Date, time, place.

I went to class today. Turns out it's September 11th.
Huh.
My professor offered his support to our country, and expressed his sadness for our loss.
So... just letting you know.
Eight years ago I was twelve years old. I sat in my middle school homeroom (Mrs. Lumley's, if memory serves) and took the ISTEP, an Indiana State test to make sure you were on track to continue in your public educations. We were working on the math section (I was stuck on a classic "solve for x" problem-- I remember that clearly) when our Principal's voice boomed over the intercom.
We giggled at first for a couple of reasons: One, he had inturrupted the test, which was a big bureaucratic no-no, and two, he NEVER came on to give announcements. Usually it was a student's voice, some student government kid who squeaked their way through the typical "Tyromania starts soon! Talk to Mr. Lax about your proposals!". But no, the broken voice on the other end of the speaker told us simply, "Students, today there has been a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and The Pentagon. We will keep you informed of any more changes."
And with a click, he was done.
The brief message was quite confusing to my test-addled 12-year-old self. Stupidly, I didn't even KNOW what the Pentagon was, and all I could remember of the World Trade Center was that the towers were designed by a Japanese architect (thanks to my Dad's love of architecture, this fact stood out in my mind), and that they were located in New York.
My teacher stood up, asked us all to resume our test taking, and left the room.
My fellow students and I looked around and wondered what, exactly, was going on. No one really wanted to continue the test, it was apparent this wasn't a meaningless event, but it was also the ISTEP. We had been lectured at for WEEKS about how important it was to eat well, get to class on time, and be present every day so that we could correctly complete the test.
I reached down and got out my daily planner. I awkwardly scrawled "TERRORIST ATTACK ON WORLD TRADE CENTER AND PENTAGON" over the date for September 11. Snapping the book shut, I continued to solve for X.
Some time later we finished our tests and went about the rest of the day. The teachers were explicitly told NOT to discuss the terrorist attacks with the students-- they figured it was better for us to go home and hear the news from our parents. Each period (what we called the 45 minutes devoted to a class) we emplored the teacher to give up a little information, anything about why the Principal had told us and why no one wanted to talk about it.
My health teacher broke into tears and had to excuse himself. We still had no idea.
I got into the car and asked our baby-sitter who picked us up every day and deposited us home what was going on. She didn't have any answers either.
Eventually my parents informed me, answered my questions, and talked about what the impact meant for our country and for me, personally. Aside from the initial shock, I didn't feel much else.
Katherine told me that in her High School (our Middle School and High School were completely different buildings, administrations, and student bodies) they had put televisions out in the hall so students could be kept up to date. Some had gone directly home, others had opted to stick out the rest of the school day. I remember being slighly jealous of the fact the High School had told THEM, but my Middle School had kept mum.
Days and weeks passed, and eventually things numbed. We got used to the attacks, we grew around the losses.
It's odd. I'm twenty years old and it has been eight years since I sat in that room, taking that stupid test (by the by, I passed). I didn't learn any life lessons (but I didn't lose anyone), I don't have a traumatic memory (but I was far, far removed), and I spent the day wrapped in confusion (but that hasn't changed much).
I have never had great command over time. I seldom wear a watch, I am never aware of what day it is, and I am incapible of correctly measuring time as it passes (for all I know, it may have taken me 2 minutes or 2 hours to write this entry). But today, when I went to class and my professor began the lecture with, "I wish to start by telling you we will never forget what happened to your country, and we will never forget the loss you have suffered," it hit a note. I thought that since he was remembering, I should too.
I'm going to stop here before I get preachy or nostalgic, or worse, mushy (my food is mush enough, thanks). I just want you to take a moment and remember where you were, what you were doing, and how you reacted when you first heard about the attacks. It's important to remember how things happened for YOU, how you wrote about it your day planner or tried to call your sister in the City, how you giggled because the test was inturrupted or spent the day in the High School's greenhouse trying to piece together what just happened. We all already know the story that's been written for us, that we've read time and time again.
But what do you remember?


Love,
Lo