On Thursday the 28th a commuter train packed to the brim with commuters crashed full speed into the very busy Hoboken Terminal. Hoboken is also my hometown, a place where I spent most of my life and where many of my old friends and family still reside. The simple fact that a train crashed full speed into a train station is jarring enough, but not being there is almost as bad. My presence in Hoboken probably (definitely) wouldn't have changed the outcome of that morning but the feeling of guilt still reminds.

When I first heard about the news of the crash, I called my mom as soon as I could just to see that she was okay. In typical New Jersey fashion, her response was "The traffic sucks, but I'm safe." Seeing all of the other reactions from my hometown friends and seeing that they were all safe eased my anxiety just a little bit. As for the 100 injured and the unfortunate passing of Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, a 34-year old mother, the anxiety and pain will never really go away.

Dealing with a tragedy at home while being away at college is interesting because of the sheer physical disconnect with whats happening. The fact that I did not know the whereabouts of my 12-year old cousin scared the hell out of me. Also, realizing just how many people use that station and how integral that station is to the life Hoboken makes this tragedy that much worse. These past few days have been trying and difficult to parse but knowing that my loved ones were able to remain safe eased the pain just a little bit. As for the victims, they probably will never be the same after this but I hope that they find the help they need.