Its hard to believe it has been 10 years since that fateful Tuesday morning in September but the emotions are still raw and events still fresh in my mind. A decade later, I still find it hard to piece words together to describe that day and find myself speechless. I did find my post from 11 September 2009 which captured the emotions then and now. So here is the re-post of 'Postcard from the Edge':
It is strange to think how a quiet Tuesday morning can start with your biggest worry being the fact that your roommate took too loooooong in the shower finishing all the hot water and making you late for work. As the day progresses, this concern completely evaporates as you wonder if you will ever get to shower again. You are also griped with panic and fear that the very roommate you were snappy with earlier in the morning over a shower, may be buried under the rubble of her work building. As night falls, you are still coming to terms with the very bitter realisation that the world is not a kind place after all.
We did survive that day and the months that came after. My roommates, our friends, coworkers and families all managed to pull through. New York survived. The city was completely shaken but bounced back more resilient, more vibrant and (strangely) friendlier. But not everyone was so fortunate. Over 3,000 people perished as result of the September 11 attacks. It took just one fateful day to change the world forever. Eight years on, I'm still in awe and still lost for words at the complete senselessness of the event. I'm also trying to remember what New York was like before 11 September 2001 and then I find a reminder in a drawer at home. A postcard:
It is strange to think how a quiet Tuesday morning can start with your biggest worry being the fact that your roommate took too loooooong in the shower finishing all the hot water and making you late for work. As the day progresses, this concern completely evaporates as you wonder if you will ever get to shower again. You are also griped with panic and fear that the very roommate you were snappy with earlier in the morning over a shower, may be buried under the rubble of her work building. As night falls, you are still coming to terms with the very bitter realisation that the world is not a kind place after all.
We did survive that day and the months that came after. My roommates, our friends, coworkers and families all managed to pull through. New York survived. The city was completely shaken but bounced back more resilient, more vibrant and (strangely) friendlier. But not everyone was so fortunate. Over 3,000 people perished as result of the September 11 attacks. It took just one fateful day to change the world forever. Eight years on, I'm still in awe and still lost for words at the complete senselessness of the event. I'm also trying to remember what New York was like before 11 September 2001 and then I find a reminder in a drawer at home. A postcard:
Postcard from the Edge...of Manhattan: The New York Skyline at night before 11 September 2001 with the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center seen clearly
We laughed, we cried, we fought but we were there for each other. The dear roommates from Steinway Street, Astoria, Queens, New York
(Left to Right ) Nabyna, Wendita, (Me) & Laurena
I just hope they don't kill me for publishing this picture online
We laughed, we cried, we fought but we were there for each other. The dear roommates from Steinway Street, Astoria, Queens, New York
(Left to Right ) Nabyna, Wendita, (Me) & LaurenaI just hope they don't kill me for publishing this picture online
Art Garfunkel - Heart in New York
When I was around 4/5 years old, my father played the Simon and Garfunkel - Central Park Reunion Concert album everyday for about a year. Many of their songs were inspired by or are about New York. It is no wonder I fell in love with New York city then and forever.
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