Reflections of 9/11 from a Canadian living in the States

I am a bit late with my reflections on 9/11.

Where was I on that day? I was a Canadian living in the U.S.

I lived in Minnesota for two years. I had already been there for more than a year when the tragic events occurred on September 11, 2001.

Back then, I was a pure night owl. I went to bed late and woke up at 07:45. I eventually got to work by 09:30.

I was listening to the local radio station when the first plane had crashed into one of the twin towers of the World Trade Center. I thought that it was a freak accident and hoped that everyone was okay. Moments later, it was reported that another plane had crashed into the other tower. I knew then that it was deliberate.

I fixed myself breakfast, sat at the table, and watched the horrible events unfold on ABC News. I felt sick to my stomach.

I managed to drive myself to work, which was a close five minutes away. I walked into my office where my officemate and our fellow colleague (we were all Canadian) reflected on what had just happened.

Things changed after that day. The technology company that I worked for implemented strict security policies going in and out of the parking lot. At the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, I could no longer go through security and meet my mom at her gate like I had done a few months earlier. 

My parents were concerned about me. They called that evening. I told them that all was okay. I wasn't exactly close to the Big Apple, but I was stateside and only a timezone away.

It was a dark day. I may not talk or write about it much, but the day is still fresh in my mind.

I disliked how the local gas stations immediately hiked up gas prices. Price gouging is wrong to begin with, let alone capitalizing on such a tragic event.

However, there are always good stories, like good samaritans helping others after the twin towers were hit. That's what I would like to focus on -- the good.