Remembering 9/11 attack

I was drifting in and out of sleep when the news broke. 

I remember one of my aunts barging into my grandparents' room, and in my semi-conscious state I managed to catch "twin towers," "plane crash" and "attack."

After forcing my eyes open to see what all the commotion was about, I saw my grandparents staring straight into the television as if they were possessed.  When I saw the sight myself, my crankiness was replaced by feelings a 9-year-old girl couldn't comprehend.

The effects of the terrorist attacks in the U.S. trickled all the way down to Bacolod City, Philippines. My grandmother insisted that I miss school and stay at home the following day but since there were no cancellation announcements, I found myself surrounded by my equally confused and frightened classmates.

We had discussions in class about the attacks and the people responsible for them. Attempting to explain the nature of terrorism to a bunch of fourth graders was an incredibly daunting task, but my teachers did their best.

Our class adviser asked us if we had relatives in New York or anywhere else in the U.S. Several of my classmates raised their hands. After watching the news my family was immediately concerned about my cousin, Stevie, who was working for a financial industry office in the World Trade Center. It took my aunt and uncle a long while to reach him, but we were all relieved to find out that he was safe. My normally punctual cousin was running late that day and saw the towers crumble as he was rushing to work.

It seemed like time completely stopped in my small and usually cheerful city. Everything I saw and heard revolved around the burning buildings.  Flights going in and out of the U.S. were suspended, and we were advised to stay away from malls, movie theaters and other places where many people congregated.

"Are we next?" was the unspoken question on everyone's mind.

There were several terrorist threats and attacks going on in Mindanao, the Philippines' southern Muslim region. The Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group affiliated with Al-Qaida, bombed several other places as well as kidnapped Americans in the region. I remember hearing reports about our U.S. allies sending troops to help increase our nation's security.

Even though I didn't completely understand what was happening and knew so little about what the 9/11 attacks meant, I could tell that they were going to reap many unpleasant changes worldwide. The uncertainty I felt was terrifying, especially since I had not known of war and terrorism beforehand. 

Looking back, it amazes me how scared I was despite the fact that I was miles away from any actual threats.

The negative impact that resulted from the 9/11 attacks extended far beyond the borders of the U.S. The devastation was the cause of several global economic, political and social issues. The subsequent War on Terror ultimately cultivated a culture of fear.

After almost five years of living in Texas and have developed a strong attachment to this country. I'm thankful that there haven't been any more acts of terrorism of the same magnitude.

Sept. 11, 2001 bears much more significance to other people. I didn't know anyone on board the planes. I didn't lose any loved ones. I didn't witness any of the attacks firsthand. However, even though it was just through my television screen, I saw the flames that engulfed the first tower; I witnessed the second plane's crash; I saw people jumping from windows; I saw both towers collapse.

And I too will never forget.