Sept 11 Reflections

Like most Americans, it is hard for me to believe that five years have passed. On the other hand, so much has happened that I also can't believe it has only been five years. Since time has a way of marching on, I'll take a moment to reflect.

Five years ago today, I was in a totally different place. All right, I was in Miami, but my life was very different. Six months earlier, I had broken up with my Arab boyfriend of 4 years. On top of all of the fighting we did, I realized that I just could not marry him, move back to Qatar, and mostly adapt to the cultural norms.

At that time, I was working ridiculous hours for a thankless company. I had been flying back and forth to the Bahamas (work) and was actually lucky not to get stuck in an airport. In fact, I had a plane ticket to NYC a week later to see one of my closest friends. My company had been asking me to cancel and they got their wish.

That day, I remember that I was extremely bogged down with work. The television was on in the main area of the office. Every little breather I took involved rushing out to get a quick update before returning to my computer. There was no chance to take in the magnitude of what had happened. I also remember that one of the young guys there came in and half way joked that this was my ex's revenge for breaking his heart. I just responded with a quick fake laugh. I realized that my ex was probably the only Arab the guy had ever met. To him, they were all the same.

That evening, I finally got a hold of my friend in NYC through on-line chatting, which we had never used before or since. I sat on the floor of my apartment with my laptop on the coffee table. We chatted about the events while watching the horrible images on the news. That is when the horror of it all really hit me.

Six months later, I finally went on that trip to NYC to see my friend. Actually, I went twice in a couple of weeks. The first trip, I saw Ground Zero. The second trip, I saw the St. Patrick's Day parade, which is full of policemen & firemen. Everytime a unit would come marching in full dress, the crowd erupted into cheers and tears. That is how I would like to remember that time...cheers and tears.

Tags: NYC, Sept 11, Ground Zero