I'm sticking this on my own LJ, but I shall type it here for propserity...
On 9/11, I was on vacation on the Isle Of Wight. We (some friends and I) had nipped into a pub for drinks and lunch just as the first plane hit, and I looked up at the gigantic television screen streaming the news and said 'Oh, what a fucking accident to happen. Bloody idiot.' and went back to my pint. I was literally watching when the second plane hit and knew something was bad wrong, and then it seemed like everything started happening in such rapid succession. My friends left the pub to go explore the town we were in (I can't remember where I was...) while I sat and watched my country fall apart. It got around that little pub quick that a hysterical American was watching the news, and the people in that pub were fantastic. I had a few buying me drinks (that I don't think I drank), a few would sit down shortly beside me in sympathy, one woman sat and held my hand when it all got too much. I felt so guilty for leaving my country when this was due to happen. I had only moved back to the UK in May, so I was just newly there, and I was overwhelmed. I know people who worked in the Twin Towers, and fortunately, one was on vacation, the other called in sick that morning (god, talk about serendipity!) but I had no idea that was where they were. There was talk about the air force base near my mother being under attack, I was TERRIFIED. And you couldn't get through to anyone. I was a world away watching Armageddon unfold, as far as I knew. I'll never forget that day, both because of the kindness of English strangers and because that was the day I stopped taking my country for granted. *sigh* I wish I could buy everyone who was in that pub that day a drink because they held me up when my own friends had left me to deal with it all on my own. <3 That's my story.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2006-09-11 02:53 pm (UTC)On 9/11, I was on vacation on the Isle Of Wight. We (some friends and I) had nipped into a pub for drinks and lunch just as the first plane hit, and I looked up at the gigantic television screen streaming the news and said 'Oh, what a fucking accident to happen. Bloody idiot.' and went back to my pint.
I was literally watching when the second plane hit and knew something was bad wrong, and then it seemed like everything started happening in such rapid succession. My friends left the pub to go explore the town we were in (I can't remember where I was...) while I sat and watched my country fall apart. It got around that little pub quick that a hysterical American was watching the news, and the people in that pub were fantastic. I had a few buying me drinks (that I don't think I drank), a few would sit down shortly beside me in sympathy, one woman sat and held my hand when it all got too much.
I felt so guilty for leaving my country when this was due to happen. I had only moved back to the UK in May, so I was just newly there, and I was overwhelmed. I know people who worked in the Twin Towers, and fortunately, one was on vacation, the other called in sick that morning (god, talk about serendipity!) but I had no idea that was where they were. There was talk about the air force base near my mother being under attack, I was TERRIFIED. And you couldn't get through to anyone. I was a world away watching Armageddon unfold, as far as I knew.
I'll never forget that day, both because of the kindness of English strangers and because that was the day I stopped taking my country for granted. *sigh* I wish I could buy everyone who was in that pub that day a drink because they held me up when my own friends had left me to deal with it all on my own. <3
That's my story.