“Don’t be a victim,” said the instructor. “You need to know how to stay safe, especially when you are living overseas. You are normal people here, but in foreign countries, you are targets. The techniques you will learn today could be the difference between life and death.”

I couldn’t wait to leave the United States. We had been living there for two years and I was ready for a new adventure. When I learned that we were moving to Albania, I began to count the days for our departure. I had gotten used to moving every few years and actually learned how to enjoy it. During my lifetime, I have lived in seven countries, all of which were very different from each other. Every time we moved, I would think about my new school and my new friends, but this time, it was different. I was older now and more independent.

It was close to the end of the school year when my dad told me that I would be enrolled into the class. He explained that it would only last two days and that I would be with other kids my age. I didn’t really want to go to the class because I didn’t think I needed new skills when it came to moving.  Although, in my eyes, I was an expert, I didn’t really have a choice, so I ended up going.

The first day of the two day class was during my last week in the United States. I was actually glad to be taking the class because it gave me something to do during the day besides packing. I didn’t really know what to expect, and all I was told was that it would be a class that would teach me how to adapt to a foreign country.
I walked in the door and introduced myself to everybody before the instructors gave us a brief summary about the course. The class began shortly after that. They explained that the class was divided into two days. The first day would go over basic defense and adaptation skills while the second day covered skills that could end up saving your life. During the first day, we learned what to pack in case of an evacuation and what phone numbers to memorize in case of an emergency. Nothing we went over the first day was new but that changed by the second day.

We began as soon as everyone arrived. Judging by the look on the instructors faces, I could tell that the second day would be more serious. They started off by telling us that when we live overseas, we are targets and that we need to know how to escape dangerous situations. The things they went over on that day were what to do if we were being followed, grabbed, or kidnapped. We also learned some simple self defense skills and how to put out a fire. I could tell by the look on the other kids faces that they were both scared and worried when they heard about all of the potential threats. I didn’t really think much about what we learned in the class. All I was thinking was that there was a very slim chance that any of that would ever happen to me.

It wasn’t until later when I realized how important it is to know those skills. When we were learning them, I thought that I would never make use of them. Later, I realized that there could be a time where I do need them and it is much better to be safe than sorry. You never know what will happen to you no matter where you are, and in my opinion, it is better to always be prepared.