September 11, 2001
A day I will never forget. A day all Americans should never forget. I was working on our current project in Nokia when I heard the first reports come in. Of course Hanna called me to inform me that the New York’s WTC (World Trade Center) was being attacked by our own civilian airplanes. I couldn’t believe it. I tried to access the internet sites to get the news and all of them were down because of the massive traffic the sites were getting. I watched later that night in horror of what was happening. I called my parents at around 7:30ish or quarter to 8pm my time (Helsinki, Finland) and it was 10am California time. They didn’t know what was going on until I told them. They were as shocked as I was. As an American citizen living abroad in a foreign country that has no real enemies, it feels weird, that I still, since moving here in the beginning of March 2000, look over my shoulder from time to time for the fact that I do not live in the United States and that for some reason, I feared someone attacking me. I never once thought I would feel like ever living in the United States until after the events of the horrific attacks that were done to us on Tuesday, September 11th, 2001. From that day forward, My views about foreign policies and how I think and act when other people are around me have changed forever. I do feel safe living here in Finland, don’t get me wrong. I like the Finnish people and they have given the American people living here and visiting here nothing but their love, prayers, and support for the tragedy that unfolded at the WTC, and Pentagon. My prayers go out to those that are directly affected by this horrific act. I just wanted to let you know that the Finnish people have given me nothing but support over the past few weeks and shared with their sadness for the American people (I am the only American in our office building here in Nokia) and I asked them this one question.
If this had happened here, how would you have felt?
At first they could not answer, but then my answer to them is this.
I feel upset, angered, threatened, and most of all, shocked that someone or some group of people had the sick notion of doing this horrific act of violence and carnage against innocent people. Most of my co-workers could not fathom the idea of something like this happening. I told them that it could happen anywhere, anytime, to anyone. That is the “nightmare” about terrorism. I also told them that if someone had threaten to attack the capital of Finland, that threat would be taken seriously and security would be beefed up, prepared for the worst, and this would be done immediately. I guess what I am trying to say is that we as Americans take that being free is something sacred and take it for granted that “nothing is going to happen to me because I live in American and its the home of the free”. We as Americans should stand up to this type of aggression as one, uniting together, and protect those that we love and the country we live in.

words of wisdom and prayer.