Job Discussion Forums

[matttheboy]

A feeling of security is, i guess, a personal thing. To me, it's obvious that in any place you have to adapt and make some changes-my small dorset town is clearly safer, on the whole, than Leeds where i went to university. I always made sure my door was locked there whereas in dorset we leave it unlocked during the day but i didn't have to make significant changes or stop doing things i enjoyed or things that were a normal part of my life when i was in leeds-things like listening to music, talking on the phone or carrying a laptop around whilst in the street.

I'm quite happy to tolerate places that are not particularly safe for short periods, either on holiday or for a few months living/working. i've travelled all over asia and south america and went to some amazing, but generally unsafe places. i loved living in quito but long term i wouldn't enjoy it-i had to make too many compromises to security issues to make living the life i wanted to live in the long term possible or fun.

the reason why i love argentina and the part of chile i'm moving to next week is that they combine latin america and its culture with pretty much first world (or better) security. i don't have to make any major efforts to change my normal behaviour and can do pretty much all the things i could do in dorset, leeds or london and sometimes more (eg in england, as a young male i'm always aware of the fact that i'm a target for the random violence that is such a part of the english weekend drinking culture and so i have to make a special effort not to accidently make eye-contact with a drunken townie, something that's not an issue here).

if you're happy to make big changes to your normal life and lifestyle in order to be or feel safe then that's a personal choice. If you're happy to do that then good on you. If safety and security aren't major issues for you (and they weren't so much for me a few years ago) then that's great. But now i like to live my life and i hate having to compromise (security/safety). Small compromises are ok, big ones i just don't find acceptable. Short term-sure, no problem. Long term (and i'm in south america long term with no plans to ever leave)-no.

[sickbag]

[cangringo]

Granted making very large compromises would be difficult but I haven't heard anyone say they need to travel in an armoured car or wear bullet proof vests or any such thing.

Not carrying around expensive items in plain site is no big deal for me as I've never been comfortable doing that anyway. Same with not flashing cash around. The bars on the windows make me feel safer and I think more places should have them.

I don't think there are very many truly safe places left anymore (where you can leave your door unlocked all the time or leave your purse on a chair and come back to find it still there). We recently went to a Cuban bar here and everyone was up dancing at once which is a foreign concept for me because in Vancouver someone always has to watch the table and guard the purses.

If you go to any big city I think you have to make adjustments, what's personal is whether those changes are big or small to you.

[naturegirl321]

[MamaOaxaca]

[Mattaro]

Before I travelled overseas for the first time at 29 years I had a very close call crossing the street in an Australian capital city, my life flashed before my eyes. I thought after if I am gonna die I would rather be doing something exciting at the time rather than dying from being runover by a bus in my capital city without ever having left my country!

I wouldn�t recommend coming here to Ecuador if you want to be �safe�. It is quite easy to become unlucky and get mugged or robbed, but it hasn�t happened to me in the two years I have been here. I didn�t have any problems in Lima or Santiago either.

I think the point that needs to be made is that reports based from western countries tend to be exagerrated. Often with a political motive in mind. There are many things you can do to increase your safety, but it won�t guarantee anything. And my opinion is that it is more fun and rewarding to be doing something with some risk rather than trying to stay safe all your life.

By the way, I see that some people carry around pepper spray for defence, others stun guns (which, I believe, are legal here), I carried switch knives until they kept getting confiscated. Now I have a heavy d-shackle to which I attach my keys, makes a great set of knuckle dusters you can legally carry in your hands. Umbrellas are quite effective too. An old guy I knew had an umbrella with a padlock inside for extra whack. A pen can be also good for good sharp jabs to the throat or eyes. Or a carry bag with a couple of heavy batteries makes a good doofer.

But in all seriousness, in my opinion, better to be able to astutely observe whats happening around you and have the ability run fast!

[cangringo]

[misterbrownpants]

Hi there ive been living in Uruguay for over 2 years now, and i feel pretty safe here. Of course i am being careful, not alone after dark, or in bad neighbourhoods. But i feel safe here. 5 Years ago my camera was stolen but that was a silly accident when i went in for a dip and someone ran away with it. But other than that, the gov. is stable, there are no terriorists. Transit accidents are common, and there are �planchas� that may rob you if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time to buy pasta base. but..... i heard that montevideo was the third safest city in the world... ^Perhaps because it is so small_�