It is also one of those events that has completely changed the world- it made the Westerners who always felt safe feel very vulnerable for the first time - and the last few weeks have shown us that not much has changed.
In my teaching I use a documentary called 9/11 to show the students the events of the day. If you have not seem this doco it is probably the best doco to watch if you want an unbiased account of the day. It was made by two French Brothers who were filming a doco on the first year of a rookie fireman. They happened to be in the right (or wrong) place at the right time, and their camera's accompanied the fireman into the building. It shows the confusion, sadness and disbelief of what they were seeing. The doco is moving, empowering and very, very sad.
I think if there is a sentence that sums up my trip to the museum is that. It is moving, empowering and very. very sad. You see the best of people and they very worst of people all in one event.
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| This is one of the new World Trade Centre buildings- they were going to replace all the buildings that collapsed (there were 7 that collapsed in total) but the demand is not there. People don't want to go back into the area. |
The thing that you first feel is a sense of calm. They memorial and museum has been created with such a sense of love and respect you feel it as soon as you walk into the area where the fountains (for want of a better word) are. These water features are made on the exact site of where the towers stood, and are decorated with the names of those who lost their lives. I also learnt that the names are not written in random. Each name was places near someone the deceased knew- whether it was a relation, a work buddy, or a friend. So they are never alone.
The museum is situated under the fountains in the very foundations of the World Trade Centre. You are lead through a history of the building, how and why it was built, and you see the foundations of the buildings. It was a marvel of creation and interesting was built on landfill. This was one of the reasons that the area was unsafe for such a long time after the attacks- they thought the whole are might sink. People who lived in the area left their homes that morning and where not allowed back for up to 12 months. Not even for clothes, possessions or their animals. Part of the reason was due to it being unsafe and also because they needed to sweep the area for DNA. Remember that nearly 1000 people have still not been identified since the attacks.
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| Bodies are entombed behind this wall. The blue are swatches of colour as people were asked to colour them the shade of blue they remember the sky being on the morning of the attacks. |
From there you see things recovered from the day, from parts of the buildings, letters, shoes, fire trucks, to personal possessions. You also hear audio recordings from people on the flights that were highjacked, and audio from the high jackers themselves. You are in a constant state of disbelief and shock as you walk around. There is also a gallery with photos of all those who lost their lives on this day.
Going to the museum is an experience like I have never had before. There are so many people in there but it is mostly silent. There is no laughing, small talk or any joy. It is a moment of such sadness and also a moment of so many questions- would the fireman have gone in knowing what they know now? How desperate would you feel to jump out of the building as your best choice? How sad would you feel if you rang to tell a loved one good bye and they didn't answer the phone? How could you comprehend what you were seeing and what was going on? How could humans be so mean to other people? How could anyone hate so much?
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| This will eventually be the entry to the Subway. It signifies a dove. The symbol of peace. |
Laura and I spent 3 hours walking around the museum. It honestly felt like 30 minutes. You leave the museum via an escalator which takes you back to ground level. Amazing Grace plays as you go. I know I had tears running down my face as I left and I made no attempt to wipe them away. I think this is the sort of thing that we need to see to understand that we need to be good, kind people. You can't let the bad guys win. This showed me that in times of such horror and devastation people come together. You see both the very worst and the very best of people. We can't let the worst win, because there are far more good people in the world.
If you are ever in New York please go. There are very few things that are genuinely life changing. This is honestly one such thing.
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