Pulling into South Station on an Amtrak train is an indescribable experience; each time I look out the window at the Boston skyline, a wave of comfort and love washes over me. I live north of the city, but Boston is as much of a home to me as my small suburban town. My best memories were made there: skipping school in 2004 to go to the Red Sox World Series parade with my dad, my first First Night with my best friends from high school, my Nonno’s sheer joy when the Bruins won the Stanley Cup, showing new friends around an amazing city they had never seen before… and, always, hearing “wicked” in every other sentence. When I say I’m from Boston, I don’t mean literally. Being from Boston means being from a community of people who share as much pride and love for their city as you, and who will go to the ends of the earth defending it.
Which is why my heart sank when I called my dad yesterday, and the first words he spoke were, “Did you hear about the bombs in Boston?”
Those were words that assaulted me the rest of the afternoon, each time unleashing a new wave of terror. Two bombs, over one hundred injured, pools of blood, nine in critical condition, amputations, three dead, an eight-year old child… the more I read, the more numb I felt. I have friends in Boston, at Northeastern, Simmons, Boston University, and many others who went in for the day to cheer on their friends and family members at the Boston Marathon. I tried to get in touch with them, find out where they were and pray they were safe. My heart hammered as I was glued to my phone, trying to reach loved ones as I watched those on the news trying to do the same.
As I walked around campus, I heard my fears echoed in the conversations of others. A majority of students and faculty on this campus have ties to Boston, be it their home city or that of their friends and family. I wasn’t alone in my terror, which meant I wasn’t alone in my anger. We all want justice for such an evil crime, and we will all support each other throughout this tragedy. Boston is a strong community, and that community is present here.
As the details of the attack will undoubtedly unfold, I know I am not the only one on this campus and across the country who will be following along with a heavy heart. I am a Bostonian, every student here is a Bostonian, and every citizen of the United States is a Bostonian. We are united by tragedy, but also by the love we share for those in the city yesterday. That love is what will prove stronger than the hatred that manifested itself on Boylston Street; love is what caused those first responders to react so quickly, those Iraq veterans to carry the injured to safety, those runners who kept on running to Mass General to donate blood, and those bystanders to open their doors to anyone from the Marathon who may have needed a hot shower or warm bed. In the words of President Obama, “Boston is a tough and resilient town, so are its people.” Truer words have never been spoken.
Photos Courtesy of the Huffington Post