Just a Regular Day...A Story of September 11th By: Alexander Zhu

My Family TreeFor the Family tree I picked my dad because he attended a meeting during 9/11

There is my dad on my family tree.

“Well!” I triumphantly announced to my friends Joe and Charlie. “Only four more days of the meeting, and then we can all go home. Though I hope the Conference Managers were impressed with my presentation, they looked impressed when I was done.”

“I think you did a fantastic job,” Joe congratulated me. “I have never seen a fellow doctor work that hard.” “I agree,” Charlie brusquely told me just as he answered a call from someone. “Thanks, guys! I was really nervous when they were just looking at me,” I told them. “Hey, guys, does anyone know why the World Trade Center is burning?” asked Joe as he watched the elevator’s TV. “Guys!” Charlie whispered excitedly. “It’s my buddy Don from the World Trade Center. He was just telling me that some bozo accidentally crashed a plane into the North Tower.” “Wonder how a pilot could do that,” John chuckled. “Aren’t they trained to fly straight?” We all laughed at that statement.

“Come on,” I complained. “It’s almost 10:00. How can I get moon cakes for my son and make it to the executive lunch at 10:30?” “Don’t worry,” reassured Joe. “I’m sure there is enough time, and I think they are having the lunch near Chinatown.” Suddenly Joe shouted, “Oh my god!” We both gaped in surprise. On the elevator’s TV screen was the World Trade Center. We could see a Boeing 757 plane shooting through the sky at a speed that would have made racers stare in awe. The plane crashed into the South Tower with a deafening “BOOM!”. The noise was easily heard through the elevator speakers, and we even heard it in the distance. There was a raging inferno coursing through the mid-section of the tower. I looked around and stared at my friend’s expressions. They could have portrayed a scene from a horror movie. “Man, what was that?” Joe questioned. “That was really loud. How far are we from that place?” I asked. “Well we’re in mid-town so only, like 10 blocks away,” Joe answered, in a tiny voice.

Charlie, who was currently oblivious to the situation, looked up curiously from his call.

“Guys, my call just dropped,” Charlie was breathing heavily, with an expression of dread. “What happened?”

We all took out our phones and checked them, and to our horror we all got the same results. “I don’t have 3G,” Joe put our fear into words. “Same here,” I said, surprised. “Wait a second,” I exclaimed as my heart started to beat faster. “Aren’t there a bunch of cellphone towers on the World Trade Center?” “Yeah there are,” Joe replied, eyes widening. Then we looked in utter horror as the crumbling South Tower completely collapsed, shrouding the street in rubble and smoke. “Oh my God!” Joe shouted. “There could be people down there who need medical help.” “Yeah!” I agreed, confidently. “Then let’s go help them!” Charlie announced, putting our thoughts to words. When the elevator came to a halt at the lobby, we rushed out of the door, ignoring the swinging crystal chandelier and all the panicking people. We ran to find a way to help anyone who needed it.

“Come on, guys,” I urged them on, filled with confidence. “ It is a Doctor’s Oath to help those in need.”

Interview Questions and Answers

General QuestionsWhat was it like? Couldn’t believe it How were the people around you acting? Really nervous How did you feel when the (topic) was over? What the most interesting thing that happened during the (topic)?

Why did the (topic) happen? A plane crashed into the world trade centerDo any memories stick out to you? Cellphone not working, people walking out of city, cars covered in mud, saw in elevatorDuring this time what moments impacted to you? Explosion completely shocked, sad, angry, and helpless.What was the worst thing about the event? Feeling helpless to the peopleWhat was the best moment? When they could go home.

Specific questionsWhat did you see while your were there? The plane crashing into the trade center, people around him showing their disbeliefWhat was happening at this time? Big commotionWhat was on your mind most during this time? Trying to find a way to contact family Who were the people you were with at that moment? 15 of his colleaguesWhat was happening around you? People talking about finding food, contacting family, going to help people, and who did this. Did anything you see impact you?Why were you there when that moment happened? They’re for a huge conference about making medicine for cardiovascular disease

What did you hear people say and what did you say? ”We should go to help” “ let’s try to find food” “why is my cellphone not working”How were people around you interacting? Talking about how to help peopleWhat were the around you doing?3rd day of conference when it happened

Research notes On Tuesday 9/11 2 planes (A Boeing 757, and 747 crashed into the world trade center and completely destroyed it, knocking out most of the telephone towers for that area. On that day another plane flew into the Pentagon near Washington D.C.; another plane crashed into a field in Shanks Ville, Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to retake the plane.

My  Bibliography"September 11 Attacks." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Oct. 2012. Web. 23 Oct. 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks

"September 11 terrorist attacks." World Book - Student. Pudong Secondary. Web. 25 September 2012. <http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar750786&st=9/11 or september 11>.

"September 11 terrorist attacks - Ground zero." World Book - Student. Pudong Secondary. Web. 25 September 2012. <http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/media?id=lr004772&st=9/11 or september 11>.

Reflection Working on this project has helped me learn about my dad being in 9/11. It makes me wonder if my life would have been different if he hadn't made it back. This project helped me also understand that not all family histories are peaceful and nice.

I think doing this project gives you a better understanding of writing. It also gives you a chance to interact with your own family and more practice with past tense writing. It also helps you tell good sources from bad sources.

The thing I enjoyed the most, was the interview. I got a chance to talk with my dad, and collect knowledge about his experiences. I also think my dad and I got to bond more closely when we talked and I could almost feel the emotions when he was explaining things to me.

The thing that was to most challenging thing for me was putting that emotions that I felt into words. Overcoming the challenge was

really hard for me, because I had a hard time coming up with words. Since coming up with words was hard, I tried to focus on their expressions. The advice I would give is that once you find a family member, get as much information as you can on the topic. Then find as many sensory details and verbs as you can for the topic and include them in your writing.