Boston Marathon: Revisted

You hear your grandparents say they remember where they were when JFK was shot in 1963, your parents know where they were when the planes hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. I remember where I was when I heard about the Boston Marathon Bombing on April 15, 2013.

Honestly speaking, the Boston Bombing had little-to-no-effect on me. I was standing in the library of my high school, final period of the day, thinking I had the worst day ever, waiting for the bell to ring so I could drive home and watch Netflix in bed until dinner.

You remember where you are when things happen because they are life-changing. It might not change your life but it changes the world. On April 15, 2013, I had no idea that I would be going to college in the Boston-area. I had my heart set on a university in Queens and didn't know a lot about my future college in Boston.

Standing there in the lobby of my high school library, I received a notification from "The New York Times" with a breaking news article about the bombing. I thought that this notification had little-to-no-effect on me so I cleared the notification on my iPhone. I was in the suburbs of East Syracuse, NY and I didn't think I needed to know more information than a headline.

Two years later, it has a great effect on me. I live, breathe and am part of Boston. I work, play and explore Boston as my own city and now I can't imagine not being in Boston. We celebrate the Boston Marathon runners for a reason. I see the pride in this city and take it as my own. I love calling Boston my city and seeing the excellence that it produces.

I was walking around Back Bay the Saturday before the marathon and I have never seen the city more packed. Everyone was excited and proud and I felt like I was in a different land. What normally would have been a 5-minute wait at Starbucks was a 15-minute wait but I didn't really care because of the happiness that was in the air. I say the city is proud and I can't help feeling proud too.