SOMEBODY CALL THE COPS UP!

 

Hello hi,

Welcome back to my blog space; I hope you are doing great. Happy new month!! It's December; we made it to the last month of the year by God’s grace. In the last post, I mentioned that I moved to a new country. So since then, I have been trying to settle in my new environment, hence the delay in my writing (sorry!). I’ve moved a lot in my life so I thought this latest move would be easy-breezy, especially as it was just across the border. However, I have found it to be the most challenging move I’ve had, sigh. The delay in getting my shipped luggage (never use UPS for anything, they are useless), the struggle to get my driver’s license (the driver license office here has some weird staff), and acclimatizing to the extreme weather conditions here are a few of the hurdles I have to had to jump but thankfully, I’m feeling more settled now.

Several things have happened to me since I arrived, some expected and some unexpected. One of the biggest shocks I experienced was being in a mall at the same time as an active shooter! This happened just about a month after I arrived int he States. I’m sure, you’re thinking, how come?! Well, I went to the mall with a friend to return some items that I had bought online. Upon entering the mall, a Black lady was leaving and casually mentioned that there was an active shooter in the mall. I stood for a few seconds, wondering whether she was joking. Yes, I know we hear in the news almost every other week about shooters in the malls and shops in the US, but I just did not understand how that lady could be that calm and not running if there was truly one present that day. I did not respond to her. After a few minutes of standing with my friend, we concluded that things looked quite “normal” in the mall and that I would quickly go in and return my items. Before we could take 2 full steps, we heard someone on the prompter make an announcement:

“Attention everyone. There’s a shooter in the mall. Please take cover or shelter somewhere safe. Again, I repeat…”

I felt my body freezing at that moment. I was really close to the exit of the mall, since we had just entered, but I felt like I could not move for a few seconds. It was only after my friend spoke to me that I regained more consciousness. We cautiously but quickly, made our way back to the car in the parking lot. I was speechless, wondering how I could have experienced such a random occurrence. As we sat in the car, my colleague asked “should we wait?”

“Wait for what?” I asked confused.

“Maybe the shooter(s) would go away”, she answered calmly.

“Or maybe they would find us! Can we leave now please?” I responded, quite shocked at the lack of fear my friend was displaying.

We headed to another branch of the store with my heart still beating fast. Out of curiosity, I asked my friend why she had been so calm the entire time. Her response was that she often saw and heard of things like this, so such news no longer disturbed her. I said I think I understood her but I never wanted to become desensitized to such kinds of news, and as a matter of fact, I never wanted to be in a place with an active shooter ever again! We laughed a bit, did some shopping and returns, and then I tried Tacobell for the first time in my life (the soft tacos were my favourite).

Upon getting home that evening, I checked the news. It turned out there were two gangs fighting and they came to the mall. I wondered why they could not have fought in their own homes, instead of disturbing the peace of others. I did not bother to tell my family members (although they will most likely read this here, LOL) but I said a prayer that night, thanking God for saving my life.

So guys, this is one of my many stories since relocating to the US. Since then, I have an impromptu eye surgery (I will post this on my Youtube (VivioGogo) channel soon), gained some weight, and had my 1^st US thanksgiving in Dallas, which was great with lots of food (photos in this post). but Overall, my stay has been good but super busy with work but I am looking forward to experiencing more adventures and sharing them with you. In the meantime, I want to wish you all a wonderful new month. Stay blessed!

Thank you very much for reading and supporting me. Please don’t forget to subscribe to my Blog and Youtube Channel (VivioGogo) and share with your friends. Also follow me on Instagram @ugochiukah and @lavivisblog, and on twitter @vivio_gogo . Until next time, stay safe. XOXO, God bless. 😊