The Night Of The Bombing

Thoughts about January 3rd, 2026

Outside the window in my city od Caracas.

Dear Friends, 

Many of you have called to ask about my family in Venezuela, and I thank you for that. It also allows me to explain something I hardly talk about. What has happened in my country over the past 26 years is surreal, confusing, and hard to explain. Hopefully, this bombing will mark the end of this era of repression. 

You see dance and music all over.
Joy is part of life, no matter how bad things are.

 You see millions leave the country in search of a dignified life.
They cannot make ends meet in Venezuela.

You see children learning music every day.
We are a model in the world.

You see people abducted, tortured and disappeared.  
We have over 1000 political prisoners, including 4 Americans.

Surreal it is. Today, we are on the front page, and Venezuelans are celebrating something the world is condemning. So, instead of trying to explain the broader chaos, I’m just gonna tell you about my family’s experience on January 3, in Caracas.

M. and S.

The house was dark and my mom and my sister were sleeping. The loudest bang they had ever experienced startled them. It was around 2am. S. woke to the loudest noise. It bounced and penetrated all the windows, shook the ground, and pierced their ears.  She reports hearing a sound so strong that it brought reverberations throughout her body. When we spoke, she had a hard time describing it,.  All she could say is that it was awful.

She jumped out of bed, ran downstairs barefoot and in her underwear, to see our mom. Found her also shocked.  Mami tells me how badly my sister was shaking, her whole body trembling. They hugged, frightened, squeezing their bodies together until Susi's trembling stopped.  They were both terrified and did not understand what had just happened. 

Bombings in the night Jan 3, 2026

Bombings in the night Jan 3, 2026

Once the initial shock passed, they sat in the dark, distressed: Would they have more bombs or gunfire? What if they had to leave home unprepared?

Picking up the phone, they saw scenes out of a war movie: fire, columns of smoke, explosions. Helicopters filled the sky. Houses with shattered glass and people running—families fleeing areas near the heavy bombing areas. I was seeing this too! And it was all happening in our city.

Our home is less than a mile from one of the bombed military airbases. My mom and my sister would not get close to the windows. Glass can shatter. Gunfire can reach there. 

Then there was the drama of the communications. I was alerted by my friend B. in Oakland: “Is your family all right?” And then I see the bombing with horror on social media.  For what felt like a long time, I couldn't reach them, and during that anxious period, everybody was calling each other to see if their families were all right. Thank goodness they were fine physically, but they were in shock—and still are!

Caracas skies on January 3rd, 2026

My friend G lives here in California. Her 91-year-old mom lives alone on the same hill as my family, but her apartment faces the military base directly. G watched live through her mom’s phone as events unfolded there: “It was like watching a movie—bombings, fire, hundreds of helicopters flying low—unbelievable!” Then it was over.

During that sleepless night, millions of Venezuelans watched home videos of the American military coming and going. Unable to control their need for information, they sent and received images and stories, hearts pounding, and people scoured social media and YouTube. 

News broke that Maduro had been removed from his home. Hallelujah!  The Americans took two- sadly, only two- out of a large team of crooks: Nicolás Maduro and Celia, his wife. Could this 26-year dream be really happening? The dictatorship has fallen? At last! Can't believe it—we’re rid of him!

Later that morning, shock still lingering, nobody wanted to leave their homes. If there were any events, they were cancelled. The big New Year’s lunch at my aunt’s was out of the question, not even to celebrate.  Everyone is in fear. Streets were empty, except for long lines to buy food, bottled water, and gasoline. People were preparing and trying to understand. 

Our emotions rollercoaster! : it's no use// yay! we've made it// get him out with fire// maybe we are too naive// when are they leaving then?

BREATHE

No one knows what’s gonna happen next. Venezuelans in Venezuela suspect, rightly so, that they will feel the repercussions of the angry, frustrated repressors left in power.  They will rule with tighter fists and more violence. Don’t go out.  Erase your phone. You could be caught and imprisoned.

To millions, he is a courageous hero! To me, his speech was repugnant and narcissistic,
even though I liked the outcome of his raid.

That afternoon, people listened to Trump and grew even more confused. He appointed another criminal as interim president, stating he would run the country through her, and he specifically excluded the democratically elected president and his team from the equation. He also mentioned a second wave of military activity. 

Confusion and fear prevail; optimists cling to the hope of a plan, even if it is unknown.

Left in charge of Venezuela are these other criminals, allies of Maduro 😫

Prudent joy, uncertainty, skepticism, exhaustion, fear, hope—these define the mood for people on Venezuelan soil. Still, we know that "the second wave" Trump mentioned will take place, and we want it. This second wave has to happen; otherwise, we’ll be in a worse situation than before. After all, today, a repressive system is still in place and intact.

 I can almost guarantee there is NO Venezuelans in this protest. We want Maduro to be ousted since legitimate, democratic, negotiated and/or peaceful transitions have been unsuccessful time after time.

In the meantime, in the rest of the world, this Venezuelan's elation is tempered by the world's disbelief: Trump‘s actions are highly illegal. No matter how happy I feel about the removal of Maduro, he has set a horrible, dangerous precedent. He has acted against all the rules established to guarantee peace in the world. He’s gone, like a cowboy, to take over the running of another country. 

“No, you can’t!” 

“Yes, I can: Watch me!” 

And then, he does!

He is used to doing things his own way.

We Venezuelans are happy for it. Whether cowboy or mafioso, usually the more powerful one eliminates the weaker one. We also want more: we hope the dismantling of the rest of the gang will be completed sooner rather than later!

For us, we know who is the lesser evil

So here we are: one abuser of power was hit by another abuser of power! 

What is acceptable? Was there a better way?  Ask any Venezuelan: To anyone who has endured 26 years of dictatorship, the US president’s insubordination is a lesser evil than living under Maduro’s illegal regime.

We deserve to live in freedom- LIBERTAD

As a final note, I’d like you to be empathetic with Venezuelans when we are happy with what’s happened. Please understand: Venezuelans cannot be more joyful for now and more fearful for the months to come.

People INSIDE Venezuela are afraid for their safety.  Fearful of those who are supposed to protect them. In the months to come, there will be difficulties accessing food, electricity, water and gasoline.

People OUTSIDE of Venezuela are celebrating, while inside Venezuela, people need to stay indoors and be safe from repression.