where were you?

Where were you? It's a question that comes up about historical moments, especially on their anniversaries. When JFK was shot, or when the U.S. Miracle Hockey team won the gold medal, or Pearl Harbor.

I wasn't born, yet, when any of those things happened. Close with the hockey team, but I was about 8 months too late.

Unfortunately, most of the time these events are some tragic event where someone / thousands of people died. And unfortunately, everyone will have at least one in their lifetime that they will be able to answer "where were you?" At 30, I have 3 that stick out already - the Oklahoma City bombing, the 35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, and the September 11 attacks on the U.S.

Today, on the 10-year anniversary on 9/11 you'll be seeing television specials, news specials, facebook posts, news articles, and other remembrances. I was fortunate that no one I know directly was there, was hurt, or was killed. A lot of people weren't as fortunate, though. So, where was I?

On September 11, 2001, I had just started my 3rd year at college. I was living off-campus for the first time in a house about 7-8 blocks from campus with two friends. I had 8 a.m. class. I remember waking up to my radio alarm, showering, and quickly getting dressed - and heard something odd on the radio about a plane, but didn't have time to pay too much attention because I needed to get to campus. Out the door I went.

My 8 a.m. class went ahead as normal, and I wandered to the student center to the "cube" where my organization's cubicle was to see who was around. There was always someone in the Cube to talk to between classes. And there was one friend who told me that "another plane had hit the WTC towers." I didn't know what she was talking about, but I did hear something about a plane on my way out of the house, right? So, she enlightened me on what she had heard so far.

Any TV in the student center was tuned into the news and people just sat and watched. I don't remember if classes were cancelled for the rest of the day, but I feel like campus was "quiet." Just a little bit after my conversation with my friend who told me what was happening, I ran into another friend, Kim, who was really upset for two reasons. Her dad was on a flight out of Boston that morning and we didn't know about any destinations or flight numbers of "the flight." Second, her uncle worked in at the WTC. I remember sitting outside of the student center with her talking for quite a while, as she waited to hear more.

I don't have vivid memories of a lot more -- except that I was so happy when Kim heard her dad was on a different flight out of Boston and that her uncle wasn't in the buildings. And that I felt really awful for her until we found out. And that there was a general feeling of nervousness, confusion, and sadness.

So, where was I when I heard the news? -- In the "Cube" in Davies Center.

Where were you?