It's hard to believe two years have passed since September 11, 2001. Expats from around the world remember where they were when they heard the news and they share their thoughts about how it will shape our future.

"An Irish friend rang and told me to drop everything and get to a news broadcast," says an American from Bucharest. "I ran home literally and frantically started calling my friends in New York City, five of whom worked in the towers. The lines were blocked for seven hours and I cried as I contemplated each of my friends and what may have happened to them. Finally, one by one I found all five of them, each of whom had some weird and random reason not to be there, including one who overslept. It was wild."

How does she feel now? "I am sad that Iraq became the PR target, and not Osama Bin Laden and his merry band of Al Qaeda. I liken it to blowing up Ireland because the IRA is up to its shameful acts, a disgrace to 97 per cent of the Irish Republic population. I feel impatient, and even though I don't condemn George Bush, I remain hopeful that he will bring the terrorists to justice."

The international impact of the event was mass confusion and speculation. "I was in Madrid, waiting for the news of the day," says a fellow expat. "Suddenly they cut the news and the announcer said 'I cannot understand but it seems that a plane had an accident and hit one of the World Trade Centre towers' and in a few seconds we saw the first crash. The TV was a mess of contradictions and my phone started to ring with concerned friends. While I was trying to understand how a plane can make a mistake like that, I saw, while it was happening, the second crash."

Forever changed by the day, she says, "My experience was a feeling of impotence and fear. I never thought that something like this could happen inside the US. I was used to other kinds of terrorism, from the ETA, IRA, personal murders within the mafia, but I never thought the Americans could be living something like this inside their own country. Somehow, being born in a South American country, I thought the US was kind of 'untouchable'. All the power was there, the number one nation, and in one second it was as vulnerable as any other country in the planet."

As time has passed she says, "I have more certainty that anything could happen anywhere at any moment. I lost the sense of being in a safe place. But I don't feel it like a constant fear, it is a feeling much more foggy and keeps me aware that we only have here and now and better to take it with two hands and squeeze the best while giving our best."

Giving our best is just one of the lasting legacies of the day. Bulgarians showed their compassion and understanding with a touching tribute last year at the NDK building. One American attendee says, "I will always remember the day and all those that perished. However, I believe we must move on with our lives. I just cannot dwell on the event, but prefer to live my life in a positive way and hopefully be a good example of America so that those that have hate in there heart can see the good that is in all of us."

My own family was spared on September 11 , but the event left its mark on our conscience. Stuck in traffic, my sister witnessed the aircraft hitting the Pentagon. She still remembers that day, when the world stopped spinning on its axis, and has since helped support victim's families who suffered so such loss.

And my older son was alone at university in the US while I was unpacking moving boxes here in Sofia. So touched by the event he later donated a large portion of his college savings to the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund. A combination of shock and pride overwhelmed me. Knowing this would make finishing his final year difficult, he quietly explained to me, "They needed it much more than I did." I understood. The healing process is ongoing with each of us finding a personal way to shape our own future while remembering those who perished.





Additional Resources:



http://www.researchbuzz.com/911/mtype/archives/cat_memorials.shtml - a lengthy list of current news items (and archival stories) about the 9/11 tragedy.



www.familiesoffreedom.org - The Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund website established to provide education assistance for post-secondary study to financially needy children and spouses of those killed or permanently disabled from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the US.