Cdub D.C. Club

Some of the most amazing airports exist within California, however, El Semental is based  on none of them and exists  wholly within my               own imagination I was ten years old, attending an elementary school that looked like it had not been renovated since nineteen-seventy-four. The paint for hopscotch on the blacktop was faded, the numbers painted in pastel, tetherball ropes long from white, and the tree in the middle of the yard so big it could tell stories from one hundred years ago. It was November fourth and a couple days ago I had been dressed as a ballerina witch, as I had been in ballet for eight years already, but couldn't wear that attire to school as my mother was scared I'd fall and rip my tights or scuff up the soft leather of my ballet shoes. I had been drinking the strawberry milk that I would always get. I don't know why, but the recess had been longer that day. Long enough to be reading Breaking Dawn ...

When 9/11 occurred, I was still an infant, but my knowledge on the topic is extensive thanks to my mother who has taught me that the day should never be forgotten, as well as what it meant for this country. As I was stumped on what topic or subject I should write next, one of my younger friends texted me. She is only a few years younger and didn't understand the outcome of that day. She was shocked the most to know that a lot of things were very different before. Therefore, it inspired me to ask a handful of adults in my life about their own lives before 9/11. I am a liberal with many different views, and proud, but that does not mean I can forget an event that has defined, not only our country but also the rest of the world. Every year, I solemnly take time to reflect on the events of this day. To ask about a world before is only to honor the lives lost, not to forget, to be nostalgic, and to reflect on how we can try to make the world a better place. N.V., 43 years ...