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MO39
Joined: 28 Jan 2004
Posts: 1970
Location: El ombligo de la Rep�blica Mexicana
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 Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 1:48 pm Post subject: |
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Gary,
That's a good cautionary tale for all of us - I hope that you're weren't hurt, though you must have been scared. The fact that it was a time of day when no one else was around is something to keep in mind in any city - that's when we need to be more alert to our surroundings. |
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lozwich
Joined: 25 May 2003
Posts: 1536
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| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 1:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Gary Denness wrote: |
| I've been doing that trip to the bus stop for nearly years. I was half asleep, in my own little world and didn't even realise there was anyone else about till I had a gun in my gut! A little more awareness on my part might have helped. |
I've had quite a few security briefings here in Boggy, and the thing they're very big on is avoiding routine. Not that it helps you now, and it must have been awful, but leaving the house at different times of the day, and going off in different directions is supposed to deter muggers/kidnappers, although how you're supposed to get to work is a bit of a mystery.. |
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El Gallo
Joined: 05 Feb 2007
Posts: 318
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| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 2:04 pm Post subject: |
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| That's right. The rateros who robbed my house studied my routine. They knew what hours I worked on Saturdays and robbed my house in the middle of the day. |
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Oreen Scott
Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Posts: 179
Location: Oaxaca, Mexico
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| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| I've had quite a few security briefings here in Boggy, and the thing they're very big on is avoiding routine. Not that it helps you now, and it must have been awful, but leaving the house at different times of the day, and going off in different directions is supposed to deter muggers/kidnappers, although how you're supposed to get to work is a bit of a mystery.. |
I've had the same advice here in "safe" Winnipeg. I love your comment about getting to work, it made me laugh because I've wondered exactly the same thing. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 9650
Location: Mexico City
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| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:28 pm Post subject: |
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I've given that same advice before, about changing your routine, without thinking much about it. Truth is, you leave your house for work every day at 6 AM, for example, and there's really not much to vary with the routine. Bus stop is here, the metro stop is there, the car is in the same garage night after night.
No, you can't really change your routine at all, can you? I've never been robbed and I've never changed a routine to avoid robbery. Confidence has always been the deciding factor for me, since luck has nothing to do with it. Crooks will simply pick another target if I don't look like a knock-over. |
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MELEE
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 2583
Location: The Mexican Hinterland
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| Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2008 10:39 pm Post subject: |
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| In terms of break-ins, my neighbor's house was broken into. Ours would have been a much more lurcative hit--but we have a large loud dog. I'm certain she has more than earned her keep. |
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Gary Denness
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 2:50 am Post subject: |
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| Guy Courchesne wrote: |
| Confidence has always been the deciding factor for me, since luck has nothing to do with it. Crooks will simply pick another target if I don't look like a knock-over. |
Confidence is also much like 'feeling safe' - a step away from complacency!
To be honest Guy I couldn't disagree with you more. Luck is everything, or bad luck anyway. Wrong place, wrong time......if that doesn't boil down to luck I don't know what does.
I'm not going to say that appearing confident, aware of your surroundings isn't going to help you. I'm quite sure it does. But if a crook has a gun, is prepared to use it (and let's face it, lots of them are) and thinks you have goodies on you and there's no one about.....he'll have a story to tell his crook buddies about the confident looking guy he shot that morning.
I know this topic comes up now and again here, and I've usually disagreed. At least a little. Largely because everyone seems to have a feeling of safety that they didn't have back home. Me too. I have never felt threatened here. I really still don't. And I can't say it was even a terribly scary robbery! I was just immediately cheesed that I had my iPod on me!
The thing that bugs me, is that he was substantially smaller than me. And I'm pretty confident if there was no gun, I would have kicked his ass. I really thought about just punching him. Is it a real gun? Of course, who wants to take that chance? I thought about it but to be honest, I wasn't going to chance it. Not worth it. But it's frustrating - what if I had punched him and it wasn't real....I'd still have my iPod. But it's all what if's. Such is life.
Incidentally, he came across as being very confident - not a virgin robber! I went down the path he ran to see if he dumped my bag (he didn't) and found the poorest looking shanty town I've seen this close to the center. Never knew it was there. Not that I'd ever had reason to look.
Over the years I've asked students about security, and a fairly large chunk of them have been robbed at some stage of their lives, or have had family members robbed. Way over 50% probably nearer 75%. My neighbour upstairs was robbed last year. He was pretty confident and refused to hand over his watch. They shot him. Several members of my soon to be inlaws have been robbed at gunpoint over the last year. My robbery was one of a spate of about 5 inside a week. Of all of them, I got robbed furthest away from my house...all of 2 mins! Several others in the car park where we park our car.
I couldn't really vary my route by the way. It's a straight line and any alternative route takes me down back alleys which are even more likely to get me in trouble!
The argument is sometimes made that it only seems to happen to Mexicans. I really don't think a crook would turn down the opportunity of robbing a gringo because he's not Mexican. I'm pretty sure they are equal opportunities kind of guys! |
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El Gallo
Joined: 05 Feb 2007
Posts: 318
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| Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2008 12:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Dogs are great for security but if they are like mine, once they get to know someone they won't bark at that person even at night or when you're not at home. Again, my advice is be careful who you let in your house and who you let get to know your dog. |
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john_n_carolina
Joined: 26 Feb 2006
Posts: 700
Location: n. carolina
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| Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 12:17 am Post subject: |
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| ....plus, the hard-care thieves know how to poisin a dog first...before hitting the house...a nice thick sirloin marinated with arsenic and garlic, most dogs will go for it.. |
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Samantha
Joined: 25 Oct 2003
Posts: 2038
Location: Mexican Riviera
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| Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 7:08 am Post subject: |
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| Sorry Johnny, but if down and out burglars here in Mexico could afford these steaks they would be eating them and not using them to poison dogs. |
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El Gallo
Joined: 05 Feb 2007
Posts: 318
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| Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 2:13 pm Post subject: |
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Maybe they didn't use steaks but my neighbors finally poisoned my beloved dog of nine years that I brought here with me from the States.
I moved soon thereafter and try not to be bitter against the people and culture of the ghetto I once lived in. Potinaspak in Tuxta is not a good place to visit or live (please don't sue me for "libel") |
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MO39
Joined: 28 Jan 2004
Posts: 1970
Location: El ombligo de la Rep�blica Mexicana
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| Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 3:52 pm Post subject: |
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| El Gallo wrote: |
I moved soon thereafter and try not to be bitter against the people and culture of the ghetto I once lived in. Potinaspak in Tuxta is not a good place to visit or live (please don't sue me for "libel") |
And why, may I ask, were you living in a ghetto? It seems to me that that's just asking for trouble! |
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El Gallo
Joined: 05 Feb 2007
Posts: 318
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| Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 6:31 pm Post subject: |
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MO, did you think it was my choice? I worked for 50 pesos per hour at a private school in Tuxtla who only gave me two or three hours work a day and had a policy that I couldn't teach anywhere else.
Things are better now that I work for myself instead of for greedy, corrupt private school owners.  |
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MO39
Joined: 28 Jan 2004
Posts: 1970
Location: El ombligo de la Rep�blica Mexicana
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| Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2008 8:06 pm Post subject: |
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| El Gallo wrote: |
MO, did you think it was my choice? I worked for 50 pesos per hour at a private school in Tuxtla who only gave me two or three hours work a day and had a policy that I couldn't teach anywhere else.
Things are better now that I work for myself instead of for greedy, corrupt private school owners. |
I didn't mean to sound judgmental  -- it sounds like you were between a rock and a hard place. I'm glad that you were able to figure out a way out of that untenable situation! |
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El Gallo
Joined: 05 Feb 2007
Posts: 318
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| Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 11:19 am Post subject: |
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no hay problema MO
Other than losing my dog, a computer, a TV, a video camera and my CD collection, it was a very Zen experience. Not all the people were bad. It was an eye opener on abject poverty (but I'm really glad it's over) |
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