In the surreal and foggy hours and days that followed 9/11, the shock and horror I felt gave way to dismay and despair, as well as a sort of numbness, as the death toll kept increasing of friends, loved ones and acquaintances lost on the planes that originated from Boston and in the offices of the Twin Towers. It was obvious that the world would never be the same again.

Exactly one week after the terrorist attacks, I was scheduled to leave for a friend’s wedding in Berlin. I was traveling with three other friends and a 6-month-old baby, and there was a lot of discussion of whether or not we should or would even be able to go. We all decided that missing our friend’s wedding out of fear would be just another win for the terrorists, and on Sept. 18th, we boarded one of the first commercial flights to leave the U.S. after the attacks.

We arrived in Berlin and were greeted by the Brandenberg Gate draped in black bunting with words of sympathy for the American people, American flags flying everywhere, spontaneous peace rallies, and strangers saying how wonderful it was to see Americans abroad after such a disaster. … read more