I was on my way with two Lake Forest students visiting from their study abroad program to meet a few others from the Paris program in the 10th arrondissement. I decided we should transfer at the République station. As we approached the station, an announcement came on the train. I couldn’t understand the entire announcement, but I could hear that the next few stations were closed because of some kind of police activity.
That’s when I received a text from a friend in the program warning me about shootings and an explosion in Paris. I told my friends to get off at the next stop so that we could see what was going on. When we rose out of the metro, the first thing we saw were the red and blue lights of several ambulances.
I called some of the students I was meeting near the République stop to make sure they were okay. The two friends I was with debated about getting a taxi back to my apartment. We went back and forth about how to get home. Taxis could be safer, but we still didn’t know anything about where the attackers were headed or how many there were.
I read articles two, three, sometimes four times, as if the words would change on the screen. The only thing that changed was the death count.
I decided on returning to the metro. Once we entered, a police officer greeted us and asked where we were going before letting us through. At that point, I wanted to get home as fast as possible. While on the metro, we ran into some girls from another school who were studying abroad and who could not understand the announcements on the train.
I translated for them and explained what I knew about the attacks-which at that point, was not much. My two friends continued to chat with them while I contacted others in Paris to make sure they were okay and to figure out more about the situation.
People who know me well are often amused by how fast I normally walk. But that night I think I made it back to my apartment at record speed, my friends trailing behind me. We entered the apartment, and our phones began buzzing as the wifi kicked in.
Messages came pouring in from friends, family, and Lake Forest faculty. I think that’s when it really hit us how huge the situation was. From 11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m., we stayed up on our phones and computers, occasionally sharing a piece of news between us.
I had five tabs open of live news broadcastings, flipping between various articles and videos to get as much information as I could about the events that unfolded that night. I read articles two, three, sometimes four times, as if the words would change on the screen. The only thing that changed was the death count.
It’s one thing to read about terrifying events. It’s another thing entirely to experience, even just a rippling effect, of the aftermath of such an event. My heart does not often quicken when I read a news report, but it does when I walk outside and wonder if the place I am going to will be safe.
I cannot begin to imagine the pain and suffering that people experience daily in countries such as Beirut, Baghdad, and Syria. It is sad that it has taken this event in Paris to wake people up to the reality and extremity of the situations in these other countries.
I do not have a nice way to pull this all together into a satisfying conclusion… sadly, it seems this sentiment might mimic the thoughts of many others across the globe.
