i was in class

I wonder why 5yr mark is more special than 1st or 2nd or 3rd or 4th and will prob mean more than the 6th. Where was I? Just walking into my 1st class of the day. There was a tv in that classroom and the other guys were watching - that's when I heard. My professor came in and told us, "ok guys, time to turn that off, let's have class". I don't think she realized that anything had happened at that moment. We tried to tell her but she must have thought we wanted to delay start of class - we often tried to side-track her for the first 15min or so with random shit (all I can say in our defense is that it was junior level chem class-instrumental analysis- that started way too early). We still had class. It wasn't until we were wrapping up and talking amongst ourselves that she realized. Went to my next class(hoping he'd cancel it) but no, he didn't either. At least he knew what was going on but I think he felt we could use the distraction. So I had both my classes that day.
By lunch time, TVs were on in most of the common rooms and everyone was watching. It was horrible. Even though I wasn't personally concerned about family who worked in or near the Towers (like many students there) I was still traumatized by the visuals...the reality of it. Watching the planes crash - you just couldn't help but watch again and again. It was on every station. Just felt like the world was about to end and I'd barely begun to live. It just seemed so unfair for all those people who didn't have a chance or a choice. I had to get out of my head.

I went on a retreat that weekend with a group of students from 3 local colleges and our local parish priest and sister B. No tv, no phones, no radio. We spent our time canoeing, kayaking, swimming (not me b/c the water was too cold but almost everyone else did swim). Fellowship, prayer. Walking along the sandy shore, hiking (yes, even me) playing in the sand, playing badminton, stories around the fireplace. Most of us slept in the huge common area around the fireplace, some 25 students huddled together in sleeping bags and on blankets. It got us through that weekend. Made new friends. Got away from the horror of 9/11 if only for a short while.