If you ask me if I had encountered any sex predator in my life, the answer is a big YES. But thank God, I was under his watchful eyes and was spared from physical harm. When I first came to the big city to study 2 decades ago, I shared a rented room with a college mate. We had to take the public bus to college every morning. The distance from our rented room to the bus stand was about 15 minutes’ walk. We had to pass by quiet alleys and a playground. I remember very vividly that I was stalked by this man on a motorcycle several times who would try to show off his Mr Hideous to me. There was also this teenage boy who would wait for me at the balcony of his parents’ double story house each morning and also tried to show me his Mr Hideous. I always looked away and ignored his presence.
My bus rides then were very eventful. My worst encounter was when I was seated with a pervert in the bus. I remember the bus was really packed on that day and I was very happy that I managed to grab a seat. About 15 minutes into the journey, I sensed something amiss and turned my head to a man seated next to me. To my horror, I saw the most hideous thing in my life! He had exposed himself in broad daylight in front of a bus packed with people! I was disgusted and in shock and left the seat immediately.
I had wanted to move out from the rented place as soon as possible but kept procrastinating. The last straw that made me move my butt was when my handbag was snatched by a man on a motorcycle one morning when I walked to the bus stand. Thank God again that I was spared from serious injuries, though I had slight scratches on my hand. At one point, during my many encounters with perverts, I told my room mate that I wanted to learn martial arts as a self-defense!
Alycia has been telling me that she wants to learn karate or martial arts. My answer would be a yes to her and I intend to start her next year. I think it’s a good idea to enroll your child into a self-defense class. You never know when she/he will need it to safe her own life or that of someone else.
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