Monday started as a normal day for me. I had to work at 10 am at my desk job monitoring a resident hall on campus. I was disappointed that I would not be able to go cheer on the marathon runners as I had done last year, but I figured there would be many marathons to come. Little did I know not being able to attend the marathon was a blessing in disguise. I sat at the desk doing my math homework when one of my friends came running into the building. He had gone down the street to get food when he saw police getting into peoples cars and racing downtown. We were unsure of exactly what was going on. Then another girl came in and was on the phone crying, saying there were bombs set off. We immediately turned on the TV and watched as the cheers for the marathon turned into the screams of thousands of people. The city went into rescue mode and everything changed. I sat at the desk as students came in; some were crying, others were scared, and most were unsure of how to react. Everyone was trying to make calls and the the lines were often busy because of the overload. Everyone sought to make sure people they knew were okay. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before.
As the day continued on, we watched the news and continued to hear the unraveling of the events. The initial report I remember was two dead, 22 injured. That grew to over 150 injured and three dead in the following hours. As I sat at dinner with my friends that night, we all became a little more grateful and contemplated who could do such a cruel thing. Living in the city and right down the street from three major hospitals, sirens were seemingly normal to me. But after the events at the marathon, they began to be all I could hear. That night a group of over 200 students at my school gathered on our quad to hold a vigil for the victims. It was one of the most moving things I have ever been a part of. To see our community come together during a time of such tragedy was a truly amazing thing.
The days that followed were difficult and surreal. From mourning, to confusion, to the visit from the President and First Lady, we felt every emotion. Our school and city tried to return back to normal, but the uneasy feeling that whoever did it was still out there was difficult to comprehend. As the days passed, it all began to sink in a little more and became more and more disgusting. The fact that someone would want to ruin such a joyful day in our city was heartbreaking.
On Thursday night, photos of the suspects surfaced on the internet and were all over my Facebook news feed. I only hoped someone could identify them soon and help the city to rest at ease. I was not feeling well that night and went to bed extremely early at 10. The next morning I woke up at 6:30 am to an alert from my school saying that classes had been cancelled. I then looked at my phone to see text messages and e mails, then flipped on the news to discover everything that had happened while I had been sleeping. The suspects were on the loose and had killed an MIT police officer and had a shootout with the police. The first suspect was dead by the time that I tuned in. I have never had to process so much information within an hour of waking up. My school was on lock down all that day, and everyone began to have cabin fever. We were afraid and antsy. We were unable to enjoy a beautiful day because the police had to chase down someone who had already ruined a beautiful day for us earlier that week. I took a break from watching the news all day to sit out on the quad with friends and remember to enjoy the simple things in life, because you never know what will happen.
Later that night, a friend and I returned to my room to hang out. We then invited our other friend over to watch a movie with us. Before she arrived, she texted me asking if I was watching the news. I turned it on quickly and found out they had apparently located the suspect and were attempting to get him out. As we watched in suspense for almost two hours, we could not help but erupt in joy when they confirmed that they indeed had captured suspect number two. I could hear other cheers down the hall from me and you could feel a sense of relief set in. My friends and I didn't know what to do with ourselves other than to run outside after being stuck indoors all day. The next thing we knew we were cheering in the streets for the police officers as they drove by. It eventually turned into a party in the streets when we turned a four lane road into a one lane parade. It was an amazing and unforgettable night when Boston and the entire country celebrated a victory.
The next day the celebration continued. I was fortunate enough to have a ticket to the Red Sox game on Saturday. When I bought the ticket for $10 from my school, I had no idea that the value of the game would far exceed that. While it took us a while to get in due to high security, we were able to get in just in time to see the amazing tribute to everyone who had helped and become heroes in the days prior. An amazing game was played, Neil Diamond himself came to sang Sweet Caroline, Big Papi was back, and the Sox won the game. This game was unforgettable for me and the city and was one of the happiest days of my life. After, I went to Newbury Street and the top of Boylston to see the memorial to the victims. Boyslton Street was still entirely blocked off and there were police and investigators everywhere. It was eerie to see Copley so empty and it served as the reality of the mystery that still needs to continue to be solved and the colossal damage caused to the city. As I saw the messages of hope and remembrance, I could not help but feel a sense of pride for my city and nation and how even though a tragedy occurred, it brought out more hope in humanity than ever before.
I cannot help but be so thankful to the BPD, first responders, EMT, SWAT team, FBI, the President, Mayor Menino, Gov. Deval Patrick, everyday citizens who ran to help, and everyone else who helped to restore peace to our city. This past week has been an emotional roller coaster and has made me realize how lucky we are to rarely have events like this happen in our country. I am grateful to our law enforcement and to the love and compassion seen in the country this past week. This week has taught me that my problems are always small and insignificant compared to the greater humanity of the world. I have learned to be tougher and stronger this week. I stand with my city and my country, and we stand together, Boston Strong.
