9/11 - Personal Perspective
In 2001, I lived in Slovakia, my home country and did not even dream of living in the United States someday. I was slowly getting used to my new role of a wife and mother that year, quite happy living in a small country in the middle of Europe.
I was visiting my parents on Sept. 11 for couple of days. My first child had just been born in August and it was her first visit in grandparents’ house. Our lives revolved around the baby. About 3 pm that day I was breastfeeding my three weeks old daughter who had just got up from her nap. TV was playing in the background. My dad was impatiently waiting ready to take her for a stroll; it took quite a long time to feed her with all the burping. When she was almost done, TV program abruptly changed. News anchor with unusually excited voice started to talk about the incident in New York. Then the pictures came showing an airplane crashed into one of the towers of World Trade Center. What a …show more content…
with both my daughters to accompany my husband while he was working there. At the airport, after going through the security and questioning by the U.S. representatives before boarding an airplane to the States, I felt absurd fear. I caught myself looking at the other passengers and thinking about the four planes from 9/11. Blushing with shame I scolded myself: As an educated, tolerant woman I should know better than be overwhelmed by such paranoia. Then I started to wonder if others might be thinking the same.
In my opinion, this awareness of threat, apprehension about what is going to happen next, is one of the lingering effects of 9/11 that you can detect around the world. It has been present in my little nation as well as in other European countries since 2001 and has been amplified by recent Paris attacks. Although I can understand the source of this paranoia, I cannot agree with acting on it. Facing the evil reality of terrorist attacks has become part
In 2001, I lived in Slovakia, my home country and did not even dream of living in the United States someday. I was slowly getting used to my new role of a wife and mother that year, quite happy living in a small country in the middle of Europe.
I was visiting my parents on Sept. 11 for couple of days. My first child had just been born in August and it was her first visit in grandparents’ house. Our lives revolved around the baby. About 3 pm that day I was breastfeeding my three weeks old daughter who had just got up from her nap. TV was playing in the background. My dad was impatiently waiting ready to take her for a stroll; it took quite a long time to feed her with all the burping. When she was almost done, TV program abruptly changed. News anchor with unusually excited voice started to talk about the incident in New York. Then the pictures came showing an airplane crashed into one of the towers of World Trade Center. What a …show more content…
with both my daughters to accompany my husband while he was working there. At the airport, after going through the security and questioning by the U.S. representatives before boarding an airplane to the States, I felt absurd fear. I caught myself looking at the other passengers and thinking about the four planes from 9/11. Blushing with shame I scolded myself: As an educated, tolerant woman I should know better than be overwhelmed by such paranoia. Then I started to wonder if others might be thinking the same.
In my opinion, this awareness of threat, apprehension about what is going to happen next, is one of the lingering effects of 9/11 that you can detect around the world. It has been present in my little nation as well as in other European countries since 2001 and has been amplified by recent Paris attacks. Although I can understand the source of this paranoia, I cannot agree with acting on it. Facing the evil reality of terrorist attacks has become part