering the attack all day. I could not believe that this could happen in the United States of America but it had unfortunately.

At the time, I was a young teenager in Massachusetts. As hurt as I was and as sorry as I felt for the victims and their families, I still felt so disconnected from the tragedy. I didn't live near the areas that were attacked. In fact, I had never even been past western Connecticut in my entire life time at that point. Now that I live here in the Washington, DC Metro Area only minutes away from the Pentagon and a variety of other government buildings and historical American landmarks, I feel much more connected to the grief and horror felt by Americans in regard to the 9/11 attacks.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Danielle and I decided to visit the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. I had never been to the memorial before. I had heard about it, obviously, but still had never visited. On Sunday, September 11, 2011, the memorial was closed to the public from 5am to 5pm for a private memorial ceremony for the victims' families and politicians, including President and Mrs. Obama.

We showed up at the memorial just after 5:30pm. There were still a lot of people coming and going as I expected there'd be. The flag at the entrance was flying at half mast. Also, at the entrance, the wreath that President Obama laid at the site earlier that day was still there. On the ground behind the wreath, it read "September 11, 2011 9:37am" which is the date and time of the attack.

There were people everywhere taking a bunch of pictures. I was one of those people. There was a woman explaining the design of the memorial which was helpful because I really knew nothing about it.

I learned that the way the bench like structures were facing reflected whether the victim was in the building or in the airplane. Also, the structures were in rows according to each victim's year of the birth. The youngest victim was only 3 years old. The years ranged from 1930 to 1998. Under each structure there were little pools of water. At night, the memorial is lit up. I've heard that it is beautiful. I was there while the sun was still up so I didn't get to see it in the dark but I will definitely be back to see it all lit up.

As Danielle and I walked through the memorial and read the names of victims, we came across a bench that had red roses floating in the pool below. We saw another that someone had put red white and blue flowers on. Then, I witnessed the saddest part of the memorial. It wasn't part of the display, rather, it was witnessing grieving family members of the victims.

There were two sisters, who looked to be about the same age as me, at one of the bench like structures. One of the girls was sitting on the bench and looking up into the sky. The other girl was sitting on the ground with her legs crossed picking at the gravel. Both girls had tears running down there face from behind the sunglasses they were wearing. The direction in which the structure was facing, I could tell whomever they were mourning was in the building that day. I did not go over to the structure to read the name of the person as I did not want to be rude and interrupt them but I assume it was either their mother or their father.

Both of my parents are deceased but I could not imagine having loss either of them at the hands of this terrorist attack. I felt so sad watching them cry. I felt rude for staring but I couldn't help it. It is the first time I felt connected to this tragedy. As terrible as it sounds, I think I needed to become more real for me in order to feel a deeper connection to it.

For more information on The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, visit http://pentagonmemorial.org/ or http://www.whs.mil/memorial/

My heart goes out to those girls as well as the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and their family members.

Sincerely,

J.A.B.

C'est la vie!

Greeting to the Classes of 2011 from colleges everywhere! Congratulations on making it through your first summer after graduation! Trust me, I understand how hard it must have been for a lot of you. I saw the tweets and the facebook status updates about how weird and sad it was that you weren't heading back to your res halls and campuses for another fun filled year living the college dream. I'm sure it was tough reading the tweets of the new seniors ready to make their last year count; especially when you're saying to yourself (and probably commenting on their status or replying to their tweets), "you better cherish these last few months," or "enjoy every minute of it," or "wah (Snooki voice)! I'm so jealous! I wish I were going back!"

Listen, it is ok. College was a blast but it's over now (at least undergrad anyway but graduate school is much different from undergrad). The "real world," as scary as it sounds and actually is, is not bad. As I've mentioned in a few, if not all, of my posts, you need to make some plans and you'll feel better. Waiting to make plans after college is already over is definitely a poor choice but if that is the only option you have at this point, don't give up. The economy is tough and jobs seem impossible to find but there is hope. You need to work hard to make productive steps in the right direction and it may seem like your hard work is not paying off but all the hard work will be worth it. Life is hard, everyone knows that. However, it is possible to be happy even if the life you have always dreamed of living never becomes a reality.

I realize this sounds very depressing but don't think of it that way. Think of it as a realization that the possibilities are truly endless. I'm not giving you false hope. I'm trying to motivate you to fulfill your potential. You can do it!

Here are some things to keep in mind during this first fall where you didn't have to buy school supplies or new school clothes (yes, some people still went school shopping for clothes in college but, no, I was not one of them):

1. C'est la vie!

Your life is not over. Make the best of these next few years. Having a job and making/saving money is much more fun than you may think. Besides, you had to become a real adult eventually.

 

Yes, I included this video. Don't act like you didn't think of this song when you read the words "C'est la vie" and that you didn't jam out to it at one point in your life. We all have. It's ok.

2. Business as usual

No, you're not in undergrad anymore but you don't have to become an elderly person overnight. You can still have fun. Sure, your friends aren't one apartment or res hall room away anymore but they're never too far away. This is a big step in life and a lot has changed but it doesn't have to change for the worse.

3. Be Responsible!

Sure, you can still have fun but you must be responsible. I'm not speaking specifically about responsible drinking (get your mind out of the college gutter). I'm speaking about the fact that you're a real life adult and you don't have the excuse of "going through your college phase." You are expected to have some sort of an honest income and to be working to establish a place for yourself in the world. Better yourself. To do that, you must take responsibility for your actions and hold yourself accountable. After all, you've been learning this responsibility lesson your whole life. Your parents and teachers have told you that this day would come and here it is. Make the most of it.

4. They're jealous, too!

You may be jealous of your friends and former classmates who are still cozy in the safety net that is college but they're jealous of you, too. Odds are you're making much more money than they are; considering work study isn't the most lucrative occupation. If you don't have a job yet, this clearly isn't the case for you. However, you'll find a job eventually and this will be the case for you.

Live your life to the fullest and remember that you're still hip and relevant.

Sincerely,

J.A.B.