Overtime

Bombay is where I grew up and where I spent 10 years of my life. I didn't think I'd be so affected when I began to see the utter chaos cause by the terrorist attacks that was televised on CNN and BBC. It was paralysing, not knowing what to do. As I hastily emailed everyone I knew that lived in Bombay, and later called my grandparents to ensure they were safe, I got word that one of my friends narrowly missed the attacks TWICE! Here's what she had to say:

Things are quite bad... I can't believe I just missed the whole thing - It's a miracle.
A few of us were dining next to Cafe Leopold just an hour before the shootings took place.
I also travel home from Victoria Terminus (now known as the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus). Usually the crowded trains do deter me to wait for another. I took a train at 8:00 and the shootings took place around 9:00...

Can you imagine gunmen opening fire at a cafe or a restaurant in an area that you were in just a mere hour earlier? Or the train station that is on your route as part of your everyday commute? Yes to have escaped TWICE in one night is nothing short of a miracle. Her guardian angel must have been working overtime that night.

Here in Cayman the news continued to shake the island and many grappled with the fact that this could even take place here. One of the waiters at Cayman's Gateway of India Restaurant, sadly announced on Friday morning that he lost a friend who worked as a waiter at the Oberoi Hotel in Bombay.

Like everyone, I too am saddened by the attacks and while there are accusations and justifications flying around every which way, there is nothing that will justify the loss of the innocent lives that were taken with this terrorist act. Our world is becoming such a dangerous place to live in and one never knows when something like this will hit so close to home. Many living in Bombay feel that the city will never be the same again and it's true. We are living in a new age - the age of terrorism that can literally take place anywhere, anytime. No place is safe. No one is safe and it's very scary.