09-17-2001, 12:26 PM
Greetings!
This is a message from my old roomate from Germany who was an exchange student here in Portland 7 years ago. I thought I would share it with you (he said it was ok). Enjoy!
Thanks,
Tim
"Hallo Tim,
late but hopefully not too late I want to express my condolences concerning
the horrifying acts that happened last Tuesday. I hope nobody of your family
nor friends got harmed or worse. Certainly, America is big but New Jersey is
close to Manhattan. Although, we in Germany have not been hit directly, we
instantly felt and still feel very shocked, frightened and paralyzed at the
same time. For me knowing you, my proud American friend, and having looked
up tourist-like into the clouds between the world trade twin towers in 1995,
the tragedy meant more to me as it maybe would have in case some European
capital city had been hit. I am happy that all six political parties
assembling the German National Parliament (socialist to mid-right) spoke
with one voice and completely condemn the acts that were inflicted on your
nation in delusive peacetime. At the same time my friends and I are afraid
of an overreaction of the western alliance. A war is not the solution. This
and the overall situation is the number one topic at all pubs. You can feel
the uneasiness on peoples faces; radio and TV stations had changed their
program but have come back to normality by now. I am not a Christian, I
cannot pray, but my thoughts are with the victims. I don’t know if you hear
a lot about Germany these days – we are only one out of 18 NATO-members. If
it wasn’t that tragic the situation could be quite exciting here now.
I told my mom I was going to write you on this – she wishes to say hallo to
you too, as well as to your mom."
This is a message from my old roomate from Germany who was an exchange student here in Portland 7 years ago. I thought I would share it with you (he said it was ok). Enjoy!
Thanks,
Tim
"Hallo Tim,
late but hopefully not too late I want to express my condolences concerning
the horrifying acts that happened last Tuesday. I hope nobody of your family
nor friends got harmed or worse. Certainly, America is big but New Jersey is
close to Manhattan. Although, we in Germany have not been hit directly, we
instantly felt and still feel very shocked, frightened and paralyzed at the
same time. For me knowing you, my proud American friend, and having looked
up tourist-like into the clouds between the world trade twin towers in 1995,
the tragedy meant more to me as it maybe would have in case some European
capital city had been hit. I am happy that all six political parties
assembling the German National Parliament (socialist to mid-right) spoke
with one voice and completely condemn the acts that were inflicted on your
nation in delusive peacetime. At the same time my friends and I are afraid
of an overreaction of the western alliance. A war is not the solution. This
and the overall situation is the number one topic at all pubs. You can feel
the uneasiness on peoples faces; radio and TV stations had changed their
program but have come back to normality by now. I am not a Christian, I
cannot pray, but my thoughts are with the victims. I don’t know if you hear
a lot about Germany these days – we are only one out of 18 NATO-members. If
it wasn’t that tragic the situation could be quite exciting here now.
I told my mom I was going to write you on this – she wishes to say hallo to
you too, as well as to your mom."