On September 11, 2001- I was almost seventeen years old, a senior in highschool and was living in the Bronx with my father. That morning he had promised to drive me to school, making my one hour commute much easier for me. In the morning, he had a change of heart and decided to take back his offer; Naturally, I wasn't having it.
I argued, cried, screamed and pleaded with my father, pulling the Catholic Italian guilt I knew until finally he gave in.
I was in my second class, and it was during this ten minute news announcement that we got word that the planes crashed into the towers. To my dismay, I called my father who was trying to get into the city. Again, I screamed, cried and pleaded for him to go home, and he listened.
On this day, I think of my dad and I because it was my relentless teenage spirit that forced him to avoid traveling to Manhattan on this day. I like to think my intuition knew and protected him from traveling. I think of my fighting spirit that is Divine and inherited from my parents.
I remember being afraid to travel to school. I remember the smoke that was all over the city the next day. I'll always remember.
And, to go beyond me, I think of all evolution of New York City, it's fighting spirit and also the gentrification that has taken place over the fourteen years. Everyone was hero- Giuliani, Bush, FDNY, EMT, MTA, NYPD- so much loss.
But, what have we gained since then? A ton of hipsters. Raised rents, a new Freedom Tower, and a ginormous penis-shaped residential building that is almost as tall.
Is this the city that I claim as my nationality? Is it still the same? I will always bleed NYC - and I am honored to have my father, who had employees that survived 9/11- but died the following month in a plane crash that was set off to Dominican Republic.
Today, I flipped on the Memorial, enough to hear four speakers read off names- but chose to remember our evolution as human beings- and for this, I am eternally grateful to be an NYC resident.
I am grateful for my father's relentless nature, he beat Cancer, a Quadruple bypass, Hepatitis C, has five kids- and I will always be his little girl, his pain in the ass.. that spared him NYC on 9/11.
We are all heros, in our own way.. I guess.
I argued, cried, screamed and pleaded with my father, pulling the Catholic Italian guilt I knew until finally he gave in.
I was in my second class, and it was during this ten minute news announcement that we got word that the planes crashed into the towers. To my dismay, I called my father who was trying to get into the city. Again, I screamed, cried and pleaded for him to go home, and he listened.
On this day, I think of my dad and I because it was my relentless teenage spirit that forced him to avoid traveling to Manhattan on this day. I like to think my intuition knew and protected him from traveling. I think of my fighting spirit that is Divine and inherited from my parents.
I remember being afraid to travel to school. I remember the smoke that was all over the city the next day. I'll always remember.
And, to go beyond me, I think of all evolution of New York City, it's fighting spirit and also the gentrification that has taken place over the fourteen years. Everyone was hero- Giuliani, Bush, FDNY, EMT, MTA, NYPD- so much loss.
But, what have we gained since then? A ton of hipsters. Raised rents, a new Freedom Tower, and a ginormous penis-shaped residential building that is almost as tall.
Is this the city that I claim as my nationality? Is it still the same? I will always bleed NYC - and I am honored to have my father, who had employees that survived 9/11- but died the following month in a plane crash that was set off to Dominican Republic.
Today, I flipped on the Memorial, enough to hear four speakers read off names- but chose to remember our evolution as human beings- and for this, I am eternally grateful to be an NYC resident.
I am grateful for my father's relentless nature, he beat Cancer, a Quadruple bypass, Hepatitis C, has five kids- and I will always be his little girl, his pain in the ass.. that spared him NYC on 9/11.
We are all heros, in our own way.. I guess.
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