Late for Class (9/11), 2001, by Jeremy Rodriguez

From MemoryArchive

Who:  Jeremy Rodriguez
What: 9/11 Reaction
When: 9/11/2001
Where: Currier Hall, U of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

It was early in my freshman year. The second week of class and I had already overslept. I rushed to a shower and came back to my dorm. I turned on my TV to have something to listen to and I watched the second tower fall. I remember feeling horror and was fairly numb. I wasn't going to make it to class that day. I went to Burge Hall to eat breakfast and nobody there knew. I wanted to tell everyone and no one at the same time. I ate my egg casserole in silence. I went back into my dorm and people began to find out. Walking down the hall every door was open and I did not miss a second of coverage walking by. Peter Jennings was comforting and his coverage helped get me through. That night a bunch of guys in my dorm sat in the hallway. My RA, a man of Indian descent with a full, bushy beard feared ignorant reprisal. He feared being confused with an Arab and being attacked. That night he shaved his beard. It was eerie and I hated dumb Americans that night.