Chan, Aurora (Exchange)

From:      Chan, Leandro

Sent:      Monday, October 01, 2001 5:30 PM

To:      'Bet Y. Lazatin'; 'mraquiza; 'MargoEncarnacion'; 'MinoEncarnacion'

Cc:      'achan'

Subject:      RE: So glad Jojo's OK

It's been three weeks since the collapse of the World Trade Center.  For

most of us here in the area there is still a lot of pain and suffering.  The

initial emotions of outrage and anger are gone, now replaced by a deep

feeling of emptiness and loss.

 

For most, the grief is personal.  Almost everyone in the tri-state area knew at least somebody who lost their life during the tragedy.  The past weekend marked the beginning of a host of funeral and memorial services for the deceased - there was one on our block.  Personally, I can still hear the voice of our company's head of security, one of those who was buried in the building, shouting out evacuation instructions to everyone through his bullhorn.  I also am still unable to forget the faces of the firefighters who went in while we were leaving to try to put out the fire and help those who were still trapped inside.  Whenever I see a footage of the building collapse, I see those faces.  The NY fire department lost at least two hundred people that morning. Say what you want about how rude New Yorkers

are and how decadent the city is, but for me those New Yorkers defined,

beyond comprehension, what bravery and public service is.

 

For those of us who worked there, the loss is less personal but more

heartfelt.  I always tell Rory how I miss the neighborhood because that's how I viewed them not just as a bunch of buildings.  How I can come in the morning and take a few minutes to enjoy my view of the Statue of Liberty. Or go out on Liberty Street on Tuesdays and Thursdays and buy something from the Farmer's Market.  Or get doughnuts for Nico at the Krispy Kreme (he loves the glazed originals).  There was also the Church Street Post Office where I bought stamps and mailed everything because they have self-service stamp machines and weighing scales.  There was also St. Peter's (the oldest Catholic Church in New York!) where they have 20-minute services (convenient for holidays of obligation).  St. Peter's has now become a make-shift morgue where they temporarily store the bodies before the ambulances pick them up.And who does not miss Century 21, home of bargain shoes, suits, coats and

underwear for men, women and children?  I don't know if you guys remember the life-size bronze statues at Liberty Square between Broadway and Church, the same square where the hustlers played speed-chess at lunchtime and Sam's Falafel made the best falafel in New York for two dollars.  Most of those statues were damaged or mangled.  My personal favorite was the "Man reaching for his umbrella" and in the Sunday NY Times they showed a heart-wrenching picture of him.  He was still sitting on his bench but he had lost his briefcase and was obviously not going to get his umbrella out in time for the rain.

 

Anyway, my neighborhood is no more.  It is now buried in rubble and ashes. A part of me was also buried there.