As many people know, I have a slight fear of being home alone because I’m terrified of robbers. I blame the origin of this fear on the time that my Dad broke into our house because he thought no one was home and he’d been locked out. Unfortunately, I was sitting in our living room at the time listening to the front door handle jiggle, then the back door handle, then a door upstairs getting forced open. It was slightly traumatic, but I did take the time to leash my dog and take him with me as I bolted from the house… gotta keep those priorities in check.
Anywho, back to Madagascar. I’m a little reluctant to post this before leaving Mahajunga since there’s always the chance it could happen again while I’m here and then I would feel weird having written about it like it’s no longer an issue. So I might post this sometime in the future.
In the beginning of this homestay I was really confused about why the entire family would wake up when I had to pee and tried to sneak outside, and why they would then come looking for me. Oh, question answered now.
So it’s Wednesday night and I’m asleep in my miniature bed facing the piece of cloth that separates my bedroom from the main room of the house. Now, what happens next is a little jumbled in my head since I think I was kind of in a minor state of shock. But, I wake up to the sound of men’s voices and my first thought is “Hmm, there’s only one man living in my house… that’s odd.” And then I check the time and it’s around 3:30 AM. Several seconds later there’s incredibly loud yelling followed by the most shrill, high-pitched siren noise I’ve ever heard and white and blue flashing lights. I am completely and utterly dumbfounded and kind of paralyzed in shock/confusion. I can see through the veil separating my room and the main room that there’s people running and yelling. There’s people in my house? Who are these people? I can almost see them… Maybe I should get up? WHAT’S GOING ON? And then I recognize Bruno’s voice, and he is furiously screaming something in Malagasy. I’m too overwhelmed by the siren noise and flashing lights to try to understand what he’s saying. And then my entire family is awake and running outside.
I stay in my bed. Very confused. Terrified.
There’s talking outside. The siren is still blaring. Where did that siren come from? My head strangely thinks that my family is having a fire drill. It’s one of those nonsensical things that you tell yourself in order to make sense of the situation.
And then my family is eating. What? It’s 4:00 AM. Why are you eating a meal…? What just happened?
And then it’s 4:30 and everyone is asleep. No one has come to tell me what happened. I’m confused. I eventually fall back asleep around 5.
In the morning I can’t remember if what happened the night before actually occurred, or if it was a dream. At breakfast everyone is doing their normal thing, except Bruno isn’t there (I was assuming he was at work) and none of the children who speak French are around. I have no one to ask about the events of last night. This is when my Malagasy speaking mother points to the door and says “Misy voleurs” (Malagasy: There are robbers).
Oh, so it wasn’t a dream. There were Malagasy men in my house trying to rob us. And then I wondered if they were there because of me…
Stay smart and alert as you enter your home stretch, kiddo. This incident has passed but you are still conspicuous! Remember Uncle Jim's "U.S. marine techniques." Don't hesitate, for even a second, should you need to use them. Venture forth! This is who you are and who you are becoming. Try to stay safe. We love you, Mom and Dad
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