A text message interrupted dinner with a friend in the city of light Friday night.
Gunshots rained upon a restaurant just two miles south of where Robert McAuliffe, a senior international studies major, sat.
“I reacted strangely, with a kind of hyperactive calmness,” McAuliffe said. “The shooting at the restaurant seemed minor at the time, and I certainly didn’t suspect it was a terrorist attack.”
The terrorist attack targeted at least six sites across Paris, including the national stadium, a crowded concert hall and several restaurants.
The University of Mississippi lowered its flag after President Barack Obama requested all American flags be set to half-staff in honor of the victims of terrorist attacks in Paris Friday. More than 129 were killed in the attacks that spread across Paris in six different locations, according to NBCNews.com (Photo by: Royce Swayze)
On Saturday, investigators said they believe three well-organized teams of assailants carried out the attacks with automatic weapons and explosive devices. The Islamic State later released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack, and French president Francois Hollande called the attacks “an act of war.” The series of attacks across Paris left at least 129 dead and 352 wounded, according to NBC news.
Sirens blared from police vehicles and ambulances heading towards the scenes, McAuliffe said.
He and his friend began to realize the severity of the situation and managed to grab the last metro because of security reasons.
“People on the train were quiet, some crying,” McAuliffe said.
Nervous conversation accompanied quiet tears on the metro, McAuliffe said. Green vacant lights on the top of taxi cabs dotted the street; cabs suspended their fares for the night to help civilians get to their destinations safely.
“My feeling of ‘That couldn’t have been me’ nonchalance quickly dissipated once I realized I recognized the band playing at the Bataclan,” McAuliffe said.
McAuliffe, who is studying in Angers, France, only visited Paris for the weekend. McAuliffe’s mother did not know he was in Paris, and he called to tell her the news.
His mother went from calm to frantic in mere seconds, McAuliffe said. He FaceTimed home to assure his family of his safety, and spoke to his sister while tears streamed down her face.
Once he reached a safe place, McAuliffe said he initially felt guilty that he had initially underestimated the severity of the situation.
“The rapidly increasing body count was what really hit me,” McAuliffe said. “It felt like they kept discovering more dead people, more attackers—which was truly overwhelming.”
McAuliffe said one of the most memorable and chilling moments came on Saturday night when he found out that the person they were staying with lost a coworker who was killed in the Bataclan concert hall attack.
“This was the first time I’d spoken to someone who knew a victim,” McAuliffe said. “It both humanized the victims to me and filled me with compunction at the idea that I hadn’t already humanized them.”
McAuliffe said he could feel a change in the atmosphere in the days that followed. The streets were emptier than normal, except when filled with armed police.
“The city was definitely on edge,” McAuliffe said.
McAuliffe said the Director of Study Abroad, Blair McElroy, sent a personal email checking on him along with a representative from the Croft Institute within hours of the incident event though neither knew he was in Paris.
He said both first checked on his welfare and the Study Abroad office continued to send updates from their intelligence about the situation along with travel advice.
“It was all very helpful and it made me realize the degree to which they look after their students abroad,” McAuliffe said.
McElroy said the Study Abroad office confirmed the safety of their student in France on Friday as the situation developed. She said the safety of students is their highest concern, and the Study Abroad office tracks world events and receives updates from the State Department, OSAC, and other outlets in case of incidents abroad.
“Students attend a mandatory orientation where they are given information on how to respond in an emergency and the resources available to them should one occur,” McElroy said. “Students are also given on-site orientations in their host country where additional security measures and resources are covered.”
As the situation is developing, there have been no decisions about the viability of programs in Paris in the spring, McElroy said. The UM Study Abroad office follows the recommendations of the US Department of State regarding travel restrictions.
Will Wildman, a senior international studies and French major who will study abroad in Paris next semester, said he was driving when a notification popped up on his phone with the news that 20 people had been killed in Paris. That number grew to more than 129 by the end of Saturday.
Wildman turned on his television to see the terror and panic in Paris.
“I see all of this and my first thought was, ‘Holy shit, it’s 9/11 all over again,’” Wildman said. “My second thought was, ‘Holy shit, I’m moving there in a month.’”
Wildman said his biggest fear, surprisingly, isn’t concerning his safety, but rather in moving to a place where outsiders are not welcome. He said people might see students studying abroad in Paris as exploitation and wanting to be in the center of the current drama.
Safety is always a priority for Wildman, but he said there are always going to be situations that are out of his control and the best thing he can do is prepare how to respond to those situations.
“I hate how this happens every day, but it’s only recognized by the world in certain occasions,” Wildman said. “I can’t wrap my mind around this.”
Wildman said his mother called him, crying, telling him to cancel his flight. After a few minutes of conversation, he explained that similar events could take place anywhere— even on college campuses there is the possibility of facing an active shooter.
“In the world we live in, any time you go to a public place, there is a threat of something terrible happening,” Wildman said. “That sucks, but that’s how it is.”
