I honestly don’t remember much from before 7 or 8 years old. Im 19 now, 20 in February, and aside from the few things like television programs and birthdays, I dont remember much from my birth through to my 2nd grade days. However, I do remember September 11th, 2001. I was a five year old in the first few days of Kindergarten. I recall us sitting down to watch Dora the Explorer on Nick Jr in our class on our red, yellow, and blue target-esq carpet. The teacher turned on the television, and as she made her way to the channel, she stopped by ABC 7 Eye Witness News. We lived in New Jersey, Cliffside Park, which is one town over from Fort Lee, where the George Washington Bridge helps connect us to the City. So, our teacher happened to stop on the channel and kept it, just general interest in what was happening as she flipped through the channel. Most of us just asked her “what was going on”, myself included. Not many of us were able to understand just how crazy things were from the images on the television, but I guess for the few of us that did, we were the most worried. I was one of the few, fearing for my father’s life, as I knew he worked in the city at a Kiehl’s store in the city. He didnt get home until late that night, but thankfully, it was only because of how insane the traffic was and the lockdowns going on in the city. Originally, my mother had no plans to pick me up from school. Everybody was picking up their children, and eventually, my mother had no choice as they were calling homes and letting everyone know that the school day was coming to an early end. I got home, continued to watch the news all day with my mother (mainly switching between ABC 7 and News 4 New York), waiting for my father to get home. I remember most of the details of the morning time of the day but as it goes on I start to forget. Needless to say, when Im much older, this will be one of the very few events I remember from my youth, and with good reason. Im someone who likes to live in the past, and this is something I’d prefer /wasn’t/ a part of it like thousands upon thousands of others…but it’s there. Im just thankful I lost no one that day.