9-11-11

I remember 10 years ago waking up in my room in my parents' house at 6 am to my mom telling me to turn on the tv. From that little 13" box I watched the story of 9-11 unfold, and now from the other side of the world I am watching the 10th anniversary in much the same way. It is interesting seeing the effects of that day on another country. In many ways Australia was affected in the same way the US was, Australian soldiers are fighting and dieing right along side of American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. People are much more sensitive to the possibility of terrorism amidst everyday life. But in other ways things are very different here. You don't need to show picture ID to get on an airplane. You can wear your shoes when you walk through the security gates. People can wait right outside the gate for their loved ones to arrive. Being so used to certain security measures, it's a little unnerving getting on an airplane here now. Regardless of the similarities and differences though, it surprises me how much an act of terrorism so far away seems to have impacted the culture here. It's unfortunate that such a horrible thing happened, but reassuring to know the America has such a compassionate ally.