I’ll be back tomorrow…until then I’ve posted some of Sabine’s wedding photos. Talk to you all soon! –Carey
As our far flung group of friends converge on Utah for Nate & Vonda’s wedding, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish them all the best in their new lives together. Congratulations to both of you….and Bianca too!! Beijos!
A few photos taken by Bine!
I received a very nice surprise in the mail Friday from my good friend Sabine, who I’ve written about extensively. This is what she sent me:
525,600 minutes, how do you measure the life of a woman or a man? How about love?
That song, from Rent, is the theme song of the group of friends that I’ve been spending New Year’s Eve with since 1997 on continents all over the world. We’re a tight knit group of friends and we all get along wonderfully, whether it’s on the beach in Brazil:
or sipping hot chocolate with a Sabine’s Grandma in Bavaria after playing eisschiessen an a frozen lake:
or partying ’till dawn in a cold crowded flat in Seville, Spain:
The point is, we are friends till the end. 525,600 minutes, how do you measure a year in the lives of friends? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes, how do you measure a year in the life? How about LOVE.
I had such a productive morning on Friday. By 8:00 AM I had met Seth, Jessica & Hannah at Urth Cafe, had taken my car in for it’s 40,000 mile service and had gone to the grocery store. (Update: Bad news. Honda just called and said I need new brakes, new tires, and a new battery. There goes $750.)
New update: I picked up my car from Honda this afternoon. Luckily I told them not to fix the tires, and that I would take them to the last place I had them changed. Thank goodness I did that, because I had forgotten that this place warranties its’ tires. It’s called Just Tires, and if you live in Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, Raleigh Durham, Philadelphia or Washington, I highly recommend this chain. They are so honest. I didn’t even remember I had the “protection plan”, and they replaced my tires for $15 each!! The employees are very service oriented and polite. What a nice change of pace.
Talk about a “desktop” computer!!! WOW
Only in Hollywood:
Does your husband feel unappreciated? Does your wife need a little sumpin’ sumpin’ extra? Are you in the doghouse? Roll out the red carpet, bitches!
That’s right, you can greet your loved one with the cheery nylon pile usually reserved for the likes of A-listers, their entourages, and Star Jones. This 24″x15′ roll-out can be yours on eBay! Velvet ropes and paparazzi not included!
How great would it be to greet your sweetie with the red carpet treatment … down the hallway to your depressing apartment?
I just realized why the tips of my fingers hurt…I was subconciously popping bubble wrap all day at my desk, LOL.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
This morning on the way to work I rear-ended a car at a stop light while not paying attention. The driver got out and he was a dwarf!
The Associated Press Thursday, April 26, 2007; 12:21 AM
BLACKSBURG, Va. — A senior at Virginia Tech said moral responsibility led her to add a stone for gunman Seung-Hui Cho to a memorial for his 32 shooting victims that was set up at Virginia Tech late last week. The stone was later removed, but was restored by Wednesday morning. Read More…
Letter to the Editor of the Collegiate Times, Blacksburg Virginia, by Curt Phillips, Abingdon, VA
This letter is regarding the letter “33rd stone,” (CT, April 25). I happened to visit Newman Library on Wednesday to do some research, and while on campus, I couldn’t resist walking around the Drillfield and other areas just to see for myself how the students and the school were doing these nine days after April 16. I wanted to see your faces and hear your voices for myself and to replace last weeks media supplied images of Virginia Tech with my own impressions. Frankly, I thought I would see a lot of anger, but I saw none of that. I saw grief certainly, and a great…Read More
Three unidentified people look at a memorial stone adorned with flowers and other mementos for Seung-Hui Cho on the Virginia Tech campus, Sunday, April 22, 2007, in Blacksburg, Va. Thirty-three stones have been set up in a semi-circle on the edge of the Virginia Tech Drillfield made of locally quarried rust-grey “Hokie” limestone. There is one for each of Seung-Hui Cho’s victims and there is one for Cho. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Happy Anniversary George
1 in 40 Iraqi citizens have been murdered since you invaded their country. You lied to Congress and the American people about WMD and let your stooges like George Tenet lie to your cabinet. You are a war criminal and should be tried as such.
On the 4th anniversary of George W. Bush declaring that Operation Iraqi Freedom was “accomplished”, more than 655,000 Iraqis have been killed, and more Americans have perished than the number that died on 9/11.
As of January 12, 2007, for Americans there are 500 major amputees due to the Iraq War. Toes and fingers aren’t counted.[4]
As of September 30, 2006, 725 American troops have had limbs amputated from wounds received in Iraq and Afghanistan.[5]
A 2006 study by Walter Reed Medical Center, which serves more critically injured soldiers than most VA hospitals, concluded that 62 percent of patients there had suffered a brain injury.[6]
U.S. military: number unknown. The Pentagon reports that more than 1 in 4 returning U.S. soldiers have health problems that require medical or mental health treatment.[7]
When it rains it pours The day after we went to the Idol Gives Back concert at the Disney Concert Hall last week, I get the following email. Unfortunately we couldn’t go this week due to prior commitments. Guess I’ll hold out for the finale
From: Tickets [mailto:tickets@ocatv.com] Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2007 5:29 PM To: tickets@ocatv.com Subject: American Idol
IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ ALL INFORMATION CAREFULLY!
YOU MAY ONLY REQUEST CHECK-IN VOUCHERS TO ONE SHOW! REQUESTING FOR MORE THAN ONE SHOW WILL RESULT IN THE CANCELLATION OF ALL VOUCHERS.
This check-in voucher has no monetary value to its holder and may not be sold or exchanged under penalty of law; any such attempted or actual sale or transfer of the check-in voucher invalidates it and is grounds for seizure of the voucher.
IF YOU HAVE ALREADY ATTENDED A TAPING OF AMERICAN IDOL THIS SEASON, YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO RETURN AGAIN THIS SEASON.
Due to your place on the waiting list, we are notifying you of seat availability to three tapings of American Idol next Tuesday, May 1st and Wednesday, May 2nd!!
On Tuesday we have two tapings; the first is a full dress rehearsal which is a taping of the entire show including all performances and Ryan Seacrest. The only thing you don’t see in the rehearsal is the judge’s comments. The second taping on Tuesday is the LIVE performance show. On Wednesday we are taping the LIVE results show featuring a special performance by Jon Bon Jovi!
Please click only one of the links below to request vouchers. And remember, they are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Thank you and enjoy the show!!
PLEASE NOTE:All tickets are free. Due to the immense popularity of the show, there is a system in place to ensure that as many fans as possible get a fair chance to see the show. Therefore you will only have this one opportunity and then you will be removed from the waitlist. We are unable to make special accommodations. Therefore, if you click on the following link and the shows are already full or if you are receiving this email and are unable to attend this date, we suggest you rejoin the wait list any time after Tuesday,May 1st so that we may contact you again as soon as possible.
From: Bine Date: Apr 23, 2007 4:51 PM Subject: Monday To: Carey, Eva, Carolina
I arrived safely here in Blacksburg. After dropping my backpack off I went to see Lindsay and we talked until 3 am, which was really good. So I was a bit better prepared for campus today. my bike ride into school was easier than I had thought, but it took me a while to enter my office building. And it is amazing, our floor is full with cards from school-kids throughout the country, some are even from Portland, Oregon! At 9:45 this morning we all went to the drill field for a moment of silence. Very powerful. The media was asked not to take pictures and to leave campus sooner than later and as far as I know, most of them have left. This makes it all a bit more normal. Yet there is still a lot of police around, even FBI is still investigating…which is actually hilarious as those guys really look like out of a movie…gee!
My advisor came to my office today, tears in his eyes, gave me a hug and told me that he was so happy, that it didn’t happen on Tuesday. We sat in my lab for quite some time and talked about all the good people we have lost and exchanged stories. After that I felt better about being back. And now I am actually glad, not only because Alan is arriving here soon, but because we actually had the chance to do something. One professor had sent out an e-mail today:
EWR Grad students, I’m trying to get volunteers to help two of our own survivors, Lee & Nathaniel. Lee & Maria just bought a house, but haven’t been able to move in yet because they wanted to paint the walls and get new carpet first. Nathaniel will then be able to move in with Lee & Maria. I think it would be great if we can pitch in and help. If you can spare an hour or more, please stop by their house at 1100 Golfview Drive later today. Painting will start around 3:30 or 4. Thanks!!! Of course a bunch of us went there and helped painting and this was such a great feeling. Lee (btw, this is not my room mate Lee) told some stories about last week, which were hard to bear but helped him to get it out.
True, we are far from a normal life here on campus. We still miss the ones we have lost, but it is actually helpful to be back. Also for the professors, they did an still do an amazing job trying to guide and help their students. Counselors were coming into every classroom today, to talk to the students. Professors stand in front of their classes, in tears, trying to give answers which they can’t but the interaction and the understanding of the students is a big help.
There is also a lot of talk about the funerals. And all the stories are so positive. Southern baptist, Jews, Hindu are going together to a Muslim funeral. The only religion that combines everybody at this very moment and this very place is love and grief.
I showed/forwarded Carey’s blog to a lot of people here and they really appreciated what you have done.
I again want to thank you guys for being such wonderful friends!
I love you so much and I appreciate our little family! I feel very lucky
love,
Bine
And now, because I want to put something on this website for the first time in a week that will make people smile instead of cry; I present to you my cousin’s new dog:
Drum roll please
Ah, the innocence of children and puppy dogs! Let the healing begin.
Eva and I just dropped Sabine off at the airport. Her visit here was filled with tears and sadness but also with peacefulness and hope. What happened at Virginia Tech last week will unfortunately follow her for the rest of her life, but she will eventually learn how it made her stronger and she will continue the legacy of the friends and classmates she lost. ”She will always carry on, some things are lost, some things are found. She will keep on speaking their names; some things change, some stay the same.” Tomorrow at 9:45 AM Eastern Time there will be a moment of silence on the campus of Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia. Bells will toll, balloons will be released and the long road to healing will begin.
As my friend Billy eloquently wrote:
“How inspired her life will become as she emerges from the mourning of this unchosen yet immensely defining moment with enormous strength of purpose. A strength so uncommon which seemingly strangely can only be wrought in such despair.”
But out of despair, comes hope.
Here is a full size slide show of my photos shown below, (for our friends who wish to order some) which were taken from Wednesday when Sabine arrived, until today, Sunday the 22nd of April, 2007. Sabine’s fiancee Alan is flying in to Virginia from Switzerland tomorrow. Perhaps another day I will tell the story of how “Bine” and I met 10 years ago in Marcelo’s idyllic backyard pool in Piricicaba, Brazil – and became lifelong friends, along with our diverse group of far flung friends who we have spent so many New Years Eve’s together in so many different countries the past 10 years. We all share a unique bond and have been through a lot with each other. There will surely be more struggles that we all face, but we are a family.
“525,600 minutes, how do you measure a year in the life of friends? How about love?
Measure your life in love. Seasons of love.”
Use the arrow controls to change speed of slideshow. To see captions,
single click one time only, then hover over each photo.
We Can Be Kind
“What can we do, thinking of what is now “Virginia Tech”?
We can be kind.
Behind the wheel, in the grocery line, at the game. We can attempt to recapture civility. Not a sea of misgiving and regret can wash away any of the campus horror that says, “for God’s sake, do something.” We cannot affect that past. What we can do lies in the next moment, the next week, our tomorrows. We can be all that was not in that morning. We can be kind.
I’ve had visitors to this site from 36 countries this week. Again, thank, you all for your comments, messages, kind words, and prayers. They have brought my friend Sabine comfort, as she struggles with the loss of so many friends. I know this page is a lot to digest, and I appreciate those of you have read every word and gained some insight into this horrific tragedy. Here is one more first hand account that is beautifully written and a fitting tribute that will stay with you forever.
Below you find the e-mail my very good friend has sent. It will be highly appreciated, if you put it in your blog. Love, Bine
Your support has been very helpful and will continue to be. I wanted to share some thoughts with you all in this manner as it is sometimes hard to talk right now, but I feel that some of the feelings I have are important to share. I don't want to disturb you anymore because I know that the news has been full, but I am starting off with an excerpt from today's Washington Post, because it gives an accurate account from room 206, the class of my friends that I had recently dropped.
"The first attack came in Room 206, advanced hydrology taught by Loganathan. There were 13 graduate students in the class, all from the civil engineering department. There was no warning, no foreboding sounds down the hallway. The gunman entered wordlessly and began shooting. Students scattered to get as far away from the door as possible. One bullet hit Partahi "Mora" Lumbantoruan, an Indonesian doctoral student. His body fell on top of fellow graduate student Guillermo Colman. Then the shooter aimed his two guns around the room, picking off people one by one before leaving. Colman, protected by his classmate's prone body, was one of only four in the room to survive. The professor and so many of his disciples, most of them international students, were dead. Along with Colman, the three who survived were Nathanial Krause, Lee Hixon and Chang-Min Park. Two other members of the class lived because they didn't make it in that morning."
This is hard. Sometimes I can talk about it and other times I can't. Our grief the first days has been shock and desperation, a trickle then a crashing 100 ft waterfall within minutes, fluctuating from hitting hard then disbelief. As we learned of those killed, more hope was pulled together for those who hadn't been heard from even though we knew no news was bad news. Norris Hall room 206 was hit hard, we lost 10 friends in that room and while there were 4 survivors, I'm not sure how they will survive. I just dropped that class and my friend Dave, who never skips, skipped Monday b/c he had a paper to write for another class. Initially, we thought that maybe had we been there maybe we could have helped but there were brave men in that room, strong men, men who would have done anything they could. When on Tuesday we had the last confirmations of the dead, including Julia who sat to my right, Dan who sat behind me, and Matt who sat in front of me, I know Dave and I would have been helpless, too and 12 would be dead.
The media is starting to focus on the killer and administrative errors. These should be investigated but please focus on those who survived, those who did not, and the friends and families of those affected. Because our department was hit so hard, we have had many memorials, small and large. Please pray especially for my friend Nathaniel who witnessed the whole thing and survived unscratched. Like the book The Giver, he has sickening knowledge that he shares with those of us in the class and family members who lost sons and a daughter to ease our pain and his own. Our class was the first to be hit and the last. Nathaniel lives with the images of all the fallen, the suffering that could have been prevented had the shooter not returned to the room to shoot anyone moving, and the knowledge that some may have been saved had medical attention come sooner. Unlike undergrad classes, no grad student sits in the back of the class. Everyone is in the first few rows attentively taking notes, which is why they were hit so quickly with no time to respond. I am relieved to know that the prof did not suffer at all but am sickened by his images of those did.
I want to share with you memories of my friends. Dan, Jeremy, Juan, Matt, Waleed, Brian, and I shared a large office together in 222 Patton Hall. We didn't have cubes or anything, just a communal room with desks pushed up against the walls. These good people were masters and PhD students studying water resources, working on projects like river restoration, flood control, and watershed planning.
Dan O'Neil- one of the youngest grad students in our department with dreams of Ireland and Boston. He was psyched about my moving to Boston and always gave me names of Boston friends, new places to eat, and I looked forward to him showing me around the city. He loved the Beatles and as every college guitar player does, confessed to playing the song "Breakfast at Tiffany's" over and over. He also was a huge Dave Sedaris fan and we often just sat on our office desks talking about Sedaris' wild stories.
Jeremy Herbstritt- an enthusiastic student who was able to make people smile by just talking- he somehow acquired a surfer accent despite growing up on a farm in Pennsylvania. He was a great runner and always tried to inspire me to run a marathon.
Jarrett Lane- a shy, intelligent undergrad taking the grad level course. Even before all this, many of us admired his desire to take such tough grad classes
Julia Pryde- an enthusiastic new grad student who was passionate about protecting and restoring the environment to help the poor. She traveled the world and was working on land erosion problems for villages in South America. Her close friends say she could travel the world with her small backpack because her spirit was all she needed and she knew it- this was clear to all.
Juan Ortiz-Ortiz- humble man from Puerto Rico with a good sense of humor. He was a newly wed and he and his wife (also a civil engineering student) would always warm up leftovers for lunch in our office- the good smells usually making us all start lunch earlier than we'd thought. They were a couple that made you feel good. When she saw me yesterday, she kept saying "I'm so happy you are alive" but I keep thinking how can she utter the words "happy"? She is a strong woman and is still working though the awful bureaucracy for her to see her husband's body.
Brian Bluhm- very caring guy in my office who constantly asked me about friends and family after Katrina and was ready to help if I asked. He was a sports fan and loved the Detroit Tigers. He just got a job in Baltimore and was excited about finding an apartment near his sister.
Waleed Shaalan- an academic perfectionist. I was a teaching assistant for him and he wouldn't rest until he fully understood why things were the way they were. He was from Egypt and left behind a wife and a 1-and-half-year-old son who he'd hoped to bring to the US next fall. He was one of the best ping pong players during our November office tournament. Last week, another friend was having a rough day and Waleed ran to his office and brought specially shipped cookies from Egypt to share. He always carried a well worn photo of his son in his wallet and loved it so much he had another friend in our office scan it so he could have more copies.
Dr. GV Loganathan- the best professor I have ever had. I also had him in undergrad when I was at VT for a year and was his teaching assistant for fluid mechanics. When I dropped the class, I expected the usual professor response (that being no response or simply "ok"). He wrote in the email "We will miss you"- I remember thinking, wow- this is a true teacher. Having taught for so long and teaching the foundation civil engineering courses, almost every civil engineer undergraduate from VT has been touched by him.
Partahi Mamora Halomoan Lumbantoruan- called "Mora". He was a quiet, humble man from Indonesia. His family sacrificed everything for his education. He received 2 masters and was inspired to be a teacher so was going for his PhD. Many times, I'd look over to his side of the class and think of how he looked like a brave warrior. In his death, he was as well. When he was shot, he fell on the body of my good friend Guillermo (Gil). By falling on Gil, when the killer came back, he heard Gil breathing but thought it was Mora so shot Mora more times. Miraculously, Gil survived and within 24 hours the bullet in his head was removed and he was at home with his wife and 10 month old son. Gil is adamant about people knowing how Mora saved not only his life but the lives of Gil's son, wife, and parents. Mora was a true warrior.
And finally, Matt Gwaltney. Everyone in this room was magnificent, respectful, and remarkably intelligent but Matt hurts the most. I know many good men in my life, but I have never so often had I thought "This is truly a good man". He went to undergrad here and stayed for his Masters. Knowing the department well, he always took time to guide my class schedules, give advice on how professors give exams, was notorious for caring about his students (he would go to student's dorms on Saturday evenings to help with homework, etc). He was the biggest Hokie fan I'd ever met and rehashed every play from the previous weekend. He and Juan had the idea of turning the big middle table into a ping pong table and setting up an elaborate bracket system tournament last November. I was the only girl in the office and the water resources guys being stereotypical engineers, I tended to humor them. A while ago I brought in acorns tops I'd picked up and put them on our windowsill. Matt teased me a lot about them but when our office was painted and we realized they'd tossed my odd collection in the trash- I was fine with this because they were just silly thing to keep- Matt immediately started digging the trash, found each one- smiling with each new discovery. I was so touched by his enthusiasm I kept them all. He had character I would hope all sons of the world would have.
As tragedies seem to do, the events on Monday reinforced lessons in life that we all know but tend to forget. We must get to know our neighbors at work, at home- the common thread of humanity binds us all and if we do not know our neighbors, we live in isolation and are not blessed by the many personalities and vignettes that make life full. Also, I hope that when I look back on days, I don't just think of the projects I worked on or deadlines, but focus on loved ones and moments throughout the day that made me smile. I think this is yet another reason to "live life to the fullest"- we cannot be frozen by fear. Many of the people in that class traveled the world, touching lives outside their comfort zone but enjoying every moment. They didn't die in the jungle, from contaminated water, or a street bomb but were killed in a class, learning about how water flows over land and benefits of streams. Death can happen at anytime- if they hadn't experienced humanity, the lack would have made it even harder. I am especially touched by Dr. Librescu, who died saving students decades after surviving the Holocaust.
It's difficult knowing so many killed at once. I always think back to the last conversation of friends and family members I've lost. Losing 10 in a few minutes makes the conversations so hard because there are of all the interactions flowing through my head. When I feel I've remembered one friend my mind drifts to the next. My head knows that my questions of why these good people died so violently will never be answered but my heart still searches for these answers. I know my heart will come to my thoughts but it seems like an impossible meeting right now. I hope that all of us have the courage to go to counseling.
During our department's ceremony for room 206, we had 10 white candles lit for the fallen and 6 candles lit for the #206 survivors (Lee, Chang Min, Gil, Nathaniel, Dave, and myself). A few people at one of the memorials hadn't heard I wasn't in class and their celebrating my life was very emotional as I had no idea they even thought about me. Many times I wake up and think about what I have to do that day- writing a thesis, finishing homework, paying bills, etc and sometimes have the sense that today will probably not mean much in the broad scheme of things. But seeing my green candle lit, I now know I have a purpose. I don't know why we were spared but we carry the hopes and dreams of our slain friends- to live some of their dreams is all of our purpose.
I know this is going to be the hardest time in my life but I hope that one day my other friends and I can truly sing a song from my childhood. I have looked to this song in other times of need and especially with the water connection of my friends, I especially like it now "Peace is flowing like a river. Flowing out through you and me. Spreading out into the desert. Setting all the captives free."
The thoughts and prayers from you all are much appreciated. While I feel helpless, I know I am not alone and have support across the world. All of us at Tech have felt the global unity and we are moved by it.
Please remember my friends and the other fallen, thank you.
April 19, 2007
Sabine’s been here for 24 hours now. We’ve laughed and cried. Hopefully the “Hotel Careyfornia” has provided as peaceful a respite as possible after such horror. Sorry I haven’t been able to post, but I will fill you all in soon. Thanks…
Thanks to Tyson too…because of him, my blog had 300% more traffic than this time last week. That boy has a lot of fans, who came to my blog in droves to hear a first hand account from someone whose life will be forever changed by this nightmare. Let’s focus more on the victims, their friends and families and the survivors. Stop with the pictures and video manifesto of some poor tortured soul. And finally, thanks to Reid Collins.
And from sweet Marcelo:
Lovely Bine! I am glad you were able to enjoy the colorful walls of another of your Diversi homes :) I confess I don’t have wisdom to share with you about death and its timing. I am quite a brute in such matters. To me, fairness is a lovely social construct, a fantastic ideal for us to chase to the end of times, but far from being part of the natural order of life. And I have definite proof of this hypothesis: If life operated based on fairness laws, you, Bine Bine, wouldn’t have a single day of sadness in your whole life; you wouldn’t experience a single chill from being cold; your feet and hands would only sweat outside of shoes and gloves; your boyfriend would be a shiny chubby dolphin; the shampoos you sent Jorge Diversi would actually be used instead of worshiped; and you would never have to love across theAtlantic ocean again.
Because you are kindness in human form. Because you impersonate, in my mind, the notion of thoughtfulness. If life were fair, you would not lose a single pair of sunglasses your whole life. For whatever it’s worth to you, I think the timing of Cho’s decision to act is based on HIS singular experience of the world. As we, humans, are very connected via intersections of our singular experiences of the world, dramatic spillovers of one’s singulare xperience of the world onto these intersections of human connections inevitably drag innocent lives down. This happens from the molecular level to the most macro of human social levels, as you, a biologist,well know.
In my humble opinion, you got lucky it was Monday and not Tuesday. We, who know and admire you, got lucky. I do not minimize the uncontrollable stream of thought you mention about all the “ifs” your mind can come up with. I feel sad for the unlucky ones. I feel sad for the unlucky ones’ friends and families. I confess I even feel sad for Cho, and more so for his family! I can hardly breathe with the thought of carrying such guilt and shame when I think about his parents. I believe that you, unlike Cho’s parents, had nothing to do with Cho’s experience of the world until your lives randomly intersected on April 16th, 2007. It reminds me of the great historical hero and existential philosopher, Frodo Baggins, who was thrown into a hellish adventure without asking for one. All he wanted was to drink beer and eat two breakfasts every day in the Shire. I have no doubt you will carry the ring with the same humble courage. Tight loving hugs, marcelo
What follows is a first hand account of this weeks tragedy by my friend Sabine, who thankfully lived through it. Please take the time to read this. It’s terribly sad, but also hopeful. I appreciate your condolences to my friend and the loved ones she lost. She will be arriving in California tomorrow night, and I know she will be overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers. Thank you. –Carey
“He was an injustice collector”
Day 3 – Wednesday
I’m heading to the aiport now to pick up Sabine. Thank you ALL so much for your messages, comments and prayers. I will pass them on tonight…
She’s finally here. I hope she can begin healing,
Day 2 – Tuesday
———- Forwarded message ———- From: Bine Date: Apr 17, 2007 9:48 PM Subject: the second day To: nye group
After a day of immense sadness and an emotional roller coaster I am finally home. I have spent most of the day with friends from our department. Today the shock has settled and the magnitude of Monday’s event hit all of us. Especially when we went back on campus to attend the convocation. Everybody from our group couldn’t help but sobbing. We hugged each other and we tried to comfort each other, which indeed helped.
The convocation was good for our school especially the speech given by Nikki Giovanni who talked about our morning and our capability to move on. After that we went back to a friends place to be together and share the time and to support each other. One of our friends, went to visit Gil, who has been released from the hospital already, and to talk to him. And for you to see, what an amazing person Gil is: He said today, one day after he had been shot, that he is not angry at the shooter, that he forgives him. this was not only his fault, it was also the society’s fault our inability to help human beings who are in pain. He forgave the VT-administration, which failed to close down the campus after the first 2 homicides. But most importantly he wants to thank his classmate, who was shot just seconds before him (as of now, I don’t know the name), and who fell on top of Gil, so when the shooter came back, his classmate was shot again and this way saved Gil’s life. Gil said, “he has not only saved my life but the life of my wife, the life of my son, the life of my parents”. Gil is so much more at peace than we all are. No, he has not yet left the shootings behind, but he has already started to move on.
Maybe you have heard that tuesday night was a candlelight vigil on the drill field of VT. Our group did not go there but stayed at the friends house where we organized our own candlelight vigil. It is not that we didn’t want to show our sympathy with the others, but as our departments mourns the loss of 10 students/faculty, we just wanted to be closer to them…somehow.
Our classes have been canceled for the rest of the week and Norris Hall will be closed for the remainder of the semester. Some of our professors have already announced, that they are not going to finish their classes anymore, they simply can’t.
Many people from our group of friends are heading to home to get some healing time, and Youenn has offered me to pay for a ticket to Providence (thank you so much for this generous offer). First I thought I needed to stay here, but after today, being so emotionally drained, I decided to leave Blacksburg for a while. I am not going north though, I guess I am ready for some sun and ocean (well and the friends/husband at the west coast, too). Carey, the master of frequent flyer miles has gotten me a ticket to LA tomorrow afternoon (Thank you again).
I again want to thank you all for your help, support, phone calls and love. I just hope everybody here at VT has a similar circle of friends…
love
bine
From: Carey Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 10:03 PM To: Sabine Subject: RE: the second day
You never need to thank me for loving you my friend! See you tomorrow. xoxo
Sabine was interviewed by one of the bigger papers in Germany this morning. Sorry if you don’t read German :)
Update 6:56 PM PDT:
Why Outsourcing is Bad
After Sabine called me at noon, I called United Airlines to book a flight. I was a 1K flyer with United for over 12 years. What that means, is that I flew 100,000 miles or more, every year, on United Airlines. With this status, you would think I would have some influence with the airline, or at receive some perks even though I switched jobs and do not travel near as much anymore.
When I called United, I was routed to a call center in India. In the past, 1K customers could call a number where a human being actually answered the phone. That stopped on 9/11. When I confirmed that I was indeed speaking to a customer service rep. in India, I told them what I was looking to accomplish. I had already checked all of the flights out of Roanoke, VA (the closest airport to Blacksburg, VA where the massacre happened) and all of the flights were booked for frequent flyer seats. I told United that I had assumed they would have opened up more seats because of the tragedy, and the customer service rep. said, “What tragedy”. I told her briefly what had happened, and she said there was nothing she could do. I asked to be transferred to a supervisor, and no one was available, so I ended the call.
Now, keep in mind that I am used to getting what I want. Traveling that much, for as many years as I did, taught me very well how the system worked and how to work the system. A few minutes later, when I called back, I was speaking to someone in the Philippines. I immediately asked to speak with a supervisor and I was transferred. I then explained to the supervisor what had transpired, and asked him if he was aware of the tragedy in the U.S. He told me that he was, and that he was sorry for all the victims.
Now I’m not ethnocentric enough to expect everyone in the world to know about, let alone even care about what happened at Virginia Tech. yesterday, but I would expect a U.S. based carrier to inform their call centers around the world that an event had occurred that would change the pattern of air travel temporarily out of a few cities closest to the event. I calmly explained this to the supervisor in the Philippines, and he agreed with me. I asked him to abandon normal protocol and open up some frequent flyer seats for my friend Sabine. Again, I know the system very well, and I know what is possible and what is not. (Most everything is possible by the way!)
After I had secured flights to and from Los Angeles for tomorrow thru Sunday, I asked that he transfer me to United Airlines Corporate Headquarters in Chicago. He said he could not transfer me, but he would see if he could get someone there on the line and conference me in. It took a while, but before long, I was on a conference call with the Vice President of marketing for United Airlines. I explained the situation and how the supervisor in the Philippines had helped me. I also said that the majority of people affected by this tragedy would not know how to or, in their grief, be able to work the system like I did. I told him in the nicest way that just like his industry changed after 9/11 that the average consumer’s world changed with the advent of blogging.
Never before in history, has the individual consumer been able to have such a massive effect on the world. Lately I have noticed how my blog is coming up as the first or second hit on certain Google searches. The reason for this is that I post very frequently and tag my entries well. I told him that if enough people were to blog about United Airlines indifference to this tragedy at their call centers around the world, that they could have a public relations nightmare on their hands, and that I would be more than willing to make that happen.
I suspect those of you who know me, know what happened next. The Vice President of Marketing for United Airlines promised me that he would notify call center supervisors via systemwide email, that customers flying out of airports within 2 hours of Blacksburg, Virginia would be offered special fares and accommodations for the next 2 weeks. To be fair, they had already instructed individual airports in the affected area to accommodate travelers affected by the tragedy. What they did not do however, in this new global economy, was thing globally. The Internet has made the world a much smaller place after all. Walt Disney knew this 50 years ago, even before the Internet.
It’s a world of laughter, a word of tears. It’s a world of hope, and a world of fears. There’s so much that we share, that it’s time we’re aware, it’s a small world after all.
Me and my friend Sabine last Christmas
Update 12:14 PM PDT: Sabine just called me to say that 10 people from her department were killed including her professor. She wants to come to Los Angeles ASAP as students are leaving the campus in droves, as it’s just unbearable to be there. I will be looking for plane reservations from Roanoke to Los Angeles for her tonight, and hopefully she can be here by tomorrow, at least physically away from all of that terrible, terrible sadness.
Day 1 – Monday
At 7:10 this morning, I got an email from one of my best friends, Sabine. We have spent New Year’s Eve together for the past 10 years all over the world. She is from Germany, but she is getting her PhD at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia. I’m happy to report that she is alive and was not injured today, though sadly, some of her friends were killed. In the days and weeks to follow, we will find out more about the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. For now however, we remember the victims of this terrible tragedy. What follows, is the complete thread of emails I received from Sabine starting early this morning. The emails are listed in chronological order in Pacific Time, which is 3 hours behind Eastern Time in Virginia. Note the times on the emails, and at first, indeed the first few hours, so little was known about what was happening on campus. Sabine actually makes light of it, as she forgot to bring her lunch with her today. The second series of shootings occurred 2 hours and 20 minutes after the first, yet the campus remained open and students went to class. Sabine also appended one of her messages with the first and second emails sent to everyone on campus. Note the times on these emails, and how progressively worse the situation gets. Sabine was clearly in shock, and still trying to make light of the situation despite how scared she was. She didn’t want her loved ones to worry. Interestingly enough, the university had 2 bomb threats last Friday. Last year an escaped convict also rampaged the school, killing two police officers. Sabine still does not know how many of her friends were killed. As I write these words the death toll is 33, with many more injured. I have tried to call her several times today, and the cell networks are jammed. As you read these emails, please keep the victims and their friends and families in your thoughts. –Carey
From: Sabine
To: Carey
Date: Mon, Apr 16, 2007 at 7:10 AM
we got evacuated from our buildings due to a bomb threat and now we have a gunman…never a dull moment in Virginia.
that is the last update on the situation here on campus….craaazy!
bine
P.S: And people wonder, why I am not finishing up with my thesis ;))
From: Carey
To: Sabine
Date: Mon, Apr 16, 2007 at 7:14 AM
Didn’t this happen last year too??? Stay safe. xoxo
Carey
From: Sabine
To: Carey
Date: Mon, Apr 16, 2007 at 7:18 AM
Well, not the bomb threat, that is an exciting new feature ;))
The only thing I am annoyed by is: I didn’t bring any lunch with me, and now I am not allowed to leave the building and will be starving here….well, lucky me, I do have some “natural reserves” so I have a higher chance of surviving
:)) bine
From: Carey
To: Sabine
Date: Mon, Apr 16, 2007 at 7:24 AM
What a nightmare! Are you home? You should finish your PhD at UCLA. Los Angeles seems safer! Did you see the pics of Bassam and Mariana?
From: Sabine
To: Carey
Date: Mon, Apr 16, 2007 at 7:43 AM
No, I am at school…quite disturbing the whole thing! Check CNN…already one dead…crazy
From: Sabine
To: Carey, Eva, Carolina
Date: Mon, Apr 16, 2007 at 8:24 AM
Subject: Fwd: Second Shooting Reported; Police have one gunman in custody
ok..getting a bit nervous. He crossed campus and moves towards us. Norris Hall is the building right next to ours, they better catch the second one quickly
plus I am hungry and I need food..;)
———- Forwarded message ———- From: Bine Date: Apr 16, 2007 9:02 AM Subject: evacuation To: Carey;Eva; Carolina; Youenn
Our VT-server must have collapsed, I cannot get any e-mails from there anymore.
They are evacuating us now. It is quite some chaos here.
I have to say, this situation scares the shit out of me…but definitely makes up for a good story ;))
bine
Forwarded message from Virginia Tech Office of the Dean Unirel@vt.edu
In addition to an earlier shooting today in West Ambler Johnston, there has been a multiple shooting with multiple victims in Norris Hall.
Police and EMS are on the scene.
Police have one shooter in custody and as part of routine police procedure, they continue to search for a second shooter.
All people in university buildings are required to stay inside until further notice.
All entrances to campus are closed.
—– End forwarded message —–
From: Bine
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 2:57 PM To: Undisclosed Recipients Subject: Today’s Shootings
ok, for all of those who are reading about the VT-shootings online and worry about me. I am fine. We were evacuated.
I am hanging out with friends here in our house, nobody wants to stay alone right now. Everybody is under shock. 22 people were shot. The second shooting happened in the building next to ours, which also belongs to our department, therefore we don’t know yet, if any of our friends are among the victims. Cell phones are not working and we are still in shock!
I will keep you posted
bine
From: Bine
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 3:01 PM To: Carey; Eva; Carolina; Youenn Subject: Today’s Shootings
…I am just getting more and more bizarre information and you are probably are not interested in all the details, but it kind of helps me putting it out there, this way, I feel it is more real. We are all sitting here numb and shock…all of us want to cry but we can’t.
A friend of mine, Gil, who was in the classroom was shot in the head but was able to call. By the time he called, he hadn’t realized that he was shot and told his wife, that he was ok. He said that most of the others where shot including a professor from our department, then he collapsed. He is right now in the hospital and in surgery. Another friend of mine, who NEVER skips class, skipped it today!!
Again, I am not sure, why I am telling you all this, but it helps.
My friends and I are sitting here and feel so lucky!
Thank you all for your concern and help…it really helps
———- Forwarded message ———- From: Bine Date: Apr 16, 2007 3:07PM Subject: evacuation To: Carey;Eva; Carolina; Youenn
Thank you all again for the support and all the good wishes.
This is the most inconceivable, hardest and scariest situation I have ever been in.
The thing that drives us crazy is that we cannot get a hold of all our friends. And it is getting harder and harder to stay hopeful and optimistic. It has been confirmed now, that one of our professors has been shot. No news on my friend Gil, they say the surgery will take at least 3 more hours. We heard that they wanted to fly him to a specialist in Richmond but they couldn’t. Due to the high winds they can’t used helicopters. aaaaaaaah, I want to scream…everybody here sits and can’t fathom what was going on. Some started crying now but most of us just sit here and we can’t, we are still in shock and numb.
We also just heard, that it is not for sure if this was really only one shooter. Blacksburg police told us to stay inside. I am not sure, if this are only precautions or if this is really a threat.
We sit here and just can”t believe how lucky we were. All of us, have classes in Norris. All of us were so scared, because suddenly we were afraid that the bomb threats might have been more severe and as my building was already evacuated on friday we all started to make connections and getting really scared.
ok, I just got another phonecall, and we heard that another friend of ours, Dan, has been shot and killed.
———- Forwarded message ———- From: Bine Date: Apr 16, 2007 5:17PM Subject: evacuation To: Carey;Eva; Carolina; Youenn
we finally couldn’t stand it anymore and went to a hospital to see if our friends are listed but we only heard about two and they were in critical condition, on of them Gil. There was also one friend, Nathanial, and he told the most horrible story, I don’t know how he will ever be able to live with this memory.
Nathanial was in one of the classrooms the shooter went in and he reported the following:
The shooter entered the classroom, shot the professor in the head and then every single student in the classroom, all of them in the head…all of them but Nathanial. He stood 2 feet away from him but he didn’t shoot him. Then the shooter left, went on to the next classroom shot people there and came back. Nathanial, in shock still in the classroom. The shooter tried to spot everybody who was still moving and shot them again…but again spared Nathanial…then he left.
No deaths are confirmed yet, and the only thing we know for sure is, that Gil and Nathanial have survived but we are sitting here and have no idea how to deal with this news.
We are all trying to comfort each other and stay sane!
Again my friends, thank you for all your support,help and love! It is much appreciated and really needed.
bine
p.s.: the phones are not really working, it is hard to get through but Iwill try to stay in touch with all of you as much as I can.
———- Forwarded message ———- From: Bine Date: Apr 16, 2007 11:37 PM Subject: last update for tonight To: nye group
My roommate Lee and I went finally home and try to get some sleep/rest.
Throughout the night, we got more bad news about other friends who got killed during this insanity.
Campus is closed for tomorrow but there will be a community service at 2 pm on Campus. I want to go there, but I am a bit scared to go back on campus. I don’t fear that there is another shooting, I fear facing the sadness and the insanity of this incident. I am scared, really scared. What shocks most is the randomness. Why got some people shot and why were other spared? Why?
Again my friends, thank you so much for your help and support. You have no idea how much this helps
From: Carey
To: Bine
Date: Tue, Apr 17, 2007 at 12:30 AM
Subject: last update for tonight
Do try to at least rest. If you need to talk in the middle of the night (which is now I guess), don’t hesitate to call. You may never understand why some were spared while others were lost. The best you can do is carry on. For you will always carry on, and we will keep on speaking your name. Some things change, some stay the same; like the love of our family and our deep bonds with each other. God bless.
The day after we went to the 
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