We went to the 9/11 Memorial Museum today and it was hella depressing. I didn’t think that I would effect me very much but it threw me into a weird and kind of shitty mood for the rest of the day. This whole class has been filled with going to museums all day and looking at great art and having all of these amazing experiences and by now I am physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. Then seeing the memorial today just pushed all of that even further to the edge. Since I was only a small elementary school kid in Spokane, WA when the 9/11 attacks happened, I wasn’t smart enough to really understand what had happened, nor was I close enough to experience any of the real terror of the event. Today it was kind of like experiencing the whole thing for the first time. A lot of the imagery that was on view I had never seen before and since we were at the actual spot where the attacks occurred it made it feel very real and much more tangible. Hearing and reading quotes from people on the day of the attack was so powerful for me and seeing the videos and photos of just how much damage they caused and the impact on the city, nation, and the world was indescribable. It made me think about how I read tragic news stories everyday and how things like these attacks happen all the time around the world and how callous we become to these atrocities and loss of life. Visiting the memorial was important and I’m glad we did it because it is easy to see a number, but it’s hard to be faced with the actual damage. It gave me a more complete perspective on the event and I was certainly effected.
-Beaudry Allen