Memories from Portugal
1. "I was 12 years old, home alone when I decided to turn on the TV and every channel was talking about the first tower being hit by a plane. At the time, they still thought it was an accident. When the second plane hit, the news changed drastically, and everyone was saying it was a deliberate attack. When my dad got home from work, we watched the towers fall. My mom got home and said everyone was watching it in the hospital where she worked.
I remember being scared. We were hosting the Euro 2004 and people were wondering if we could be attacked too.
I was afraid there was going to be a war and my dad would be forced to go."
- A. M.
I remember being scared. We were hosting the Euro 2004 and people were wondering if we could be attacked too.
I was afraid there was going to be a war and my dad would be forced to go."
- A. M.
2. "I was 16. in a mall with my parents. We went through an area with TVs. At first we thought there was a movie going on all the TVs, like they have everywhere, just to show off their quality. At a second glance, the horror hit us when we realised the planes did hit the towers.
- Reddit user /u/ManaSyn
- Reddit user /u/ManaSyn
3. "I was 16 and at home playing Diablo 2 when my sister came over from the living room screaming about something big in America. I went to watch the TV. After a couple of minutes I said,
'That left tower is doomed to collapse, the right one is probably ok."
And went back to my computer.
- Reddit user /u/mediiev
'That left tower is doomed to collapse, the right one is probably ok."
And went back to my computer.
- Reddit user /u/mediiev
4. "I was 17, at home studying for the national exam (I think it was math) when I went for a short snack break and turned the TV on. I remember two conflicting feelings:
1. Scared because that thing would soon turn to shit. Such a big slap to the USA would be unlikely to go unpunished, maybe even regardless of who were the actual culprits.
2. A trace of retribution. For a country that had made a business of war, it had now come back to them.
- R. P.
1. Scared because that thing would soon turn to shit. Such a big slap to the USA would be unlikely to go unpunished, maybe even regardless of who were the actual culprits.
2. A trace of retribution. For a country that had made a business of war, it had now come back to them.
- R. P.
5. "I was 8 and at school where my mother was a teacher. I spent a lot of time in the teacher's lounge where there was a TV with cable.
I was zapping through channels when I stumbled on CNN and saw the footage of the impact.
It shook me up, I asked my parents not to watch the news at dinner that night."
- Reddit user /u/amq55
I was zapping through channels when I stumbled on CNN and saw the footage of the impact.
It shook me up, I asked my parents not to watch the news at dinner that night."
- Reddit user /u/amq55
6. "I was 13, at home watching TV, surfing through channels when I saw the news. At that time only the first tower had been attacked, so it was still being treated as an accident. When the second plane hit, everyone immediately started talking about it being a terrorist attack.
I remember being a bit scared, and actually looking out the window, wondering if it was gonna happen in here as well."
- Reddit user /u/mch8
I remember being a bit scared, and actually looking out the window, wondering if it was gonna happen in here as well."
- Reddit user /u/mch8
7. "I was 10 years old. It was the beginning of the afternoon and I was tagging along with my grandma to the local "Centro de Saúde" (Public Health Centre). While she was with her doctor for a routine consultation, I was in the waiting room and glanced at the TV. I remember thinking they were showing a new Die Hard movie and it felt so odd for that channel, on a workday afternoon. I didn't mind much and focused on my Game Boy again.
It took me hours, if not days, to understand the magnitude of what had just happened."
- Reddit user /u/Samurai_GorohGX
It took me hours, if not days, to understand the magnitude of what had just happened."
- Reddit user /u/Samurai_GorohGX
8. "I was 11 years-old, at my cousin's house watching the Roswell TV series after lunch. The show was break and we changed to another channel. At that point, the plane had already hit one tower and we thought,
'Weird, they usually don't broadcast movies at this time of day.'
We changed channel and the 'same movie' was on.
Then we changed channel again and the same movie was on...
This was when she immediately thought something was wrong and we started listening what was happening. She had to explain it to me because this was something I couldn't really grasp at the time.
I just didn't understand."
- Reddit user /u/fanijeys
'Weird, they usually don't broadcast movies at this time of day.'
We changed channel and the 'same movie' was on.
Then we changed channel again and the same movie was on...
This was when she immediately thought something was wrong and we started listening what was happening. She had to explain it to me because this was something I couldn't really grasp at the time.
I just didn't understand."
- Reddit user /u/fanijeys
9. "I was 13 years-old and went to my mum's job to have lunch with her. When we came back the company doorman told us that a plane had hit a tower in New York by accident.
I turned a TV in her office and the other planes had just hit. We sat down watching it and I remember seeing people jumping from the upper floors.
I thought it had been Russia, was playing too much Red Alert back then.
- Reddit user /u/Gndossan
I turned a TV in her office and the other planes had just hit. We sat down watching it and I remember seeing people jumping from the upper floors.
I thought it had been Russia, was playing too much Red Alert back then.
- Reddit user /u/Gndossan
10. "I was 9 years-old, with my aunt who worked at an orphanage. I noticed something big had happened when all the kids and staff from the orphanage got together in the media room looking at the TV. I thought it was a movie until my aunt explained me what was going on.
Years later, I decided I wanted to know how it felt at the time, so I watched the entire CNN coverage of 9/11, it was a daunting experience.
I also remember that day because my best friend's father died suddenly from a heart attack.
It was the first time I really thought about death."
- Reddit user /u/TitusRex
Years later, I decided I wanted to know how it felt at the time, so I watched the entire CNN coverage of 9/11, it was a daunting experience.
I also remember that day because my best friend's father died suddenly from a heart attack.
It was the first time I really thought about death."
- Reddit user /u/TitusRex