Alfonsos Pastry Shoppe

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I have been an employee of Alfonso's Pastry Shoppe for the last four years. Today, I would like to take a moment to explain the history of the bakery.
Alfonso's Pastry Shoppe has been open in the bakery business for over forty years. The original owner, Alfonso, came from Italy and decided to open the bakery with the little money he came from Italy with. Him and his wife ran the bakery with few co workers. They did most of the labor themselves. He built the franchise of Alfonso's Pastry Shoppe all on his own with his own ambition. His will to succeed got the business where it is today. Alfonso has three sons, one who is a lawyer and the other two now run the bakery. The original location of the bakery was on Manor Rd., today, there are three stores. The three stores are located on Page Ave. in Tottenville, Amboy Rd. in Eltingville, and the main store on Victory Blvd. in Westerleigh. The two brothers, Anthony and Vincent, have expanded the business even more than their father. In addition to the three stores, Alfonso's has many personal clients and account that they deal with everyday. Some of these accounts include Excelsior Grand, The Lake Club, Harbor Manor, and many more catering halls, bakeries, and diners! Who would have known forty years ago that this business would still even be around, let alone the franchise that it is today!

Vincent & Anthony Campitiello embrace their father’s quest for excellence, the foundation upon which Alfonsos was built. “There is no mystery to our success we grew up in this business & we have a great deal of knowledge & experience. We keep up with the current trends in design & nutrition, and consistently work long hours to give our customers the superior product they expect”.

Role Model

About two months ago I was given a gift. This gift was a "big sister". Part of the process of joining a sorority is receiving a "big". A big is one of the older girls in the sorority who then becomes your big sister. Your big is the one who helps you through the whole process. I myself have become very close with my big. Her name is Jessica and she is one of the greatest people you will ever meet. She is the sweetest person and she would do anything for anybody at anytime, and I mean that. She never thinks of herself. I can talk to her about anything and I know somehow she will help me through any problem I come across. We have only had each other for two months but I look forward to the future. Already we have started the traditions of baking and arts and crafts. At least once a week we have a "date" where we catch up and talk. I could talk to her for hours. Over winter break we are even going to the city to see the Radio City Christmas Show, it should be a nice day. I am an only child and I never had any older figures to look up to for advice, and I now do. This was the best gift I was ever given. I always wanted a big sister, and now I have one, and she is the best one of them all!

Intense

It has been said many times by my friends and family that I am a very intense person, and if you were to be around me long enough, you would probably see the intense side of me. Whenever a bad situation occurs I tend to panic and become intense. I get in an angry mood and begin to yell and scream. People around me say it can be unbearable at times, but it is just one of my personality flaws. I like things to be perfect, and when something goes wrong I go in my intense mode. If something goes wrong I feel the need to take control and make it perfect. I mean I suppose this is a bad flaw at times, but at other times I think it is not that bad because I like things to be perfect.
There are a few ways to fix this problem. I can learn to relax and let everything be or I can realize nothing is ever perfect, that is what life is about, imperfections. It is said that imperfection is beauty.

Memories Never Fade, Bonds Never Sever

In most of my blogs I write about my new college life. My new friends, my new activities, my sorority, I write about it all. Although life has changes these past few months, my old life has not been altered. I have some of the best friends a girl can ask for. I know that if I need anything at anytime, there is a long list of people who would come running, and I would do the same for them.
First there is my neighborhood crew. These girls I have known my whole life and grown up with them. We have done everything together for so long, and I mean everything. We have had the best of times together and the worst of times together, but through it all crew have always been there together. There is Michelle, Alexa, Megan, Christina, and Justine. From age two until now we have been the crazy crew of Westerleigh as we would say. There is never a dull moment. We all went to different elementary schools but all went to the same high school. We grew even closer through the high school years. Now that college is here we are all separated, but nothing has changed. We talk constantly and always make trips and visit each other.
Then there is Priscilla. I met Priscilla in the 6th grade when she moved to Staten Island from Florida. At first we did not get along. Who would have known that in a year we would have grown to become best friends. There was a year of high school where all we had was each other after a stupid fight with the rest of our group of friends. In that year we grew so close that no matter what no one would ever understand each one another better than us. She is my partner in crime. About two years ago Priscilla got a boyfriend, so we were no longer attached at the hip as much, but our relationship has not changed at all. When we were younger we would talk about what we wanted to do with our lives. Her dream was to attend FIT in the city for fashion and become a fashionista in the industry. This year she is living her dream and going to FIT in the city. I cannot explain how proud I am of her!
Then there is Alex. Although I only met Alex four years ago in my freshman year science class, I feel like I have known her forever. She is wild, outspoken, crazy, spontaneous and always down for anything. She is absolutely insane and I love it. She may be a tiny girl, but never mess with her, she is a tough cookie. I would do anything for this girl and the best have times have only begun, there is much more to come!

As you can see I am very blessed to have all of these special people in my life. I would not be the person I am today if it was not for these people. I would do anything for my friends ! It is us until the ends. We are going to be the old ladies causing trouble in the nursing homes!

Autumn Ball '07

This past Tuesday Student Government at St. John's University hosted the Autumn Ball at the Hilton Garden. It was a lovely gathering open to everyone. Mostly Greek Life attended, but anyone could have gone. At the Autumn Ball three female students and three male students from St. John's ran for "Miss Staten Island" and "Joe College". These titles just apply to St. John's, it is not Staten Island wide. I attended the Autumn Ball along with most of my sorority sisters. This ball gave us a chance to all go out, get dressed up, spend time with each other, bond, and have fun. Aside from all of that it gave us a chance to make college memories. We danced the night away and had a great time. My friend Jacquelyn ran for Miss Staten Island and won! We celebrated with her all night. Jacquelyn is also a member of the same sorority as me, so when she won we all went crazy for her! The final song of the night was " O What a Night" which is our sorority song. It gave us a chance to celebrate and a chance to acknowledge our accomplishments, because we do everything together, including winning! We are a family.

Deck the Halls

" 'Tis the season to be jolly Fla la la la la la la la ..."

This song, along with many others, can now be heard on the radio for the holiday season. Although Thanksgiving was only a few days ago, constant reminds of Christmas are around and out in full force. I work at a bakery, which is the busiest during the holiday season. In fact, me, along with every other co- worker, dread the holidays because of the crowds. From Thanksgiving until New Years day it is pure chaos at the bakery. Baking none stop, making bows and holiday ribbon non stop, decorating non-stop, it just does not end! It is exhausting! From gingerbread houses to pies all day is a holiday feast! On top of all of this chaos, we have to listen to Christmas music all day, every day. My first year at the bakery I enjoyed the Christmas music, but now my fourth Christmas at the bakery, I am very sick of Christmas music. They call me the Grinch at work, but my reasoning for hating the music is because they play maybe twenty songs and when they run out they play the same ones over and over again and it gets to me. Another factor that makes me the Grinch is the fact that not only do we work during the holiday season, we work on the actually holidays, and it is not just a few hours, it is a nine hour shift at the least! On Christmas Eve we work from 6AM until 7PM, that is a 13 hour shift on Christmas! Maybe now people will understand why I am known as the Grinch! The only person that gets me through these kind of days is my friend Angela. I have worked with her for all my four years. Ang is three years older than me and I look up to her as if she was my older sister. We have become so close from working together, in fact we went on vacation together this past summer. Despite all the negative aspects of working at the bakery, I have met some amazing people who are very important figures in my life. I cannot see my life without the bakery in it. We have become a family, we share a bond that no one will understand unless you were one of us. I mean we are a family, we even spend the holidays together!

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!"

Give My Regards to Broadway

Tomorrow evening I will be taking a bus with my fellow Discover New York classmates to see the Broadway play, RENT. This will be the second time I am seeing this show. As a requirement of the Discover New York class, every student was to pick a play, one out of four choices, and go see it. They are making us do this so we can first hand become apart of NY culture and travel to the city.

RENT is about a group of Bohemian artists struggling with love, success, and AIDS in the East Village of New York City in the late 80s. The play follows the lives of eight characters who all meet on Christmas and change each other's lives within the next year. The characters are Roger, Mimi, Mark, Maureen, Joanne, Tom Collins, Angel, and Benny. Roger is a songwriter who has shut out the world ever since his girlfriend committed suicide upon learning she was HIV positive. Roger is also HIV positive because of his girlfriend. Rogers's new love Mimi who is also HIV positive and a drug addict. Roger's roommate Mark who is a struggling filmmaker, his ex-girlfriend Maureen who left him to be with a woman. Joanne, a lawyer, Maureen's new girlfriend. Tom Collins, an HIV-positive college professor, Collins's lover, Angel, a transvestite with AIDS, and Benny, who is the former roommate to Roger, Mark, Collins, and Maureen and now owner of the building.

Although the plot sounds crazy and hard to keep track of, this is one of the most amazing shows I have seen on Broadway. I guess you just have to see it to love and understand it.

CHA CHA CHA CHANGESSSS

As you read in a previous blog, I have been going through a period of confusion. All of a sudden I am uncertain about myself and my decisions. I was a psychology major and I thought that was what I wanted to do, I even had my future plans all ready. Unfortunately this is not what is going to happen. I have taken one coarse in Psychology and I realized that it is not for me. I am not interested in this field. The work was tedious and I was not that dedicated enough to complete it. The only option I had was to withdraw from this class, but that worried me because in order to receive my scholarship money I need to complete a certain amount of credits per semester. If I withdraw this class I will be receiving 12 credits instead of 15. Before withdrawing I had to check with the financial aid office to make sure my scholarships would not be affected by this decision. I also met with my advisor many times and my psychology professor to hear their opinions. No one really helped me so the decision I made was to withdraw from my psychology class and change my major.

In high school I was a member of The Institute of Law and Politics. I enjoyed this program, its' classes and all the options it offered. Not only did I get good grades in these classes I loved what I was learning. That is very important, you need to love what you do in order to succeed. I decided to change my major to criminal justice, which was what I wanted to do in the first place but i was apprehensive because I was unsure of the careers options for this major. After speaking with Dean O'Keefe from the College of Professional Studies, I was sure that this is what I wanted.

Once the changes were final, I was at ease. I can relax and sleep easier because of this. I am now 100% happy with my school life and career!

Four years ago we were so young...

SING. SING is a show, competition, that my old high school puts on every November. SING has been a tradition at Susan Wagner High School for over thirty years. As a dedicated member of SING, let me explain to you what it is all about.

SING is a competition between all grades. The freshmen are paired with the sophomores because it is their first year and they need to have guidance, they do not know how the whole process goes yet. The juniors and seniors are on their own. Therefore there are three separate shows being put on. These shows are produced in all ways by the students. The students write their own scripts, write their own music, own lyrics, own dances, own backdrops, own sound systems, and of coarse, they act and sing. The SING season begins the second week in September and the shows are actually mid- November. These weeks in between are a combination of practice, hard work, fighting, and competition. It is an unsaid war between the grades to win the title of SING. It is a very big deal in Wagner.

Besides the show aspect of SING, SING is so much more than that. SING is a time of bonding, a time to make new friends, and share many laughs. It is a great way to make friends as a freshman, because through this process you will meet many people, some who will even go on to become best friends. One of my best friends today I met through SING. SING brings people together and forms bonds like no other. Although there are many fights, it is all out of stress, because at the end of it all, we always put an an amazing show, and everyone loves each other, and we all become so close because we went through everything together. You will never understand that bond, unless you do SING.

SING was the best memory I have of high school . It was the best time of the year that everyone anticipated in the Summer, and missed in the Winter. As I mentioned before the students write their own lyrics, but to known songs. For example, our alma mata last year was How to Save a Life by The Fray. We kept the song, but made our own lyrics. As this year SING approaches in two weeks, I cannot believe it has been a whole year since Senior SING Victory 2007. Until this day, I can hear How to Save a Life on the radio and tears full up in my eyes and I get the chills from the memories made during my high school years.

"Where did the years go? They flew so fast. But we have our memories to last. And we would have stayed in this school all night. It's senior SING saying goodbye..."

Charity

As a member of the sorority Phi Eta Chi, one of our letters stands for charity. This being said, we participate monthly in charity events. The month of October is breast cancer awareness month and the breast cancer walk is being held Sunday morning at Cloves Lakes Park. Myself, along with the whole sorority, which is about sixty girls, are all walking in this walk to support women everywhere. Participating in this walk shows our support to women everywhere. We also contribute a good amount of money for research. This will not be the first time I have done this walk. One of my neighbors died of breast cancer about two years ago, and the whole block started up a team for the walk and always raise the most money for the research. It is not a competition, because whatever money you can contribute counts, but it feels nice to know you will be helping a lot of women with all that money. Breast Cancer is a deadly disease among women everywhere. Every woman should contribute to this months cause, it is just the right thing to do.

Confusion

As mid terms are coming to an end, I have realized something. I am not enjoying what I am studying. Psychology is a very hard subject and I am not that devoted to it enough to work that hard for something that I am not even enjoying. There is no complaint in working hard, it is just that I am not interested that much to be working that hard. In high school was a member of the Institute of Law And Politics. I was very in to this program, and I was good at what I did. Always receiving high grades and always participating in the class room and outside the class room. I was also a member of mock trial team and moot court. I loved what I was doing, and it is now time to make a change. I have decided to change my major to Criminal Justice. I will enjoy it much more than what I am doing now. I have a background in this field, so hopefully my grades will be higher as well. As for a career, I am undecided. There are many options with a degree in Criminal Justice. It has been my dream to be a member of the FBI or Secret Service. To make that dream come true I will have to work very hard, but I am ready for the challenge. Once this change is made I will free much more at ease, because right now I am not comfortable with the grades I am earning in my studies. With this change, my schedule will be more enjoyable and more achieving!

Music in Me

Music has a hold on people. Music can bring people together; it can make people grow apart. Lyrics are even more powerful. Hearing one simple song on the radio can change your life. You can feel like that song was written for you, because you can relate to it. You realize you are not the only one with these problems. Music is so strong. It is not just about entertaining. Artists want their fans to relate to them. Their music reaches out to the fans. When you find a favorite song, no matter what point in time, no matter where you are you can remember the first time you heard the song, where you were, and what you were feeling. It is crazy that such a simple thing, a song, can have a power like that. Hearing that song, makes you relive everything from that time. Emotions spring from music, whether you want to admit it or not. Also, if you noticed, most music is about love. Lyrics are the artists’ way of professing their feelings, or their stories. You just happen to enjoy them and relate to them. Music can also be the key to someone’s heart. A song can mean everything to a couple, it’s their “thing” and it means everything to them. Also at parties, sweet sixteen’s, and such, friends come together for “their” song. It is just how it is. Music is a lot more important than you thought it would be. Music can take a toll on you; the emotions that take over you cannot be helped.

Someday

One day. Maybe. I cannot help but to think of what will be in the future. Many things are left unsaid in the present and you wonder if in the future you will get a chance to fix it and make it all better. As situations happen to you now, most of the time you do not have the strength to face them right away. Whether you care too much what people think, or you are just afraid of the outcome. I personally know I wish many things in my life were different. Do not get me wrong I love the life I live, I have a wonderful life, it’s just that certain aspects that I wish were there are missing. These missing aspects are on my mind constantly. I relive situations that have happened and cannot help but wonder if I did something differently, maybe things would be different today. I know you cannot think like that, but it is hard not too. People say you should not look back with regret, but to look back and be happy it all happened to you. As much as I try to tell myself that everything is okay and I am okay I know I am not. People come in and out of your life all the time; it’s just so hard when they leave. You wonder if they even cared the way you do. They probably do not, which is even worse. Only time can tell. What’s meant to be will be. One day. Maybe.

Happiness

"Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that, which we think and feel and does,
first for the other fellow then for ourselves” -Helen Keller

Many of us spend a lifetime searching for happiness. We chase ideal dreams, religions and even
other people, in hope that our emptiness would soon go away. What’s ironic is that only place we ever needed to search was ourselves.

Happiness is as simple as driving on a pretty road or hearing our favorite song on the radio. It can be watching the sunset as the wind blows through our hair. Happiness is having a “girl’s night” with our favorite girls. Happiness can be the feeling we get after the first drop on a roller coaster, or even lying in bed listening to the rain fall.

Our happiness may mean absolutely nothing to others, but the world to ourselves. Our happiness may consist of hearing a bird sing on a bright summer day, while others don’t find joy in such a thing. We may absolutely love being held by someone we care about, while others just do not find comfort.

Maybe we’ll always remember that “first kiss,” while other people just don’t seem to care. It’s not about opening hundreds of presents on Christmas day. It’s not about shopping with the money that grandma gives us every year. It’s about sitting around the table with the family. It’s about watching our family member’s faces as they open our gifts. It’s not about worrying about saying the wrong thing. It’s knowing you’ve done the right thing no matter what people think

Finding happiness is like finding ourselves. We don’t find happiness, we make happiness; we choose happiness. It’s a process of discovering our own inner person, who we want to be and paving the way to happiness by doing what brings us the most meaning in our lives.

My Bedroom

Comfort. What may one think when this word comes to mind? Security? Happiness? Some find comfort in other people, whereas others find comfort in a specific thing or place. It's funny, though, how the most insignificant things to other people could have such a positive impact on someone else. As I sit and think about where I am most secure, only my bedroom comes to mind.
My bedroom is a place where I can just relax and be comfortable. The smell of “Heavenly,” one of my favorite perfumes, is always in the air. I know I can always go there when I want privacy or when I feel like I have nowhere to go. I can just shut the door, maybe even lock it, and keep to myself for a while. When I am tired or feeling sick, my twin bed and huge feather blanket never fail to make me better.

My bedroom is a place where I can use any emotion. Never does anything argue with me and never does anything make me feel degraded. There is an essence in the air that always seems to agree with, and comfort me. Whether I’m happy, sad, and angry or overwhelmed, all I have to do is look around; look around at my pictures. My pictures with my best friends and stupid moments. My pictures of my grandfather who I admired very much before he passed away. Sometimes I’ll even blast my music or write down anything that comes to mind.

My bedroom is a place that carries more memories that any one can imagine. It holds many of my personal belongings which make me feel superior to the world. My dresser is full of things like jewelry, pens, hair ties and books. These are all things that represent who I am exactly. In my bedroom, I can just be myself.

We're Making Memories

A memoir is a piece of autobiographical writing, usually shorter than a complete autobiography. The memoir, especially as it is being used in publishing today, often tries to capture certain highlights or meaningful moments in one's past, often including a thought of the meaning of that event at the time of the writing of the memoir. The memoir may be more emotional and concerned with capturing particular scenes, or a series of events, rather than documenting every fact of a person's life. It is more personal than a typical autobiography.
A memory can be anything you remember from a past experience. It is the ability to retain and retrieve information. The definition of memory in my own words is recalling a certain fact, place, smell, scent, or story from the past that obviously has a meaning to you if you recall it. Memory can deal with school work, for example to remember facts for certain classes or tests, or it can refer to more personal matters such as remembering what song was playing when you realized you loved someone.

Friends, Love, Family

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."- Anais Nin

Friends. Friends are the closest people to your heart besides your family. Sometimes your friends are your family and sometimes you love your friends so much, you consider them your family. Along with a new college life, comes along new friends. It is not that we forget or get rid of our old friends, but that we grow and make additional friends. I have met some amazing people this past week that I never would have thought I would become so close with. I have shared secrets and life stories with this group of girls that not even some of my closest friends know about me. I opened myself up to these girls and trust them with everything, and they have done the same. They have told me there deepest and most personal stories and the fact that they trust me means everything to me. I love them with all my heart and I would do anything for them. We have gone through so much together already and it is just the beginning, but it is the beginning of something great. Not only have I gained new friends, I have gained sisters, sisters for life. We share a bond that no one will understand. They have change my life and it has only been a week. I cannot wait to see what the future brings.

Hectic

In one of my previous blogs I had described the transition between high school and college. I mentioned how life has drastically changed and how I loved every minute of it. This week I experienced the meaning of hectic. My life was one big rush this week, between work, classes, papers, studying, school activities I just did not have any time to myself. This was the first true time where I had to master the art of multi -tasking. The meaning of rush had expanded beyond my horizon. I did not even know what to do first. I was so bombarded with everything, which once again, brought me to a panic. I took a second to breath then mapped out my days. It was also this week that my student planner came to be a huge help in my life.
Once all activities had been planned out I just took it step by step. First came school work. Classes, papers, and studying came in full force this week, seeing how mid terms are coming up. Next came my school activities such as volunteering at events for student government and Greek life events. Lastly came my job. I realize I have responsibilities at my job, but college is now my top priority, because I will not be working at a bakery my whole life and unfortunately my boss does not understand that. I have been so nervous to take off days at work for school events and that just is not normal. My boss has to realize I attend college now and I have more responsibilities than serving cake. I love my job, I have been working there for three and a half years, but it seems like it may be coming to an end because my boss is just not cooperative. He does not see my side or where I am coming from and that is very frustrating for me.
Hectic would be the perfect adjective to describe this past week. If I survived this week, I can survive any week after this. I am strong and independent and I am learning this more and more as days go by.

Just Think

While studying for my psychology exam last night, I got to thinking, how important is studying? While trying to cram all of this information for my exam, I became overwhelmed. I never realized how much reading and studying was required for this coarse. As I previously mentioned, psychology is my major. I always had an interest in psychology, mainly forensic psychology. I always just knew I wanted to study that field in college. Yet, I never realized, until last night, that psychology involved so much biology. Learning all of the parts of the brain, ear, and eyes, is all a part of psychology. It makes sense that you would need to know those things because it is all a part of how a person functions. Then I got to thinking, my career is going to begin in just four short years. I know college just began for me, but the future is closer than you think. Studying for these exams, and passing these exams are going to shape my future. So then I started to panic. After a while, I calmed down, and just realized that all I have to do is study and do my best. Yes, this exam means a lot, but it is just one test, there will be others. This does not mean to not take it seriously, but to just do your best. You should not make yourself sick over a test.

Do not get me wrong, studying is very important for your present and future career. Reading and studying is going to play a huge role in the next four years of my life and everyone Else's', but it should not control your life. There should be time to have fun, enjoy life, and carry out a social life. College is about multi-tasking. Make room for fun, but then quiet time for your studies.

Transition

New classes. New friends. New schedule. New clubs. New organizations. New buildings. New people. New professors. New scenery. New environment. New life. College.

Transitioning into college is a process that took a few weeks. The first day of college was a little frightening because I was used to my old ways, seeing familiar faces and knowing my way around. Now, in college, everything is different and I'm new at it all. I went from being the oldest in the school to being a nobody on a new campus. Change is always good, it just takes some adjusting to. When I got to my first class i was petrified because I was not familiar with the building and I just hoped that I was in the right place. Once I got to my first class, I saw some people I had met at orientation and I felt a lot better because I was not alone anymore. As my day went on I started seeing more and more people I knew and things were looking on the bright side. Most of my friends had gone away to college and others stayed home, but just went to a different college. I missed not being with them in all of my high school classes, but it was time for a change. Do not get me wrong, I miss senior year, it was one of the best years of my life, but it is now time to move on to bigger and better things.
School has been in session for about a month now and I feel like I have been here forever. I met so many people and made so many new friendships. I also gained the position of Student Government Secretary for St. John's College. I am already making a difference in my college. I am also in the process of joining a sorority. Through the sorority I have made many new close relationships. Besides the social aspects of college, I am focusing on my studies. I am a psychology major and loving it so far. This field is quite challenging, but it interests me, so I am enjoying what i study.
As you can see, I am trying to make the best out of my college career, and just think, it is only the beginning!

Why I Write

It is midnight and I am reliving my day. I am thinking of all the possibilities in a day. I sit down, pen in hand and let go. I am comfortable, I am myself.
I write to relax. I write to escape. I write to reveal my true feelings. I write because I love. I write to feel at home. I write to be open. I write to receive peace. I write to learn. I write to grow. I write to help. I write to be emotional. I write to keep me calm. I write to get out my hatred. I write to educate. I write because maybe then my dreams will come true. I write because if it’s on paper then it has a possibility of becoming reality. I write to learn what is worthy in education. I write to hear lyrics. I write to forgive. I write to express. I write because people will better understand me. I write to be happy. I write because there are some things that just cannot be said. I write out anger and turn it into beauty. I write because I am hurt and scared and I do not know what else to do. I write to point out my flaws. I write to show off my talent. I write as if my pen is dancing on the paper. I write to make mistakes. I write to correct mistakes. I write knowing the consequences of my words. I write to smile and make others smile. I write because maybe one day my words will be heard and all my dreams can come true. I write to be random. I write just because.

Never Forgotten

It is six years ago today that our lives changed forever. I remember it like it was yesterday, and I'm sure so does everyone else. I remember every detail. I was in seventh grade at the time and I was in gym class. Every few minutes students names were being called on the loud speaker and they were to go down to the office. I was one of the last names to be called and by that time the classes were empty. We all sat there wondering what had happened because no one informed us of the occurrences. Finally I was called and met my grandfather in the lobby and he told me what had happened. I immediately broke into tears because my father is a New York City Fire Department Captain. My mother was at work at the time and I called her to make sure my father was okay. She told me that my father and my Uncle Micheal, his brother, who was also a firefighter, were going to the city to help out. At this time not both of the towers had fallen. My father said he had to go his "brothers" were all down there and he had to help. I did not get a chance to say goodbye and we had no means of contact with him so I was very upset. My mother and I sat the whole day and night just watching the news and the updates of the tragedy. We had no idea where my father or uncle were. As we watched, buildings continued to fall in and around where the towers were. We just watched the news and prayed to God that my dad and uncle were okay. My dad did not come home for another two days. We finally got in contact with him the next morning. He and his brother were okay, they had slept at a nearby firehouse. When my dad called he also told us that he would not be home for a few days because he was involved in the search for victims. Every day for two months my dad was down there involved in search efforts. Stories about what he had to witness have scared me and definitely him. My father has not been the same since that day. While searching he said he would just find random body parts and pieces of clothing, but never a survivor. He lost many of his friends that day and had to attend many funerals. I am one of the lucky ones, as selfish as it sounds. I do not know what I would do if I lost my father that day.



Everyone's life changed that day, regardless of they lost a loved one, a friend, or no one. The country as a whole suffered and suffers still today. Today we relive that pain. We remember everyone, and all we can do is pray for them. They all are heroes in our eyes. They are and we always be greatly missed and never forgotten.