I know this has been plastered all over the news and such, but this is the first event that has actually affected me so badly. While it may not sound very "patriotic", 9-11 didn't phase me despite being a military brat. I guess because it kind of never truly hit home. But this, I'm kind of shaken and I don't know why.
While I may not be one for praying, the victims will always be in my thoughts and in my heart.
On a side note, I wish to post something a teacher of mine said in reference to the event, because it truly made me reflect:
"At some point in your life, you are going to feel rejection. It may not be now, but some time in the future...10, 20, 30 or so years from now, someone is going to say that they don't like you or you may not get that job you want. But for you to pull a gun out on innocent bystanders is only disrupting and ruining their lives - not solving yours. We all go through hardships, but enduring and coming out stronger is what helps us survive. Because one day, you're going to find someone who likes you a thousand times more that that other guy or girl, and you're going to be happy that you waited to find them."
Today during my yearbook class, we were visited by three students from VA Tech, two which were graduates from my own school.
The first was from another school, he lived one floor above the shooter and said he didn't know what was going on until about 10am (same with the girl who lived on the floor below him).
The second was heading towards his classroom, but when he saw the cops yelling for people to get down, he ran in the opposite direction to a friend's house and turned a tv on.
The third is the one that shook me so badly. He was in one of the classrooms that the shooter sprayed in. The following is a list of questions we asked and his answer:
Quote:
What did you do and how did you decide to do it?
"After he left, I was lying on the ground thinking to myself...I may not live through this, but at the least I've got to help the others. So me and another guy went to the door after he left, shut it and pushed against it. He tried to get in again, but when he couldn't, he left."
Where there any other survivors?
"Yeah. My good friend there, who was shot in the arm, helped me hold the door. Then there was another girl who wasn't injured and she went around trying to help the others. In all, there were about...13 kids in the class. I know that 7 are okay or injured."
Did you know the guy before this?
All of them: *Pause and after a moment either shake their head or say "no"*
Third: Maybe in passing, but the thing is, while there you may know about 100 other kids, but really, there's about 26,000 students there with you. We may have seen him in passing, but...not as anything more.
What were his expressions, like, what was he like?
"There's nothing to describe it. He wasn't sad, or regretful, or even angry. He wasn't laughing like a madman or anything. He just...he just stood there and started shooting. That...he doens't even deserve to be called a man or a person, or even a human being. He was more like a monster or an animal. There's no justification behind it." (This is what got most of our class teared up.)
What are you going to do about finals?
"Well, we're supposed to go back to class on Monday, but, I think most of the teachers are going to cancel class. As for the finals, I think what it is now is that they'll take your grade as is and for those who want to take a final and try to raise it, they'll allow that."
"After he left, I was lying on the ground thinking to myself...I may not live through this, but at the least I've got to help the others. So me and another guy went to the door after he left, shut it and pushed against it. He tried to get in again, but when he couldn't, he left."
Where there any other survivors?
"Yeah. My good friend there, who was shot in the arm, helped me hold the door. Then there was another girl who wasn't injured and she went around trying to help the others. In all, there were about...13 kids in the class. I know that 7 are okay or injured."
Did you know the guy before this?
All of them: *Pause and after a moment either shake their head or say "no"*
Third: Maybe in passing, but the thing is, while there you may know about 100 other kids, but really, there's about 26,000 students there with you. We may have seen him in passing, but...not as anything more.
What were his expressions, like, what was he like?
"There's nothing to describe it. He wasn't sad, or regretful, or even angry. He wasn't laughing like a madman or anything. He just...he just stood there and started shooting. That...he doens't even deserve to be called a man or a person, or even a human being. He was more like a monster or an animal. There's no justification behind it." (This is what got most of our class teared up.)
What are you going to do about finals?
"Well, we're supposed to go back to class on Monday, but, I think most of the teachers are going to cancel class. As for the finals, I think what it is now is that they'll take your grade as is and for those who want to take a final and try to raise it, they'll allow that."
By the end, most of the girls were teary eyed (myself included) and we were all trying to suck it up and laugh it off. One of the guys was in tears, so some of us exchanged hugs and such before leaving. Though the whole experience...it left me in a shaky mood to the extent that I immediately ran to one of my friends for a hug.
For our boy's soccer game Friday, our school is to dress in orange (our school color) while our opponent is to dress in maroon (their school color).
I've also heard NASCAR will be having drivers have a VA Tech flag out their car window and I've seen a few baseball players wearing hats.
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