The days of hanging my purse on the stool of my chair, casually holding my iphone in public, leaving my house unlocked, or even reading my kindle on the bus are long gone. Since my first day in Argentina, I get routinely reminded to be precautious every second of every day. It’s not just me that’s being careful, the Argentine’s are also always on their toes, ready for the unexpected.
On my bus rides each day, the women clutch their bags close, making sure the zipper is nearest them, while the men wear their backpacks on their chest.
My ipod is always hidden in my purse, unexposed from any greedy eyes and my credit cards always at home, leaving me to carry cash instead. If I have to take my computer with me to study, then I will spend the day anxiously waiting to get it home safely.
If I avoid the favellas (slums), I can walk relatively anywhere during the day but at nighttime it’s a whole other world. By now I know the streets to walk on and the places to avoid. Even so if I am alone I always carry my head high and walk with confidence to hide my vulnerability. I only speak Spanish and if need be talk quietly in English so as not to be the stereotypical, “dumb American.”
So is the life here in Buenos Aires, Argentina, being constantly careful with your belongings and aware of where you are. It is not uncommon to be robbed, pick-pocketed, or ganged up on, in fact a good majority of the people I know down here have been. However, Buenos Aires is not unlike any other big city, big cities have crime and while these bad things have and do happen here, it really is no different than the crimes in New York, Paris, or Rome.
I know that there is a common misconception that South America is dangerous and it can be especially for a girl coming from the safety bubble of Utah who has never dealt with untrustworthy people. These small precautions just go with the life here and if you grow accustomed to it, you don’t notice.
By now the possibility of being robbed is always in the back of my mind but I don’t focus on it or let it dictate my day. Instead I focus on all the amazing and genuine people I have met and continue to meet down here. They are constantly helpful, curious, and quick to lend out a hand when the bus takes a sharp turn and I almost fall down.
What I have realized is that yes there are bad people in this world, who if they have the chance will take advantage of you. However it’s the people that are inherently good that make up the majority of the population that make this city so great.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Utah chapter.