Is a single girl safe at a language school in Cuernavaca, Mex?

Question

I'd really like to participte in a week-long program; howver, my family is very concerned for my well-being there. We've heard of kidnappings that happen. Is this a crime that happens to tourists? Anyone know recent crime rate stats for the City of Eternal Spring?

Answer 1

Write to Jeanie at Encuentros and she can assure you and your parents about your trip. Encuentros is a smaller school with smaller classes, very professional and she can arrange everything for you.  I've been there twice

http://www.learnspanishinmexico.com/

Answer 2

I would advise against it if you were my daughter I would not

allow it...too dangerous and you must remember Mexican

laws and how they are carried out

check with travel agents for those stats and current info

Answer 3

you have nothing to worry about

Answer 4

Look, you are about as safe in Cuernavaca as you would be in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, etc. Bad things do happen, especially to people who don't have the common sense and/or street smarts to know their surroundings and to play it safe.

Women, out at night, in surroundings they're not familiar with, by themselves...have always been the number one target for criminals all over the world.  Likewise, tourists in similar situations have always been popular targets for criminals around the world.

As to the kidnappings of U.S. nationals in Mexico, once again one has to consider whether they were behaving in a street smart way.

It's real simple:

1. Don't overdress as in dress flashy...i.e. as if you come from a wealthy family that would pay a huge ransom.

2. Know where you're going. Be familiar with "exit strategies" wherever you are.

3. Don't hang out with people you don't completely trust. This may make it a tad more difficult to make friends while you are there, but you will be much safer if you keep your standards high.

4. Avoid going out at night as much as possible unless you have a group of good friends with you.

5. Do not drink alcohol except in complete moderation. Drunk people are easy targets.

6. Never ever accept a drink from a stranger. Girls that like free drinks from handsome young strangers make easy targets.

7. If you are breaking away from your routine at some point and going somewhere different or traveling in country, then do leave a "flight plan." Tell someone you trust when you are leaving, where you are going, and when you expect to return. You'd be surprised how long folks can be missing before anyone notices.

8. Avoid getting involved in anything illegal while you are there. If it's illegal here, then it is almost certainly illegal there, which puts you at risk from two different directions. You are involving yourself with a criminal element, which would again place you at risk for kidnapping, rape, etc. Also, you risk arrest and as horribly abyssmal as the prisons in the U.S. are(compared to those of Canada or Europe), the prisons in Mexico are much worse.

This advice isn't meant to frighten you; I'm merely saying that you need to stay alert, never let your guard down all the way, and above all, don't do anything stupid.

Answer 5

go for it you only live once?

Answer 6

Hahaha, kidnappers kidnapping foreigners?? Hahaha Believe me, if that ever happened (as if professional kidnappers were THAT stoooopid), it would be all over the news on tv and the US government would put pressure on the mexican government to solve the case and send the criminals to 50-60 years in prison (yes, in Mexico, kidnapping a person gives you a longer jail sentence than 1st degree murder). Kidnappings happen, but they generally kidnap the bratty kids of millionaire mexican businessmen who usually avoid going to the cops because they probably didn't become rich honestly themselves. Usually kidnappings are done by relatives of the victim to get a quick buck from their relatives without them knowing.

I've only met 1 person who had an attempted kidnapping, but he had a gun and shot them (1 of them dead on the spot and the other got some broken bones to say the least. Didn't go to jail because it was both in self defense and because he has contacts with the police).

Um... Cuernavaca (roughly meaning the city of "Cowhorn" in english.. yes it's a funny name for a small city) is very safe. It's a nice small city with very nice warm weather all year round and with almost nothing to do. It's the official weekend resting spot of Mexico City which is just a 1 hour drive away.

Fortunately you're only going to be there for 1 week. Plenty of time to visit the few tourist spots there is, watch a movie and uhh.. do nothing. I find it to be pretty boring, only worth going there to swim in a pool and relax.

You'll be perfectly safe there.

Answer 7

Thousands have gone before you without incidence.Reports of kidnapping and crime in Mexico is not only blown out of all proportion,it  has in my opinion, now reached urban-ledgend status.Having lived and traveled in Mexico for years,I would have no more reservations about sending one of my daughters to school in Cuernavaca then I would sending her to a comparible sized city in Italy or France.If you or any of your family have any other concerns, feel free to email me.