NEVER 🙏 FORGET

In 2001, I was required to do an internship for school credit for my Master’s in Social Work. I was assigned to work at the WTC Tower 7 for a company called DC-11. September 10th was my first day. It was orientation and I recall how excited I was to work with lawyers and help their clients with some of the challenges they were facing. At the end of my day, at around 5pm I had this urge to go over to the shopping area of World Trade Center. I scanned around and it was empty as it was the end of the work day. I felt quite alone and had odd thoughts kept circling around my head. I wasn’t sure why I felt compelled to go there but didn’t dwell on it. I shrugged these feelings off and thought perhaps it was because I had some anxiety. I decided to walk home along the West Side Highway and once again felt odd. I saw the most eerie sky. The clouds swirled angrily, and I got caught in an intense downpour. It was then I came to the conclusion some trouble was brewing. It was a stroke of luck that I wasn’t assigned to go in the very next day, Tuesday, September 11th. My dad woke me up and screamed to turn on the TV. I couldn’t help to feel blessed that I narrowly avoided being caught in such a tragedy. My supervisor said she experienced a lot of trauma and witnessed the awful details that we all know too well. The post traumatic stress was too much for her to bear and she had resign. In some way, shape or form, we are all affected by what happened on this day 19 years ago, and still it doesn’t get any easier being in NY. Where were you that day? What do you remember from it? I would love to hear your stories.