Remembering

As I sit here, watching E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial with the Kid, I remember where I was eight years ago. My roommate from med school and I were sitting from on the couch in our living room, absolutely glued to CNN and MTV (hey, we were still in our early twenties and that counted as a valid source for news at at the time). Not sure what was happening. Not sure what was going to happen. Just confused and fearful.

Prior to the news, I had been joking with my friends in our first day of nephrology class, relieved that we had just finished a big test and looking forward to cracking jokes in the back of the room. Our professor came in and told us the news and at first, it seemed like a freak accident. As the morning progressed, it became more apparent that this was FOR REAL as we watched in the med student lounge in utter disbelief, speculating as to what was going on. Most of us headed home after our lab got canceled.

I still remember watching as the towers collapsed.

I remember trying to call my parents (who were supposed to be driving to D.C. that day) and not being able to get through (on my very first cell phone), because of the sheer volume of calls.

I remember seeing a line of cars, 30 minutes long trying to exit the parking garage.

I remember thinking how weird it was for the next three days, not hearing any planes in the sky.

I remember wondering when I saw military planes, if that they had been hijacked.

I remember waking up crying for about a week.

I remember being incredibly PISSED that this happened at all.

I remember hearing from one of my close friends from college that her dad had been in the Pentagon when the planes hit.

9/11/01.

Never forgotten.