From the journal I've been keeping over here in England:
July 7, 2005
I was sitting in class this morning, watching out the window as a mother duck led a pack of ducklings across the street (never seen that before), just before Professor McKenzie was about to finish class for the day, when one of the girls who had apparently gotten a text message from her brother told us that six different bombs had gone off in central London. I ran back to my room to get my cell phone and called my sister Angi (who was okay), then home to let my parents know that Angi and I were all right, then some of my friends. It took a while, because all the international phone lines were pretty busy.
The Underground (subway) was bombed in six different locations (a few of which I've passed through before) and a bus was bombed in Russell Square. The Thanet Hotel, where I first stayed on this trip (and was about to head back to tonight, meaning I would have been there tomorrow morning), was just in Russell Square. What a difference a day makes.... If al Qaeda had planned their attack for tomorrow instead of today.... It's all a little strange to think about right now.
Angi was damn lucky. She had been running late to class; elsewise, she could very likely have been on one of those tube lines that were bombed.
What's interesting is seeing the response of the British people. They're all obviously affected by what's happened, but unlike Americans would be at this point, they're not letting it alter their lives. I guess maybe it's because they've been through this before. And the British emergency response system is LIGHT-YEARS beyond anything we have in America. They really handled the situation remarkably well.
From what I read now, the death count is up to 50.... Damn al Qaeda, and damn Bush for letting them go because of his obsession with Iraq.
July 7, 2005
I was sitting in class this morning, watching out the window as a mother duck led a pack of ducklings across the street (never seen that before), just before Professor McKenzie was about to finish class for the day, when one of the girls who had apparently gotten a text message from her brother told us that six different bombs had gone off in central London. I ran back to my room to get my cell phone and called my sister Angi (who was okay), then home to let my parents know that Angi and I were all right, then some of my friends. It took a while, because all the international phone lines were pretty busy.
The Underground (subway) was bombed in six different locations (a few of which I've passed through before) and a bus was bombed in Russell Square. The Thanet Hotel, where I first stayed on this trip (and was about to head back to tonight, meaning I would have been there tomorrow morning), was just in Russell Square. What a difference a day makes.... If al Qaeda had planned their attack for tomorrow instead of today.... It's all a little strange to think about right now.
Angi was damn lucky. She had been running late to class; elsewise, she could very likely have been on one of those tube lines that were bombed.
What's interesting is seeing the response of the British people. They're all obviously affected by what's happened, but unlike Americans would be at this point, they're not letting it alter their lives. I guess maybe it's because they've been through this before. And the British emergency response system is LIGHT-YEARS beyond anything we have in America. They really handled the situation remarkably well.
From what I read now, the death count is up to 50.... Damn al Qaeda, and damn Bush for letting them go because of his obsession with Iraq.
VIEW 4 of 4 COMMENTS
The news in London really startled me, and upset me a bit, although I don't know the people..therefore it's kind of hard to..well, I don't know.. Feel too much? The way you explain how the London-ers are handling it makes me wish our country could adapt to these things better. We get into such a panic and uproar when it's not all necessary. I don't know.
I'm very tired and just babbling. Other than that happening, though, I hope you are having a wonderful time.