Saturday 9 July 2005

I realise this is a rather late response to the London blasts, but I'm going to write about it anyway. After all, this is a city close to my heart, in a country I stayed in for a year and a place of residence to my dear friends.

How could anyone be so awful as to hit London in such a bloodthirsty way?

Wait a minute, don't answer that. After all, if the question could be answered, September 11, the Bali bombings and numerous other terrorist activities wouldn't exist.

When I first heard the news after returning home late from the exhibition, I very nearly freaked out. After all, I have close friends who would very likely be in London when the bombings happened.

It was all rather surreal. This was a city I frequented when I lived in England in 2003. This was a city that I had fallen in love with, that I would still love to live in for a few more years. The bombings happened at places I used to visit. Edgware Road Underground station in particular was the tube station right near the church I sometimes attended.

I tried contacting my friends but to no avail. I ended up sitting in front of the television watching the coverage of the bombings simply astounded and fascinated in a strange morbid way. I had no way of knowing if my friends were fine. Images of one of them in hospital while the others waited anxiously in the foyer flashed through my mind. (I got a text message later in the night saying they were all fine.)

This was when Kristin asked a question that I'm still unable to answer: "I feel like we should do something instead of simply sitting here and watching the telly. But what can we do?"

And really, what can we do?

What can we do in response to such an irresponsible and horrific act of terror that has caused so much pain and heartache to so many people? What can we do in response to previous acts of terror? What can we do?

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