When I ask people where they were or what they were up to when the Twin Towers in New York City collapsed, most can give a very clear recollection. Since it happened in the morning, most of the people my age were in school. They were watching the news. Most could not quite grasp the significance of what was happening at the time.
To many, 9/11 is more than a date in a textbook. It is a vivid anecdote. This year marks the 15th anniversary of 9/11. It serves as a day of remembrance for Americans, but also as a reminder of how recent in our history that day still is.
For a majority of people alive today, this was an event that happened in their lifetimes. It was something so devastating and so hard to process that to this day they still remember it like it was yesterday. 9/11 was a day that every American experienced in one way or another, regardless of where they were, and every American carries with them a distinct memory from that day.
But I do not. I don't remember where I was when the World Trade Center came crashing down, or what I was thinking, or who I was with.
I was born in Mexico. I lived there until I moved to the United States in 2007, when I was 10 years old. Now at 19, I look back and realize that I lived half of my life in a society that was not drastically impacted and altered by the events that unfolded on September 11th. I did not grow up learning about 9/11 and directly witnessing its repercussions. It was an incident that I was not familiar with, and back then, it did not feel like a part of my history.
As an immigrant, one faces many difficulties. Some of the most obvious examples that come to mind are racism and discrimination. Of course, these are hardships that can be difficult to overcome, but another frustrating aspect of being an immigrant is the internal struggle to assimilate to a new culture while also retaining your identity.
Now, as far as assimilating to a different society goes, there are certain aspects of other cultures that are not that hard to pick up on. After a while, you start to dress like the people around you, and you start to talk and even think like them. This is socialization at its finest. For the most part, it comes naturally, but there are some things from other cultures that you just cannot fully share or relate to.
Those instances can be uncomfortable. It's confusing not being able to feel the strong patriotism you feel on the 4th of July. It's awkward that don't share the passion you feel when you sing the National Anthem. There are some parts of being an American that an immigrant simply cannot adopt, and while that can sometimes be alienating, in most cases it's easy to dismiss it as simply not your own.
But then there are days like 9/11 that put me in a strange position. As a global citizen and as a human being, it pains me to see people suffer, regardless of their nationality. I feel angry and distraught when I think of innocent people losing their lives to the hands of terrorism. Like every other American, I sympathize for the people who died that day and for their families.
On the other hand, I am not an American. Unlike most American citizens, I don't see the events of 9/11 as attacks on my country. My nationality does not come into play, and I cannot relate to you when you say your people were taken away from you on your soil. And on a day when the atmosphere is one if grief and sorrow, that's really frustrating. It's confusing that on this day I cannot express to you how I feel because I myself cannot even figure it out. My emotions get lost in translation.
I don't exactly hurt with you, but I most certainly empathize with you, and I feel for our country. The attacks on the Twin Towers were one of the most horrifyingly inhumane demonstrations of hatred in recent history. While I once witnessed it from the outside, today you and I come together to remember the names of those who lost their lives that morning.
Though my connection to the events of September 11 may not be on a level as personal as yours, as an immigrant, I am here for you. We are here for you, and we are here for America, just like she was there for me nine years ago when she took me in with open arms.
