One of the lingering questions that I have had about Buenos Aires since I have been here is, “how safe is it really here in BA.” Towards the beginning of this week I felt extremely safe and I didn’t really think twice about going out alone after dark (One aspect of being here during the winter is that it gets dark around 6:30PM). However, as this week has been progressing, I am finding out that Buenos Aires can be extremely dangerous if you’re not careful.

On Monday, one of my friends from school told me a horror story about how he was walking alone at night and had his iPhone and wallet stolen by a gang at knifepoint. He was robbed probably ten blocks or so away from where I live, but it was a bit of a wake up call of how cautions I should be while I’m here. I shouldn’t get too comfortable. Also, people get me confused with this guy all the time, so it made me feel like I fit the description of a “robbable target”.  There is also a story going around of a girl who tried walking through a really poor area of BA in order to get to a more touristic area. However, on her way she was picked up and raped by a gang. She immediately dropped her study abroad program and went back to the US. One final horror story among the many I have heard so far is that thieves wait outside of these major currency exchange offices that only Americans use.

Needless to say I feel like I have to be constantly aware of my surrounding and safety while I’m here. Things getting stolen out of your backpack while on the bus/subway/street are just a part of daily life here, and my Argentine teachers have confirmed that this is true. I’ve started leaving basically all of my valuables at home. I now own a pay-as-you-go phone and leave my iPhone in my residency almost every time I go out. I don’t even bring my wallet with me anymore. I just bring the essentials like my house keys and a few pesos.
Even though this post has been all negative so far, I have really enjoyed my time here. The topic of ‘how safe it is here’ is something that my friends and I have spent long conversation about this week, and it is probably an important one to have and think about.

I also haven’t been taking that many photos this week because I don’t want to be that guy that puts myself or the group I’m with in danger because I wanted to take a “silly” picture.

The only thing bad that has happened to me this week was my own fault when I accidentally left my debit card inside of an ATM after I took money out. It happened this Friday night and I didn’t realize I left my debit card in the ATM until a few hours after it happened. This means that I won’t be able to find out what happened to my card until Monday since the banks are closed on weekend. I know a way to get money from my US bank without having my card so I’ll be fine no matter what happens.

This weekend I’ve been walking around a lot and staying out late since that is the big thing to do in Buenos Aires. Most of the bars around here never seem to close. Some of my friends and I explored the Buenos Aires night life until around 6:00 AM and yet that seems to be the norm here.

There is an incredible bookstore here filled with every book in Spanish that you could possibly imagine. The escalators lead to a the child and music section of the store. The theater and curtain area toward the back is actually a coffee shop. Each floor contain books as well.

My school is located in one of the richest neighbors in Buenos Aires. When rich people have money they tend to have dogs, and when they are away at work they need to have someone take care of their furry friends while they out. You will often see one guy walking up to 10-15 dogs down the side.

I haven’t really been able to take too many pictures this week since I’ve been freaked out to use my camera. Hopefully in the coming week I will be able to capture some more interesting aspects of living in BA!