A Stranger in a Strange Land

To the young readers of Magic Nation Tales:

Before you were born, our nation suffered a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Your older cousins, brothers, sisters, and parents will never forget that day when terrorist-controlled airplanes crashed into two giant towers in New York City, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. Because this year marks the 20th anniversary of that event, the news and social media are filled with stories related to it.

The stories and videos are scary. It was a terrible time for America.

Nevertheless, within that incident, there were many acts of kindness.

One was carried out by a stranger in a strange land.

Two young men, digital-design seniors from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, left Cincinnati for Central America at the end of August 2001. They were on their way to a very special adventure and co-op job: creating a website for scientists working in the rain forest in Costa Rica. They would live in the science compound, surrounded by the rain forest and all its creatures! The job began in mid-September. One of the young men had been a foreign exchange student in Costa Rica while in high school. He wanted to visit his host parents and family before beginning the job. The family warmly opened their home to both students. After visiting, the men planned to tour the beautiful country for a few days before checking in with their new employers.

On September 10, they spent the night in a hotel in a small Costa Rican town. At 8:30 Costa Rican time on the morning of September 11, they packed their bags and carried them to the bus stop on a street near the hotel. They were eager to visit the mountains where they planned to go horseback riding.

While they chatted with the locals and waited for the bus, the owner of the hotel ran outside and approached them. He told the men to pick up their things and come into the hotel. “You must come inside,” he said. “I have found an American news channel for you to watch. It is important that you come with me.”

The young men followed the hotel owner. They sat in his lobby, watched the news, and learned of the destruction back in America. The hotel owner’s hospitality was overwhelming. He gave them food and drink. At that time, cell phones rarely worked outside of the USA. The hotel owner offered the men his office

phone to call their parents in America.

Those young men will never forget the kindness and compassion of that stranger in a strange land. Nor will I.

One of those young men was my son.