Where were you?

It is very interesting to speak with Spaniards about 9/11. This past week alone I had three different conversation about the specific day. Two were with Spanish girl friends and one was with a woman I tutor. One of my Spanish friends prefaced the conversation with, "I have been meaning to ask you , but was not sure how..." in a very serious and concerned tone., "where were you?" She then listened extremely intently, concerned, and "motherly" as I told the story of where exactly I was when I found out two planes had crashed into the twin towers. I explained to her that my mom walked from basically 1st street uptown to 85th street to pick me up from school and we then walked home through central park mesmerized by the thick smoke that filled the sky coming from downtown. She and the other Spaniards asked exactly what I was doing when the planes struck, if I could see and smell the smoke from where I lived and if I knew anyone who died. Each person then went into a detailed explanation of exactly what they were doing when they found out about the twin towers- where they were, how they felt, what it meant. It was so interesting listening to their perspectives and how deeply they were affected by it even though it wasn't in their own city. The woman I tutor remembered every detail of her day on 9/11. It was 3:30pm and she was watching tv when suddenly the program switched to the news in English and all she could see were images of the towers. She was unsure of what to make of it, but assumed it was an ETA terrorist attack. She continued to watch the news in English understanding little to nothing, but remaining transfixed by the images reappearing on the television screen.

Sometimes I forget that it was not just New Yorkers and Americans who were attacked and effected that day. I sensed a deep feeling of understanding, sympathy and concern in all of my conversations about 9/11. After my conversations I felt a special bond and new understanding between myself and my Spanish friends. They were also deeply affected by the attack, fear and sadness surrounding 9/11 and later in 2004 on their own turf, Madrid.