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zensucht0 t1_itvx3n0 wrote

Reply to comment by Extreme_Necessary_56 in A trembling foreigner by Extreme_Necessary_56

In the states I've lived in, southern and central California, (including LA), Alaska, Chicago, upstate NY, Seattle, Mississippi (don't recommend), northern VA, Norfolk, Richmond. A few random places for short amounts of time, as well as two multi-month long cross country trips by RV.

Internationally: Prague for a month, Paris, all over Romania, a brief stop in London, a month in Egypt, Bahamas, Puerto Rico, Vancouver BC. When flying internationally, if I can, I try and extend my layovers to a day or two so I can scope out the nearest city. So I've had a bunch of little stops in between.

Where in the world are you coming from?

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Extreme_Necessary_56 OP t1_itw69gs wrote

Woah that’s a lot of places. I think it’s interesting how much you could learn by visiting different spots around the world, even if it’s for a short while.

In the states, I lived in Pennsylvania for around four years with my family, one year in Savannah, GA, and less than a year in Blacksburg, VA.

Richmond will be my first experience living alone, that’s why I’m a bit worried this time.

I’m from Saudi Arabia, specifically Jeddah. You should come by and visit!

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gracetw22 t1_itwk44r wrote

It’s all perspective- I would feel much less safe as a woman in Saudi Arabia than even walking through the roughest parts of town, though if you’re accustomed to having company wherever you go, I’m sure that will be an adjustment. I remember when I was in college I had a friend on my floor whose armed security guards hugged her goodbye and when we went out to get a burger that night she was terrified since she had spent her whole life with armed security. She adjusted too! Was out there taking shots of warm liquor in strangers houses with the rest of us in short order.

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FromTheIsle t1_itz6v0n wrote

Wut...armed security. Was this person royalty?

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gracetw22 t1_itzb6mc wrote

Powerful Mexican family, I didn’t ask questions about what kind of business they were in

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zensucht0 t1_itwzeiy wrote

Looking at the crime statistics for Saudi Arabia as a whole demonstrates just how different the legal system is. This is complete conjecture, but I've got a feeling that the type of crime you're likely to encounter here will be vastly different than you would see in Saudi Arabia, or at least more varied.

In my opinion, having exposure to as many cultures as possible, through travel, should be a requirement for being human. I've gained a lot of both empathy, and respect for humans as a whole because of my travels.

With you having experience in the states already, you won't have a problem at all. The biggest adjustment is just going to be the living alone thing. And there are going to be a lot of people at VCU dealing with the same thing. Develop a support network of friends and you'll be golden.

Oh, and hang around here. There are a lot of cool people that know wtf is going on here. Usually.

Welcome to Richmond!

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Extreme_Necessary_56 OP t1_itxl9mf wrote

Yeah, our crimes here are a bit…. unique. Two men bombed themselves five minutes away from my house this month, and a masked drunk guy opened the car door and pointed a gun AND a knife at the same time at my sister.

I will definitely be checking this subreddit for upcoming events and crazy news. Thank you for your welcoming and providing all this information to me. It really helps :)

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BabyBat07 t1_iu01pul wrote

Shit, if that’s what you’re used to seeing, I have no idea why you’d be scared of Richmond.

I’ve lived here for 12 years and I have never felt unsafe as far as shootings or stabbings or other crimes, if you don’t go looking for trouble chances are it won’t find you. The only time I’ve ever felt unsafe was that I was probably roofied, by someone I know.

Lock your doors, don’t leave anything valuable in your car because it will get broken into, pay attention to your drinks, be aware of your surroundings, and you’ll be fine.

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Extreme_Necessary_56 OP t1_iu0gw4a wrote

Tbh, I’m scared of the fact that if something bad happens to me or I don’t return home when I’m supposed to, no one would ever know. I’m worried that if I need immediate help, no one could come and provide it. I don’t know a lot about the U.S. system and what rights I have. If I ever report something would it be taken as serious as when it comes from a U.S. citizen? That kind of stuff.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_iu09gdt wrote

Richmond will be reasonably similar to Savannah, if that's helpful.

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Extreme_Necessary_56 OP t1_iu0h08k wrote

Savannah was wild, but fun!

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Charlesinrichmond t1_iu4rzv6 wrote

Savannah is more fun, though I like living in Richmond better. But no doubt we should copy Savannah in a lot of ways.

But I meant crime wise etc. Richmond is more liberal to my mind

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