So, over 30 students have died today on the Virginia Tech campus b/c someone shot all of them. There are also over 20 people who have been injured.
Early this morning, after being up all night with the most excrutiating pain I've ever had and a horribly swollen and infected cyst, I assumed that if I blogged today then I'd blog about my ordeal from last night.
Instead, I was driving from the Schiffert Health Center, just past a group of police cars at about 9:40 this morning as today's horrible events were unfolding.
After taking a 2-hour nap, I awoke and drove my car to a gas station, receiving a call from a friend in Richmond. There I was, holding the phone and trying to put gas in my car, as my friend told me that several students had been shot dead. I stood there, fumbling with the gas pump, repeating, "What? What!"
Afterward, I drove to the car dealership for an appointment. As I tried to talk about strange sounds coming from my car, I had to stop and take a breath. I asked the women there if she knew about what was happening on campus. She said she did. I responded that I was disturbed about all this. We talked for a while, and I explained that I felt weird trying to talk about my car after having just learned of this awful news.
At the dealership, I stood in the waiting area, calling friends and family. My mom actually called me first - crying, but happy when I answered the phone and told her that I was okay.
As the day wore on, larger numbers of fatalities and injured people were reported. Now, I realize that what happened today will be a historical event. I'm troubled that Virginia Tech has to be dragged through such mud. I knew I wanted to study Human Factors Engineering & Ergonomics at Virginia Tech when I was 19 years old. I made that decision almost ten years ago.
I'm not sure why such great things, such as the Twin Towers and Virginia Tech have to be tarnished by pointless violence. I also lived in New York City on September 11, 2001. What I felt then is similar to what I feel now. I feel grief; I feel personally insulted; I feel shocked; I feel confused and detached.
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As an aside, my friend, sorority sister and fellow engineering major, Maxine Turner, has gone missing. Please pray for her.