Expat in Beijing relives the horror of terror attacks, and kind acts of strangers abroad

So much is the same: the live CNN feeds, the helpless feeling of being an American so far away when something horrible happens at home. Twelve years ago, we were living in Brussels when Sept. 11 happened. I had a phone call from the United States, and turned on the TV. My son, who was ill and at home from high school that day, turned on the news and we watched, shocked, as the Twin Towers fell. We had no idea whether loved ones or friends were hurt, and we could only make calls and assure everyo...