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Everyone's story is unique. Tells us yours.
In early September of 2001, my wife and I flew out to Prague, Czech Republic. Dawn was itchin' to get a TEFL certificate (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). This involved a month-long course in either San Francisco or Prague. After doing the math around the cost of living in each city, we concluded that it would be a lot cheaper to fly all the way to Europe and stay out there for a month.
The course was five days a week. While Dawn was in the class, I would chill in some café and do web design work on my laptop. I had several clients who had contracted me and I was able to do my work remotely.
On September 11th, I was waiting for Dawn outside of the building the school was in, when a few of her classmates approached me.
"Are you Dawn's husband?" Asked the first girl.
"Sure am."
"Have you heard of anything that's going on right now?" Ask the second girl.
"No," I said completely clueless.
"Well, there are major attacks on the U.S. right now."
"What kind of attacks?"
"China, North Korea, and Iraq have like made a pact and are attacking the US right now. They've hit New York, Washington DC, and Pittsburg," one of the girls explained.
I laughed. "You've gotta be kidding me. Where are you hearing this from?"
"Someone came into our class and told us about it."
"China and North Korea attacking us? Come on!" I was convinced these girls were either trying to trick me or had been tricked themselves.
Then another classmate came running out the front door.
"They've got a TV upstairs," he said, "Come on!"
We raced up several flights of stairs and filed into the living room of an apartment crowded with a dozen people, including my wife, around a small TV set. There were the twin towers smoking like they'd just been hit with a missile. The news was in Czech and the man who had opened his apartment to all of us was trying to translate what he could.
"They're saying it was two planes that attacked," he explained.
"Who? How did they attack?" I asked.
"They crashed into the buildings."
We stood there watching the events unfold. The towers fell. News of DC and a field in Pennsylvania came through despite the language barrier.
Afterwards, Dawn and I took hit some internet cafes, but the internet had died. CNN was displaying a single page with a few bullet points explaining what happened. I tried to phone home to friends and family, but the phones were not getting through either.
There was a report that one of the hijackers met with some Iraqi officials in Prague. This prompted plenty of rumors in the city and the police could be found in front of every government building wearing bullet-proof vests and carrying semi-automatic weapons. The U.S. Embassy warned us not to speak English in the streets and to attract as little attention to ourselves as Americans as possible.
After a couple of days, the Internet started to work again and we could get through to friends and family on the phone. The next month was spent gathering as much information as we could about the attacks and who was responsible. We were news junkies just like every other American we spoke with.
The sympathy and kindness we received
There was a new attitude towards Americans after that day. The Czech people, who themselves have overcome tyranny, reached out to us in many ways.
People would ask us if we were from the United States and then tell us they were sorry for our loss. Castles and other tourist attractions had signs saying "We grieve with America for their loss. If you are American, please show us your passport and we will let you in for free."
The most overwhelming display of sympathy and kindness, however, was found in a downtown area of Prague called Wenceslas Square. Here, we saw hundreds of flowers, candles, and signs all with messages for America.
I think this was the moment that touched my wife and me the most.
The following pictures were taken six days after 9/11. Obetem Terorizmu translates into "Obliterate Terrorism".
Where where you on September 11?
Everyone's story is unique. Tells us yours.
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