it is not often a day
it is not often a day when i am feeling patriotic. yet, today, as september eleventh two-thousand and six ends in korea and begins in america, tears are brimming to my eyes thinking of 9/11 and of ground zero, or the 'whole in a city's heart', as the ny times so aptly calls it on today's front page.
i was out of the country at a ripe 18 years and 4 months when 9/11 happened. i was with my dear friend taylor in a beach town on mexico's rustic and blue western coast. we slept late in a hotel whose sign outside advertised agua caliente (hot water). at the time i thought that was funny. little did i know i had a whole year of finding hotels and hostels with signs boasting such seemingly simple amenities. we woke up slowly and strolled down the middle of a dusty road to get some lunch. i had been in mexico for 3 days. we were walking by a lavanderia (laundry mat) and the soapsud scented breeze caught my nose before we passed. we saw the twin towers on the television which was perched atop a wobbling dryer. bin laden's face flashed across the tv and i asked taylor who he was.
the next few hours and days were an absolute blur and basically consisted of some very expensive collect calls home and being on a hijacked bus ourselves.
my year progressed in mexico and i landed back in atlanta for the holidays and for some money-making. it was december third two-thousand and one the day i came back. i remember so well how my eyes swelled with tears as the atlanta skyline came into view. i am very sentimental as you all know and home-coming for the first time ever is something i will never forget.
i came back to a country i in many ways did not recognize. i came back to a country out of whose windows hung gigantic, heavy american flags and on whose bumpers read stickers with such inspiring phrases as 'peace is patriotic' and disturbing phrases as 'revenge will come. 9-11. we will never forget'. i was stirred and frightened by the post-9/11 nationalism the arose in america. for me, in many ways not experiencing the collective mourning with my country was very isolating.
today, in korea, with 19 minutes left of september eleventh two-thousand and six, i have not mentioned the words terrorist or 9/11 or twin towers once. i instead have declared the words EXCITED EMBARRASSED EXHAUSTED SLEEPY TIRED OVERWHELMED BORED SAD UPSET ANGRY MAD JUST FINE GOOD GREAT OKAY HAPPY and MARVELOUS to bright-eyed giggling middle school girls who just want to know how to answer the question 'how are you?'...instead i gave a teachers' lesson about the idioms 'out of my league' and 'shape up' and 'pick your battles'. i don't even know if anyone i encountered today knew what today was.
below are some photos from today's new york times that reminded me what today is.
i was out of the country at a ripe 18 years and 4 months when 9/11 happened. i was with my dear friend taylor in a beach town on mexico's rustic and blue western coast. we slept late in a hotel whose sign outside advertised agua caliente (hot water). at the time i thought that was funny. little did i know i had a whole year of finding hotels and hostels with signs boasting such seemingly simple amenities. we woke up slowly and strolled down the middle of a dusty road to get some lunch. i had been in mexico for 3 days. we were walking by a lavanderia (laundry mat) and the soapsud scented breeze caught my nose before we passed. we saw the twin towers on the television which was perched atop a wobbling dryer. bin laden's face flashed across the tv and i asked taylor who he was.
the next few hours and days were an absolute blur and basically consisted of some very expensive collect calls home and being on a hijacked bus ourselves.
my year progressed in mexico and i landed back in atlanta for the holidays and for some money-making. it was december third two-thousand and one the day i came back. i remember so well how my eyes swelled with tears as the atlanta skyline came into view. i am very sentimental as you all know and home-coming for the first time ever is something i will never forget.
i came back to a country i in many ways did not recognize. i came back to a country out of whose windows hung gigantic, heavy american flags and on whose bumpers read stickers with such inspiring phrases as 'peace is patriotic' and disturbing phrases as 'revenge will come. 9-11. we will never forget'. i was stirred and frightened by the post-9/11 nationalism the arose in america. for me, in many ways not experiencing the collective mourning with my country was very isolating.
today, in korea, with 19 minutes left of september eleventh two-thousand and six, i have not mentioned the words terrorist or 9/11 or twin towers once. i instead have declared the words EXCITED EMBARRASSED EXHAUSTED SLEEPY TIRED OVERWHELMED BORED SAD UPSET ANGRY MAD JUST FINE GOOD GREAT OKAY HAPPY and MARVELOUS to bright-eyed giggling middle school girls who just want to know how to answer the question 'how are you?'...instead i gave a teachers' lesson about the idioms 'out of my league' and 'shape up' and 'pick your battles'. i don't even know if anyone i encountered today knew what today was.
below are some photos from today's new york times that reminded me what today is.
posted by Kate B. at 7:17 PM
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