Category: 9/11
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Thirteen Years Later
9/11/2014: A day to remember how I once remembered “Black Tuesday” WALL OF GHOSTS At a hospital near my home, there is a memorial to Nine/Eleven. It is a brick wall hung with hundreds of “Missing” Flyers, sealed behind plexiglass. These are the faces of those who were lost that day. I call them ghosts.…
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Back in the USA
That first view of my city was awe inspiring. Most sunrises are. But, this was no ordinary sunrise. This was the moment when I first looked for that hole in the skyline. It felt strange, yes, but as distant as if it were on television. I am not yet in my apartment because my subletters…
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Florence Trip with Friends 2001
OUR VISIT TO FLORENCE This week it was clearly time for me to visit this Tuscan city of Michelangelo, Dante, and leather jackets. And so, my friends and I hopped onto the Eurostar and headed to the sepia city of Firenze. We didn’t need our tour books for this visit, because one of my favorite…
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Due Ragazze from Marion Street
Two girls from Marion Street in Albany, Oregon, together in Rome. My best friend from childhood visited me with her family during my tenth week. It was, without doubt, my best week in Italy. I have known this woman since I was three years old. When Sandy found out I was coming to Rome, she decided, on…
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Rome, 2001: Bridging the Halfway Mark
In this city of many bridges, I realized that I had crossed a very important bridge. Week seven marked the latter half of my stay here in Rome, and that sharpened my experiences. My seventh week in Rome began with an excursion to the Roman flea market called Porta Portese. I went with my padrona a…
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Week Six 2001: Ballare sul Tavola
BALLARE SUL TAVOLO (Dancing on the Table) Starting Week Six, the U.S. started bombing. I realized that Bin Laden is really fighting his war with words of terror, not airplanes. I decided that I would not let him win by making me afraid. So, I went dancing. One of my best friends in Rome is a…
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Week of Grieving: Week Two in Rome 2001
ATTACCO ALL’AMERICA It was a week in Rome that I shall never forget. A time of unspeakable horror, and unexpected kindness. The strangest thing about staying on top of what happened in New York is that I have little access to American television. I am living with an Italian woman who speaks no English. And,…