At 6:30am EST, I woke up and performed my morning ritual – usual act of stretching and going through my morning email. This morning, I found an unusual email from a friend in London – Loren Gerlach – telling his list of friends that “I am all right”. That was the first news I got to learn of the bombing in London.
To explain how this affected me – I moved to London in July 2000 and took a Contiki tour around Europe for 19 days. While this is a rite of passage for many college students, it was particularly new to me – since I had just finished with graduate school. The Contiki office is located underneath the Royal National Hotel – right off of Russell Square.
While this might be a bit of a shock, I spent the next three years living within five minutes walking distance of Russell Square – and often would ride on the Piccadilly Line – in the first car as I would arrive to Russell Square (the exit from the platform is reached fastest if you are in the first car).
To make matters more poignant, if not for a new contract I have been working on for a client here in New York, I would have been in London this past week – more than likely traveling on the Piccadilly line.
Why is this such an impact? My friends are there – a large number of them, who I care a great deal about – all live very close to three of the bombed sites. Even the 30 Bus that blew up in Tavistock Square, I have a very close friend that has often taken that bus to go to work every morning.
Ten years ago, almost to the day, in Tel Aviv, the Dan buses were being blown up on a regular basis – when I was working in Israel, I remember being in country when the 400 bus (from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem) was blown up. The entire country was in mourning – everyone felt as if a friend had been hurt – everyone knew someone who knew someone on the bus. I have such pain in my heart – thinking of the many people who have been traumatized by this act.
I spent my entire day going from meeting, to email, to phone – every space moment, trying to reach friends and people I care about. It was heartwrenching – and to be so far away and not to help – so much like what happened here in 2001. My heart goes out to London – and my adopted city. I weep for the injured and dead – and smile at the fortitude of the Britons. Quite an interesting people…
