September 11: Where Were You?

Recently, my family chose to host a foreign exchange student from Australia, and as the anniversary of Sept. 11 approached, I asked her the same question I ask almost everyone when discussing that fateful day; “Where were you?”

Even as an Australian, my new “sister” clearly remembered sitting in kindergarten as educators and parents tried to put into words what had happened on the other side of the world.

I don’t think I’ve met a single person who doesn’t remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when the United States suffered its worst ever terrorist attack on domestic soil.

It’s not that I enjoy reliving the horror. It’s that for me, simply revisiting our memories allows us to continually process the pain and connect with one another as Americans, and as humans.

On Sept. 11, 2001, I was a pimply faced freshman at Mt. Hebron High School in Ellicott City, MD. Sitting in health class, our principal addressed the school and with what little information she had, explained that something crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City—possibly a plane. My friend Candace’s father was a pilot for United Airlines. I can still remember her face—full of fear and uncertainty.

My classmates and I were protected in our classroom—safely tucked in our school. We felt safe. And as information slowly came in through our television, every one of us learned a little bit more about the harsh realities of the world and the preciousness of life.

I consider Sept. 11 as the day my innocence was truly lost.

In an effort to connect with fellow neighbors and remember those who passed on that fateful day, I’d like to know, where were you on Sept. 11, 2001? 

Tell me in the comments.

Head over to Edgewater-Davidsonville Patch's Facebook page to see how other residents remember Sept. 11, 2001.

Annapolis Patch editor Anna Staver was a college student in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001. of what it was like being in the big city on that fateful day.