On the morning of September 11, 2001, I walked to my elementary school in Vienna, Austria, like most other school days; accompanied by my father, Director of the University of Illinois’s Austria-Illinois Exchange Program, and my neighbors/closest friends. I was in 2nd grade. After school, I knew I was in for a treat as I would not be going to aftercare. I would be spending the afternoon at my neighbors’ apartment, which usually included junk food, endless play time and a ride in a green Citroen 2CV we called “the duck.” Austrian elementary schools end the day at noon, which would have been 6 AM ET that day.
I arrived at my friends’ apartment, ate a likely less-than-healthy lunch, and went to play. About an hour later we settled in front of the television to watch cartoons. Just before 3 PM local time, the cartoon channel flipped to a news broadcast right after American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. As a seven-year-old, I did not fully understand what I was seeing, but I knew it was bad as it had interrupted the show I was watching. We watched, mesmerized, as smoke rose from the tower and then saw the second plane hit the tower in real time. Our excited noises alerted the adults that something was going on and, when they realized what was happening, they quickly told us to go back and play and turned off the television. In an era before everyone had cellphones they also did not immediately contact my parents.
As a seven-year-old, I did not fully understand what I was seeing, but I knew it was bad as it had interrupted the show I was watching.
My parents were always very strict about me being home for dinner at 6 PM. On that day, I did not receive the usual call to return home immediately. I didn’t think much of it. I was excited to be spending more time with my friends and dug into dinner. By 8 PM, I realized something was off. Ultimately, I went home and found my parents glued to CNN in our family room. They barely even realized I had come in. The image of my parents enraptured by the images on the television will stay with me forever. We did not watch much TV and their intense focus told me something major was unfolding.
The image of my parents enraptured by the images on the television will stay with me forever. We did not watch much TV and their intense focus told me something major was unfolding.
I later learned that one of my father’s closest friends was living and working in Manhattan at the time but was safe. There were no immediate changes to daily life in Austria though my mother told me that plans were made to increase security at the American school where she worked.
The following summer on our annual trip to see family in the United States, the changes were immediately apparent at the airport. Gone were the days of family members greeting us at the gate upon arrival. The other thing that struck my father and me immediately was the sheer number of American flags present outside people’s homes. In fact, we began counting as we drove across the Midwest, an exercise that became futile due to the fact that almost every house seemed to have a flag. It was clear that something had changed in this country forever.
