I on the upper floor of a building waiting in line to get my passport. This was in preparation for going to South Korea. A guy a few spaces ahead of me in line, we were waiting for the office to open, was on his cell phone. He was going on about a plane hitting this and that. He was kind of loud and the people around me thought he was just being an ass. As did I. What he was saying just sounded so unbelievable.
I got my passport and went home. When I got home and switched on the news I found out the truth. The guy wasn't being a dick. He was being told the news as it happened. Damn!
I was a news junky back then and was pretty much glued to the TV after that. Friends of mine had been in New York City that week and had been at the World Trade Center on the weekend. I wondered if they were still in NYC. A cousin worked at the WTC. Was he ok?
Then the US closed their airspace. A lot of flights that were going there had to land in Canada. Flights that were supposed to leave Halifax airport were stranded. People here, and all over Canada, opened their homes to those who were stranded. We could have taken in a few people so after talking with my mother we offered up our house. There were actually more rooms offered up than people to fill them. It was nice to see people ready to help those in need at a time like that.
At the time I was helping to run a website that dealt with reality TV. As with most forums it had areas for all kinds of topics. One of our regulars lived in NYC and was posting updates throughout the crisis.
It just seemed so fucking surreal. Luckily, my friends were out of NYC before the attacks happened. My cousin's company had moved from the main WTC towers. Unfortunately, he did get to experience things from a nearby building. He will never forget the shit he saw. And so many others weren't as lucky as he was.
One of the things that pissed me off the most was the reaction of some, especially the Canadian media, in the aftermath. When President Bush, and I am NOT a fan of his, said thanks many in Canada jumped on it. Why? Because he didn't single out Canada. Seriously?
That is how fucking petty, selfish, and stupid some people and the media can be. He started by thanking everyone who helped. THAT included Canada. But he didn't single Canada out, like some other countries. Of all the stupid bullshit to focus on at a time like that. We know the US is our friend and that they appreciated our support. Unfortunately some are so insecure, and the media looking for anything to sensationalise, that they tried to make that an issue.
It seems so long ago now.
I was already in Korea, living and working in Changwon. I had just gotten home from work, and was getting dinner ready. I started flipping channels, and came to CNN's coverage. I was glued to it for the rest of the evening and on into the morning, like everybody else.
ReplyDeleteIt emphasized for me just how far away from home I was. I was pretty happy to finally get in touch with the folks back home.