Is America really such a safe Place?

  Those were years of wondering whether the country would plunge into a bloodbath, and whether our family would be alive the next day or not. Thankfully, none of our worst fears came true, but we kept on leading very uncertain lives. We grew up having burglar bars (iron bars) in front of all our windows and doors, and by the mid nineties you also needed a proper alarm system, a watchdog, and if you could afford it, some electric fencing to protect your family and property.

  You could not get any car insurance without installing an alarm system and a steering lock, and even then your vehicle had to be locked inside your garage or it would be stolen. We woke up many frightful nights with the alarm going off. A few times my husband caught thieves red handed; these were dreadful times for me, having to scatter to get the firearm out of the safe, while frantically calling the police, always not knowing if the thief was armed himself and if we would survive the ordeal. We were lucky, some of our possessions were stolen over the years, but we have loved ones and friends who paid with their health and even their lives.

  We never thought about leaving our country, let alone pursuing any opportunities to do so, but then a job opportunity literarily fell into our laps and we thought it might be a great adventure. Coming to America to work and live, turned out to be an adventure beyond our wildest imagination; one with a lot of good things but also it’s fair share of financial upheaval and a heap of culture shock. However, one thing that remained a wonder to us was the relaxed way of life; the secure and carefree way people raised their children and just went about their daily lives. We thought we landed in heaven and as a result we started relaxing and dropping our guard.

  This was a mistake. Within about a year some tools were stolen out of our garage, my credit card was stolen out of my purse, my husband’s wallet was stolen at a hotel when he was on a business trip and our baby stroller had been stolen in a public place. We were shocked, we lived in a little town with a low crime rate and your average neighborhoods, just North of San Francisco. We never expected this. However, it opened our eyes to the fact that we have become lulled into believing that America is 100% safe. Although America might not be up there with all the high crime, and low employment countries in the world, it is also not a haven of crimeless bliss.

  To be totally relaxed and not take care of your family’s security would be living in denial. We started looking into security products for our family, obviously not something as radical as we would use in South Africa, but things such as a Stun Gun and some Pepper Spray for me when I drive woman-alone at night. Also an inexpensive Personal Alarm to make us aware of some strange movements in and around our house at night. These and other items turned out to be worth every penny when it came to peace of mind. I’m a Christian and I believe I have angels that protect me and my family, but I also believe we have been given sound minds and it would be irresponsible not to use them.

  Please don’t learn the hard way as we had to, take my word for it, it is always better to be sure than sorry and when it comes to your family, you can never be too sure.

A wife and mother of four