Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Show and Tell Tuesday


Linking up with Andrea for Show and Tell Tuesday.


Today's topic is where were you on 9/11.  This is an interesting post because I often think about 9/11 as being an American thing, but it obviously has affected world events and the economy since then for everyone.  As with JFK being shot for my mom, this was the tragic event that I remember well.

In 2001 I was in third year university.  On Tuesdays I didn't have class until 3:30 so I worked at Salty's, a restaurant down on the waterfront in Halifax. This had been my summer job and I kept working a couple of days a week throughout the year.  So since this was 2001, I didn't have Facebook, Twitter or any other source of immediate news.  I slept in a bit, grabbed breakfast at the cafeteria and then got on the bus to head down to work for 11:00.  I didn't talk to anyone during this time and didn't watch TV or check anything on the internet (other than probably ICQ status updates).  I vaguely remember overhearing someone on the bus say something about New York but I didn't take any note of it until I walked into Saltys and the hostess said with a very serious face, "Did you hear what happened in New York?"  I remember that I instantly remembered something about what I'd overheard on the bus.  We went right to the TV.  We opened the restaurant as usual and most people that came in that day asked if we had a TV.  It was a very surreal day but I knew that things had changed in the world forever. 

After my shift I went back to school for Law Class.  I thought we would talk about the events of that day, but we didn't.  We just  ollowed the curriculum.  I remember being surprised that the prof barely mentioned it.  I also remember being afraid to go to bed that night, even though I didn't really think the terrorists were interested in Halifax, but it was a very confusing time about what was going on.  

Later on that week as the planes were grounded in Halifax, we had many people come into the restaurant who were stuck.  Many of them bought the sweatshirts and t-shirts that we sold since they needed something to wear.  They were also grateful for our hospitality.

September 12 was also the first time I'd ever donated blood.  There was a donor clinic at the student union building and I went down there as something to contribute. 

Even though I said above that I usually think about this event as an American thing, now that I'm writing this I realize that I think about it a lot.  Whenever we have a fire alarm at the office and everyone is trudging down the stairs, I always think of those people in the towers who were trying to escape, and I always think of the firefighters who ran up those stairs.  We visited the memorial in New York when we visited in November 2013. It was a sombre visit.

I disagree with a lot of US public policy when it comes to war, and what has happened since 9/11.  This isn't the forum to talk about that, but one thing I do know is that 9/11 was just one piece of the puzzle, it wasn't the start of anything.  Terrorism and war has been going on for many years, and it will continue for many more.

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