10 Years Later.

I'll keep this short, but I wanted to make sure I wrote today.

Ten years ago I was a student in Mrs. Norris' fifth grade class at Whitefield Elementary School in my hometown in Maine. We had finished our journal entries and had moved onto math exercises. While we were working, a teacher came to our doorway and asked our teacher to come into the hallway with her. A few minutes later she came back and grabbed her radio - we still didn't really use the internet at my school then, and nobody had laptops. Throughout the day we were concerned. Concerned a person had died, concerned someone's family member was in trouble, or that someone's house had burned down. It wasn't until 2:20 pm, when we lined up for bus dismissal, that our teacher told us the news. Our principal had forbidden the teachers from telling us, but Mrs. Norris made sure we knew. She held up a copy of Time magazine with an arial picture of Manhattan on the cover. She said, "See these two buildings right here? They're gone. Men flew planes into them and they are gone." And with that, we were dismissed to our buses, our minds racing with questions.

I had never flown before 9/11, so I can't compare the differences, but I can say I have flown enough since to see the never-ending list of security checks and procedures. And it always makes me think when I travel to Europe and sail through customs with no waiting, no horribly long lines, no need to fill out forms. I admire the way Europe has handled the need for updated security measures, screenings and protection. In Copenhagen I feel as safe as I do at home in Maine, a place where you don't lock your front door and let your kids play outside alone. As my friend Amanda put it last night, Copenhagen has theft, but not robbery. Yes, people steal here, but there will always be petty theft. What you don't hear about is armed robbery, people stealing cash from banks or breaking into buildings. This is something even Maine has, yet I've read nothing about it in the newspaper here. People here are happy and for the most part healthy, they want to get along.

I love my country and I love the support that began ten years ago and continues today. Sometimes admitting you're American in Europe can be hard, as it brings stigmas and stereotypes. But today, as the man at the sushi counter asked where I was from, I told him without hesitation, the United States. Being in another country for September 11th has shown me how supportive the world is of all nations - including the US. Ceremonies were held in Berlin, Sydney, Madrid, Paris, London, and in cities across the world. We are all living here together, and even if we don't speak the same language or share the same customs, we can support one another. And it just makes me so happy to be living in a place where I know this is true.

- Devon.