[Eichenlaub]

I remember being at the university of Nijmegen for the day, although I cannot remember whether I was there to study or to follow a class.

Somwhere in the afternoon, probably around 15:00 hours, I was sitting in the computer room when a group of fellow historians-to-be entered and babbled about a plane in the WTC. We all crowded (about 4-5 of us) around a single computer and tried to find reels of the events in New york. We saw it, were awed and dismayed. We spoke about it loudly (which is not allowed), making rough guesstimates of the maximum possible number of casualties. Other people looked up at us but apparently we were amongst the few who really knew of the attack. Some must have been annoyed at our callous noise-making, but they learned our reasons when they got home later on. As we sat there, our eyes wide open, I was the first to mention Osama Ben Laden as a suspect, but we really weren't occupied with the perpetrators yet. The misery overwhelmed us all.
Didn't grasp it at first, but then I heard from the staff of the computer room that another plane was being monitored and possibly to be shot down by fighter jets. That's when I left the university and went home. I tried to do the normal routines and succeeded rather well since I had not been able to learn everything yet. That evening, at the karatedo training, my instructor spent a few moments on the attacks, asking the youngest participants (10-11 years) whether they had understood what was going on and whether they had heard of it at school. I remember everybody having their versions of the possible casualty rates, and what this would do to the world. All agreed that it would no longer be the same and I knew back then that I would always have some sharp memories of that day.

The strongest memories I have though, are really of the 12th. I woke up and turned the tv on. Eventually I got out to buy a newspaper (which I almost never do). The day was spent completely engrossed in watching tv and reading that paper. I was completely lost, unable to function properly. I distinctly remember shedding lots of tears back then, and whenever I invoke those memories, I find that a few well up in my eyes even now.

Having spent a day in solitude and sympathy, I got back into a normal routine the next day. When extraordinary disasters hit me, I usually grieve for a full day, as I for instance did when Dutch public figures Pim Fortuyn (06-05-02) and Theo van Gogh (02-11-04) were assassinated.
People were somewhat embarrassed to go back to work and tend to their own lives from 12 September onwards, but really, what else were we to do?

It's already been five years now and how everything has -or hasn't- changed since 11-9-01. It's just unfathomable at times.

Nowadays I cannot fully believe the official story, though I've not been reeled in by any specific conspiracy theory yet. 'Loose Change' was aired here last Sunday and I saw most of it. As a historian I know how evidence can so easily be tempered with, especially eyewitness testimonies, therefore I hesitate to accept any of all those theories without further evidence. Checking it for myself is impossible though.

Kind regards,

Eichenlaub