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opinion:
forum
Attitudes
should be a wake-up call
LONDON - For many of us here, it’s very difficult to deal with
this national tragedy. I heard the news as a friend and I were
walking home from class, happy to hear that the class was going
to be quite interesting. We ran into a friend on the street
corner when she dropped the bombshell on us.
"The Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon were hit
by terrorists!"
At first I couldn’t believe it, but her face just said it all.
Sometimes we don’t pay attention to what people say around us,
but that day it seemed like someone turned up the volume and
everyone was listening to the same station.
Locals here are very supportive toward us. I was taking the
tube from South Kensington to Picadilly Circus later that day
and many Brits were very compassionate towards me and offered
their condolences.
Prior to this event, I had been uneasy and nervous about talking
to the locals, unsure of what they would say or think.
Out and about London, I’ve discovered that many locals wait
for eye contact to feel welcome to approach one of us. They’ve
shown us much concern and support for our loss.
I feel more at ease now, knowing that although we are far away,
there is some support.
Tony Blair, the prime minister, gave a very supportive, emotional
speech that made many here feel comfortable and a bit more relaxed.
However, tension still exists. The U.S. Embassy is surrounded
by soldiers, a hint and reminder that trouble can be lurking
around the corner.
It’s hard to explain the atmosphere here.
It may seem calm for a minute, but the newspaper stands and
televisions reporting on death tolls in the U.S. makes it quite
difficult to adjust in a foreign land.
Our host program here has made it quite clear that they will
do whatever it takes, in accordance with the U.S. embassy, to
ensure our stay is a safe one. It’s not like guns and missiles
are going off here, but among many Americans here there is the
thought that something might happen.
To me, however, it’s been a wake-up call. We sometimes hear
that phrase, "You really don’t know what you have until
it’s taken away," and that’s exactly what the mood is here.
Even though we know we really wouldn’t be able to do much back
home, we all feel like we should be home with our families and
loved ones.
There was a time period on the day of the attacks when we could
not contact our families.
The thought of not being able to talk to someone back home was
a real blow to our morale. Luckily, we were eventually
able to get in contact with family to tell them of our safety
and to ensure theirs.
I feel that by sharing my thoughts, it will relieve the pain
of not being around my family and loved ones. This is a very
important time in our lives. I understand that much is going
on over there and we are all still trying to cope with this
matter.
Enrique Felix is a senior liberal studies and criminal justice
major from Cal State Long Beach studying at South Kensington
University in London this semester. |
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