I haven't been able to bring myself to go down there.
The morning of 9/11 I was actually flying back into the country having escaped from china. Like everything else in the air, our plane was grounded, and we thought we were being returned to china. long story.
the stewardesses were all hovering around us and getting us anything we wanted, we learned later because of our robes, because there were about a half dozen sikhs on the plane and I guess the stewardesses couldn't tell the difference. First class found out first what was happening, then one of the brothers with a cell phone called home to say we were going to be late- we were in vancouver and I've never seen anything like what was outside our plane window- just planes and planes and planes squeezed into every possible open area- planes everywhere and not a single one moving or being taxi'd or anything, just piled up and crammed together there was literally no way that mess was being untangled and we just couldn't figure out what it all meant.
we passed the phone between us- I can remember our groups leader wondering aloud if we should be told what was happening- it was just so crazy we honestly did not think anything could have gone down worse than what we just got away from. little did we realize. I was on the phone with my girl at the time, and was thinking to myself, so long as they are still standing, we'll be ok...then she began sobbing and I could hear everyone at her house crying out and I knew they were dropping and had been utterly destroyed. I just remember the relief of hearing my mom and old man knowing we were on the ground and not in the air.
amitabha. such sin.
took us about 6 days to sort out a return flight as we ourselves were sort of on a no-fly list because of the shit that went down in china. vancouver was an amazing city and everyone just poured love out to us when they found out where we were from- i mean buying us dinners, clothing, just random people hugging you until everyone just cried and cried and cried.
i was close to going down there, but for months and months after the attack to just see all the missing people posters everywhere and that gaping wound, finding out about people who made it or didn't...it still cuts close to the quick.