Where I was
I had completed a week of my freshman year at the University of Maine.
At approximately 9:15 in the morning on September 11, 2001, I walked back into Aroostook Hall at the University of Maine after completing a session of my Tools of New Media course. As I entered I saw one of the dorm’s maintenance people standing with another person watching the television we had set up in the combination game room, vending room, and TV lounge. I wasn’t really able to discern what they, in combination with the people on the television, were saying, but I saw the smoke rising from one of the World Trade Center towers.
I quickly walked up the two flights of stairs to my room and immediately turned on the television in our room. I can’t remember how I explained it to my roommate, who was busy working at his computer; chances are whatever I said didn’t make any sense anyway. We stood there for a few moments watching in disbelief as we saw the station cover the early morning events. I tried calling my parents; the land lines were overburdened. I used my cell phone, a rarity for me at the time, and thankfully heard the familiar voice of my mother.
I had class at 10:00. It was calculus. Unsure of what to do, and guided only by my training by years of schooling, I went to class. I wasn’t sure of what to think. I wasn’t sure if I should worry. In fact the only thing I was sure about was that I had class at 10:00 in the math lab in Neville Hall. Everyone there seemed either oblivious or in denial. I couldn’t wait to go back. I wanted to see what was happening; I wanted to go back to my dorm room. (I also wanted to go home, but I was afraid that the airport in Bangor might be attacked as I passed it on the way.)
When I arrived back in my room, my photography mindset instinctually led me to pull a tape from off the shelf and hit record. As I watch that tape for the second time since 2001 (the first on the one-year anniversary), I’m still stunned.
The one aspect I remember most about that time is the sense of Americanism felt for the weeks and months after that Tuesday. We were a national community. We brushed politics aside and helped each other. I’ve experienced a lot in the five years since then, and a lot of things have changed. Experiencing such an abrupt environmental change so shortly after a large personal change (my introduction to college) led me to realize how special that sense of pride and support really was. It changed us all, and I hope that we all keep those important feelings of love for our neighbors in our hearts for years and decades to come.
The photo above was taken by Linus Gelber and is available under a Creative Commons license at flickr.com.
