March 18, 2026

2am security alert. Sayo kaayo! Should I wake the kids up or let them continue sleeping? Stood up, listened, checked official outlets, and prayed really hard.
I went back to sleep after getting the all-clear message.

When family and friends outside the UAE ask how we are doing, my reply now is “We are physically safe. Mentally, I don’t know – it differs if we hear the boom or not, if we are all together, if we are inside a building, driving, or outdoors.”

The worry is different because as a parent, our kids depend on us. Their lives are the ones greatly affected by all these – school life is disrupted, will they be able to sit their boards, will they have a chance to have a graduation ceremony?

Despite… life goes on as normal and is possible because of the men and women working around the clock to keep us all safe.

This has been our “normal” for weeks now and this is NOT OKAY.

Nag cge na mi ug hanggad Sa langit, and among listening skills heightened. Undang na please. Nitugulang nako ug +10yrs overnight