Dear A World of Change

Below is the letter I wrote to friends and family on September 13 2001. I was 21 and living in Washington DC at the time as a nanny (the family, I'll only reference with initials) the rest speaks for itself.

Usually a comical email of my tales from the US and the way of life here would follow but with recent events that I am sure you all know about detail, no comedy is warranted. On Tuesday to catchphrase many news presenters the unthinkable happened and although not close physically to New York World Trade Center, the Pentagon attack is only 15 minutes from my house. I was at home and reading a book, M rushed into my room and alerted me to a disaster of some kind. My mind went to the kids, E, H and G but nothing as mammoth as what happened. Then like many millions of Americans I had to watch the second plane crash into the WTC and then each building collapse under the duress. Then to hear that the Pentagon had been attacked, my heart quickened knowing that the location was so close, then for a while there was a rumoured fourth plane heading towards Washington DC, either the White House or Camp David (which the flight path of aircraft goes directly over our house) or the Capitol Building. The plane crashed in Penn.

Newscasters constantly refer to this day as a day that will live in infamy, one that we will never forget and although I know every person who I send this email to feels involved, I can say that living in the attacked country only enlarges the event, living in the city even more. I know I often counted myself lucky to live in Australia, because as I used to joke Australia is so far, the nobody could be bothered to come that far to bomb us. Now living in the prime target, capital of the world's biggest super power USA, I can only again count myself blessed to be an Australian, who will always call that country home. But I also count myself lucky to be living in the USA, and eerily enough, I count myself lucky to be here during this time, because this is where America is at its best.

A country that is often mocked by others for their wildly patriotic view of the world, movies that have 'America' saving the world etc we laugh at, but at this time, it's where that patriotic view is needed and called upon. By Thursday morning as I write this, American flags are flying everywhere, Congress has sung God Bless America on the Capital steps, and the radio is already playing the Star Spangled Banner with intercut sound bites from the President throughout. To sound cliched, hope is shining through.

As an Australian it makes me proud to see and hear about the heroics of the fire fighters who rushed into the building before it collapsed risking their lives for others, to hear about passengers on planes who decided that their fate was sealed but would attempt to not destroy others in their own deaths. Being brought up in a country that values such acts of courage and heroic efforts, I am thankful that there are many people in the world who also possess such attributes. And now as the death toll continues to rise, and the rubble is just beginning to be cleared away, I dream of a day when people use words not violence to express their opinions, when innocent men, women and children are not massacred in a bid to 'get the attention' of world leaders and although naive to believe that day will ever come, it's the dream itself that makes it worthwhile to strive towards.

From America, the land of the free and the home of the brave,
Floss