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Traveling After Terrorism: How our trip has been affected by the events of 9-11

A few days after we arrived in Rome on November 5, we noticed colorful posters plastered EVERYWHERE with the American flag side-by-side the Italian flag. With our quasi-Italian and a little phrasebook, we gathered that the government was planning a pro-U.S. demonstration that next weekend. Our first reaction was one of fear. Americans are supposed to be keeping a low profile while traveling abroad. No waving American flags, no singing the national anthem like they're doing back home. We could become targets. But we were very curious. Our long debate as to whether to attend Italy's "USA Day" demonstration got us thinking about the larger issues of terrorism and how we feel about traveling while our nation is at war.

JENNI: I haven't thought about the risks of terrorism for a few weeks now. Truthfully, I feel like a tourist; a traveler, who worries more about pickpockets in crowded places than an unattended bag somewhere. I'm thinking more along the lines of what I want to do when I return home than whether I will need to buy a gas mask and antibiotics. Life has gone on. It's burdensome to constantly worry about things over which I truly have no control, and I want a normal life with some caution thrown in. I don't want to lead a life of caution with a little life thrown in. How I determine that balance is up to me, and I'm sure it will change on a daily basis.

There was an explosion in Milan about a week ago. A picture of the blasted building and streets was on the cover of a newspaper. "Terrorismo" was not in the headline, so we didn't assume the worst. Turns out it was a gas leak and I thought, "gas leaks happen, and there's little you can do about them beyond taking normal precautions." But if your neighbor doesn't take normal precautions, anyone can get hurt. So what could you do? Monitor the diligence of your neighbor? All of your neighbors? It's just not feasible, so you go about your own business and realize that something bad could happen to you outside your own control. It's like a car accident - one of my greatest fears. I can drive defensively all I want, but I could still be killed by someone who runs a red light. So I continue to drive defensively and I have to realize that risk.

Right now I'm spending my money on postcards and gifts, and paying the entrance fees to museums, and marveling at the pretty things in this part of the world. I'm living a pretty good life right now, with a little caution thrown in. It's a world away from the emotional discussion we had when Joe learned about his new position for NBC in Adana, Turkey. That was September 13, and emotions were high for many people in the world, including us. And the weeks that followed had me thinking most often about the families of those affected in the attacks, imagining the most morbid thoughts that would leave me almost comatose, reading newspapers and watching my government to see what they would do. Gradually such thoughts and conversations waned, but there was still an imbalance between fear and normalcy as we made traveling decisions.

JOE: Soon after September 11th, we felt very guilty about continuing on with our trip. People back home were e-mailing us about how depressed everybody is and how endangered they feel. But we felt safe. Besides, this trip was a huge deal for which we had paid quite a bit of money for advance train and plane tickets. And there wasn't much we could do about terrorism by going home. So we have kept trekking, albeit somewhat less happy-go-luckily. Just going to Italy was an especially difficult decision because this is one of the few countries that had received DIRECT threats. The U.S. State Department, through its embassies, announced those "direct terroristic threats were made against American interests" in Italy, and that Americans traveling in Italy should be especially careful in the months of October and November. They wouldn't say what exactly those threats might have been, which made us quite nervous. But after a long talk, Jenni and I decided we had to go. The chances were very small that we would become victims. The odds were much larger that we could hate ourselves if we missed out on some of the best sightseeing in the world.

Security was especially tight even before September 11th, in fact it was rather commonplace to see soldiers with machine guns in the streets like these guys in Adana, Turkey. But it has increased significantly. Four times recently we've gone through big security checkpoints where Jenni sailed right through and I was kept for about ten extra minutes while they searched my stuff. While it could be "profiling," I realize these security guards are doing their jobs. You can see it on their faces. They are NOT happy to be working in what could be dangerous situations. And they've been polite about it, for the most part. That said, I still get a little freaked out about being searched so often and thoroughly. It's not pleasant. Each time I can feel my heart rate increase as they look at the passport twice, then back up at me, then call their supervisor over. They look it over again, then hand back the passport. After they search my bags and I'm clear to go, I always feel like I've dodged a bullet somehow. I smile and thank the security people, but I'm actually just thankful to be on my way.

JENNI: Bottom line, we're not afraid, but we're more wary. And more informed. We stay in regular contact with the embassy or consulate in the city we're visiting, and we read several newspapers a day, watch the news, and check news and government Web sites often to help us make traveling decisions based on information and not fear. It was in this frame of mind that we made a decision about the demonstration in Rome. We decided to go.

USA Day in Rome
JOE: We agreed that if we had any bad gut feelings or any problem at all, that we would leave immediately. After walking through a thorough security checkpoint, we walked into Piazza Popolo holding hands very tightly. The rumbling of a growing crowd engulfed us. The demonstration, named USA Day, was put together by Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as a show of Italy's solidarity with the United States against terrorism. To the fanfare of marching music, thousands of American flags waved in the square as Italians, young and old (but mostly old) bused in from all over Italy to show their support for America in the war. They played the national anthem from both of our countries and I sang along loudly. Proudly.

JENNI: So many flags…one man stopped to hand us small plastic flags to wave around, and we joined in cautiously at first, then later more enthusiastically. The guards at the streets entering the square had stopped us both to search our packs, and there were police helicopters and an AWAC flying high overhead protecting the airspace. Cameras were all over the place. My immediate impression was one of worry that they had to protect everything so heavily. But eventually that worry was replaced with a vivid interest in what was going on around me, who was around me, and wondering why they were there. And by the time is was all over 4 hours later, I was immensely glad I'd gone, for many, many reasons.

JOE: Among the highlights of the demonstration: world-famous tenor Andrea Bocelli sang "Ave Maria," New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani sent a videotaped message, and Sofia Loren and other Italian stars also sent live and taped messages to the crowd of about 100,000. Then some firefighters from New York appeared on the stage and addressed the enthusiastic crowd with some words of thanks. We later met the firefighters and thanked them personally (below).

But perhaps the most touching statement came from an older Italian gentleman who said he remembers when the Americans rescued his family from nazism during World War II. The Americans liberated his people, he said, and now it's time to repay the United States with support. The Prime Minister, Berlusconi, capped off the event with a rousing speech evoking the words of a U.S. President. Almost 40 years ago, John F. Kennedy proclaimed, "I am a Berliner," meaning that the U.S. and the free world were standing in solidarity with the people of Berlin during their time of turmoil. This night, Berlusconi told the crowd and the world that "we are all New Yorkers."

How about that? We were touched. Sure, it was a political event. And, yes, 50 percent of Italians polled have said they're against getting involved in the war against terrorism. Berlusconi himself had recently drawn international criticism for publicly denouncing Islam as an inferior culture. On the same night of the pro-USA demonstration, In fact, a counter-demonstration drew about ten thousand people to another square less than a mile away. Some of those protestors were arrested after burning an American flag, we later saw on television.

But, despite all the jingoism, we were definitely impressed by the shower of support, the flags and the cheering. At the very least, it gave me the opportunity to sing my national anthem at the top of my lungs.