Questions That Young People Asks From A 9/11 Survivor

12-year-old at the time of the incident, the author and her family survived. As the time passed and she noticed her neighborhood covered in smog and debris and the pain of people who lost their loved ones. After that, threats of more attacks and building collapses were received and she realized that the 9/11 was just a beginning. As she was the eye witness of this incident, so these are the questions that young people asks from a 9/11 survivor.

The Worst Morning

I was 12 years old attending my school that was three blocks away from the World Trade Center. It was the fine morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001 when the planes hit the towers and our teachers gathered us all in the cafeteria. I can still remember those terrific moments when the parents were rushing to pull out their kids amid the chaos.

I began panicking, wondering how I would get home to my apartment building on the other side of the Towers where my elderly grandparents also lived. Then, my neighbor and her 13-year-old son appeared in the doorway, arriving late for the day after an appointment, to walk me home. We left just minutes before the first tower collapsed. As we were running for our lives, I saw, heard, and smelled everything as the first and then the second tower collapsed.

Being a child, I had no idea if we would be killed in an instant, what was going to happen next, and if the world was going to end before I could see my family again and say goodbye. I survived, but that morning was just the beginning of my trauma.

I wrote a book ‘After 9/11’ in 2016 which is based on my experiences and that of my several other former schoolmates. After that, I started receiving mails from the youth and even kids asking me several questions about the 9/11 attacks.

What was your reaction when the plane hit the first tower?

As the plane hit the first tower and I was sitting in my classroom, we all felt its impact in the classroom. I was surprised at that time and I had no clue what was going on or what happened. As I started learning what actually happened, I was nervous, scared and shocked. These feelings get even worse when I tried to go back to home with my neighbors and most surprisingly, the police was not letting us go even after we told them we live there because they were ordered to guide people to a safe passage out.

What happened to your classmates whose parents can’t come to rescue them?

These classmates were evacuated, which means the bomb squad led them out of the building and uptown away from the Towers, but they were also in the street close by when the Towers began to fall, so they all had to run as well. Those students were taken to another school where they waited for their parents to pick them up, once their parents were able to figure out where they were. Some of the kids who lived in Battery Park or Tribeca lost their homes for about six months and had to live moving from hotel to hotel.

What were your feelings when you learned your family is safe?

After a night of anxious waiting, my dad finally made it home the next morning, covered in a thick film of debris, dust, and sweat. I was very relieved when I knew all of my family members were OK. I was very lucky because so many children could not say the same, which is very sad. To tell you the truth, I still worried about my family members even after I knew they were OK because I was anxious about what would happen next and there were threats of additional attacks.

How did you stop thinking about 9/11 attack?

Unfortunately, the trauma was so big and ongoing that it was hard for me for a very long time. I don’t think I’ll ever forget or ever stop thinking about it, but I have learned to move forward with the thoughts I do have in a way that makes my life a lot easier.

What do you miss the most about twin towers?

I miss the fountain with the gold sphere—my mom would always tell me not to touch it because it was dirty—but it had water cascading down it so I would inch my fingers closer when I thought she wasn’t looking.

Have you ever felt mistrust for Muslims because of the September 11 attack?

Fortunately, I had a wonderful Humanities teacher who taught me early on that one small group of people do not represent an entire race or religion, and that these people who chose to do something horrible were not doing it in the name of any or all of them. People of all races, ages, religions, and walks of life have the ability to do bad things—and good things—too.

What inspired you to start writing about 9/11 atack?

In college, I decided to start writing about my experiences because my reaction to the terror was very severe and lasted for a very long time. When I got better, I realized there are many children and teenagers in this country who are still living with PTSD, which is a long-term reaction to terror and other bad things that sometimes happen. I hope that writing about 9/11 helps a lot of other people who may be having a difficult time, or who want to learn more about what happened that day and in the days after.

How did 9/11 change your perspective on life and the way you see people?

I learned to see the good in awful situations. I learned to empathize with people who were being mean, and I learned how to help someone else when I felt upset, and that doing so would make me feel better.

Instead of dwelling in the terror of what the end could and might look like for you and everyone you care about, use it as motivation to live your life to the fullest. The knowledge that every day really could be your last is a positive when you use it to make sure you do what you want to do with your life and remember to tell a loved one or friend how you feel about them.