Many Americans were stranded abroad for as long as a week following the disaster. And many Americans who live abroad had a different perspective on the tragedy, even with CNN and the BBC streaming into hotels and cafes with constant updates.

Peter Hessler, a contributor to the New Yorker and National Geographic, first went to China as a Peace Corps volunteer but he now lives in mainland China. He was in Beijing when the attacks hit. It was night time there. And the next morning he was sent on assignment to the rural area of Hunan. He's back in Beijing now and we called him there to hear his take on the Chinese reaction to the terrorism and he told us the friends he's made in China were very concerned for him.

Interview: Peter Hessler - Interview From Abroad

8/3/2001