#iambrussels

Images following the Brussels bombings on 22 March 2016 that killed 32 people and injured 340 people of 22 different nationalities.

Cat posts became the way citizens covered up reports of police activities during the Brussels Lockdown of November 2015 and following the bombings when raids were taking place as they searched for the terrorists. The other photos were taken at the Brussels Bourse, the Stock Exchange building, within the first days after the bombings. Residents gather at the Bourse to celebrate and mourn together, so it became THE place to commemorate the victims and connect with others as we grieved over what had happened in our city. My little dog Billy joined me, amongst the mourners and TV cameras where he was created some smiles of connection -- like with the two ladies sitting on the street, who had come by train from another city to pay their respects.

“JeSuisFrites” was a humourous take on the hash tag “JeSuisBruxelles” (I am Brussels). In case you didn’t know, (French) fries were invented in Belgium and are a national treasure :-)

Today, Thursday, 22 March 2018, marks two years since the traumatic terrorist bombings that wounded Brussels and her people. The media will cover the commemoration activities, primarily for victims and families (less political and diplomatic than last year) at the airport and the metro station where the bombs went off, as well as in front of the sculpture in honour of all victims of terrorist attacks near the European quarter. The activity I was most pleased to see on the schedule is an opportunity for police, first responders and victims to mingle and meet. Who better to comfort the victims on the anniversary of their worst horror than those who rescued them. And vice versa. I’ve read about first responders who couldn’t go back to work because they were so traumatised by what they saw that day. Apocalypse-like scenes in a busy city’s morning rush hour.

Today I watched a report about Karen, the only remaining victim still in hospital two years later. She has no idea when she’ll be recovered enough to go home. One leg is pinned with thick metal rods and she only leaves her bed for physio sessions. Her wounds are war injuries; they shouldn’t be found in the capital of the European Union. You can see that she’s exhausted physically and mentally from everything she’s been through. “I don’t want to suffer any more... My body is permeated by pain, there are no words for the pain.” The terrible irony is that the reason Karen survived the airport bombing is because she was a top-level athlete and her body was so strong it allowed her to survive when others simply couldn’t have. 

Last year on this day, I watched a report where Walter talked about lying in the airport covered in blood after the first bomb went off, seeing his leg sitting several metres away. It took 1 hour and 41 minutes to get him to the hospital and he very nearly died. He, a Jew on his way to Israel that day, cried when he talked about the Muslim man who held him in his arms until help came. That man dialled Walter’s wife in Israel for him so he could tell her that he expected to die, and to ask her to prepare their daughter for the news. 

The stories were painful and I was in tears, but each one of the victims, police, and first responders who were interviewed reinforced what I felt when the bombings happened: that the horror of such a crisis brings people together. It brings out the very best in people, who show compassion, tolerance and even heroism. I believe that in many ways, Brussels is stronger because of what happened.

I also attended a memorial service in the cathedral in the centre of the city. It was a non-denominational service because the leaders of the various religions represented in Brussels were present, to show their solidarity and openness to working together to bring Brussels back to its feet. 

Now, despite the fact we’ve gone back to leading an almost-normal life (I hope it never becomes the norm in the western world to have the military patrolling the metro, the train stations and other public places), none of us will ever forget that terrible day when young men with bombs destroyed the lives of 32 people -- and their loved ones, injured 340 others, touched the 22 nations these people came from, and blew up our airport and a key metro station. According to a recent poll, 1/3 of Belgians are still nervous of taking the metro in Brussels. 

Several great projects have been initiated to bring tourism and commercial activity back to the centre of town, although I’d love to see us do more to bring together people in our own neighbourhoods, to show that we want to get to know and accept others for who they are, no matter where they’ve come from. Why do we find it so hard to remember that we are all connected as human beings? Why do we continue to build walls around ourselves to hide from our differences... religion, language, colour, education, culture?  

Today, I’m thinking of everyone who has been impacted in any way by the terrorist bombs of 2016. And I’ll continue to look for and find human connection in the small everyday actions and smiles of ordinary people.

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” 

In my wondrous world, Jawaharlal Nehru’s quote would read: 

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if we only seek them with our hearts, minds, and eyes open.”

Dans l’avalanche d’information reçue hier, je suis passé à côté de cet hommage de mon pays d’adoption!

C’est apprécié!

Merci à Daniel V. pour l’info.

Under the information overflow coming from Belgium yesterday, I’ve missed this tribute from my adoption country!

Much appreciated!

Thanks to Daniel V. for the link

Source: 

https://twitter.com/CJAD800/status/712600574248747008