I'll never forget where I was on that day. It was my first week of university and I was up early to attend an 8:30am class. As the year rolled on, I usually chose to skip that one.

As I was walking in, I overheard someone say "World Trade Centre" in a conversation. I couldn't piece anything together from that, though. I was still half asleep, drinking an orange juice box and eating a granny smith apple.

Sitting in the back row of the old classroom with my head against the wall, a guy beside me turned and said, "Hey, did you hear about what's happening in the States?"

"No," I replied. "What?"

"They're under attack! 'They' hit the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon!"

I then understood what the people outside were talking about.

It was frightening news. When you hear it like that, you don't know what to think. I had been in New York City a few months prior to that, and can remember looking at the twin towers from atop the Empire State Building.

When I got back to my residence, everyone was crowded into the TV room and watching the coverage. A couple of girls were crying.

Twenty-four Canadians died in the towers and in the planes that day.