City lights, as bright as daylight, flashes outside the taxi windows. I was only six years old at the time, but I can remember the moment down to the last detail. The date is August 31st, 2001, and I have just arrived in the United States, my new home. My nervousness about starting a new life in America was my main worry during the majority of the taxi ride. However, as I slowly move through the city traffic, my eyes focus on two titanic structures. My mother informs me that those towers are the Word Trade towers and are the tallest towers in New York City and possibly in America. Within moments, I fill with excitement and am eager to visit these colossal towers. My mother, now filled with delight from my joy, promises me a future visit in a few weeks.

After only a few days, school begins and I start my first year in an American school. However, I quickly realize a major problem; I do not know how to read, write, or speak English. Fortunately, my young mind is welcoming of a new language as I begin to speak English in no time. While I am determined in learning my new language and motivated to adapt to my new home, I continue to think about my upcoming visit to the World Trade Center towers. I began to make a few friends, despite my troubles with English, and felt extremely confident with my new life in the United States.

My optimism however, quickly came to an end. As we all know, on September 11th, about two weeks after my arrival in America, the World Trade Center was attacked and destroyed by a terrorist attack. Although many of my friends and classmates were not directly affected by the attack, I was. Once I realized that the burning towers on TV were the same elegant and gigantic towers I saw during my first day in America, I began to break. My hopes of visiting the towers were instantly diminished, along with my motivation to settle in to my new country.

I was devastated and realized that the world is a dangerous place, full of evil and destruction. I learned, however, that disasters are part of life and should not hold me back from continuing my life. I also learned that dreams and hopes can be shattered in an instant and should be attempted before they disappear. With these lessons, I have recovered from the deaths of many family members and pursued many of my goals and dreams before time runs out. These lessons carry with me to this day and will stay with me for the rest of my life.