My less than 400 sq ft apartment has got to be one of my favourite places in the world. I mean, it’s hardly Beyonce’s mansion or the Maldives. In fact, my siblings never miss an opportunity to tell me, half seriously and half-jokingly, that it is the ghetto and that I should get a better place. But it has a warm bed, some chill music and a place for me to wind down every single day after school and work. So, you can imagine how such a private space being invaded by strangers would make you feel. Absolutely horrible, that’s how.
Before this incident, I never imagined being robbed at home. I would hear about instances of insecurities but would think it only happened to people who lived in “sketchy areas”. I was just sitting my privileged butt in my parent’s house, living in a fairly safe and homely neighborhood. And then fast forward to me being grown and living only with a roommate, I was about to learn how important taking security measures are for your own good.
The details aren’t as exciting as they are scary and confusing. But it is never cool to know that people you will never know had access to your personal space, walked around in it, touched personal items and carted away some things.
And as much as I am grateful no one was harmed, and it was probably some petty thief that got the opportunity of a lifetime having gotten a MacBook and an iPad as part of their loot, I am also ridden with PTSD(Post traumatic stress disorder) that doesn’t seem to want to leave me alone.
I have long since taken the physical precautionary steps to ensure that there is no future attempt, and to be prepared if, God forbid, there is one. I have changed locks, paid for security, gotten some sort of alarm system and all the things I can possibly do in a rented apartment. Honestly, it is the non-physical but rather emotional things that have made me less agitated and more calm. And this includes reading about Celebrity break ins.
Yes, this seems stupid, but there is something very relatable about knowing Kim Kardashian or Kendall Jenner went through the same thing. Floyd Mayweather very recently wrote a piece on how his house was burgled and how disturbing and hurtful it was to know that people came into a place he considered sanctuary. That’s Floyd Mayweather, the billionaire boxer by the way.
It made me realize anyone would feel this way whether you just got a MacBook stolen or possessions worth a few million. Whether you had to save for a full year to get the MacBook back, or you could afford it a million times over. I mean, I don’t have $100,000 to offer up as a reward to help me find the items. But I’m very well going to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
The best thing about things like this is that it teaches you life lessons. As a young girl living alone or with a roommate, you are more likely to be seen as easy to target.
If you are in these shoes, (or not doesn’t matter) let’s be sure to double check on security, never relax on safety measures, double lock your doors, be sure who is behind you when you are coming in from work, and just generally ensure you can live in a safe and secure place, regardless of a budget.