“I will remember this New Year for a while, for it was when my residence was broken into and wiped clean of all valuables. Crime is a fact of life in most cities around the world.
Being at the receiving end of crime is never fun, and the effects are exacerbated when you are outside your own comfort zone. People like us, who predictably leave our house everyday at definite times to attend classes or work become excellent candidates for break-ins. We also face the handicap of being in temporarily rented places, rendering it senseless for us to invest in improving security. The only measure possible is to plan ahead and minimize losses when you find yourself affected.
Taking a reliable insurance policy that covers you against break-ins and medical emergencies is a good first step. Household insurance may cost a bit, but be aware that in the event you have a break-in, your expenses will surely run much higher. Starting from mending the door or window that was the entry point, to replacing the items stolen, the bill can easily reach a couple thousand euros. I personally cannot imagine why someone with things to lose would take the chance of remaining uninsured.
However, I’ve also learnt that a mere insurance policy doesn’t help by itself. Few of us take the trouble to satisfy the basic requirements stipulated by our policy. For example, you give yourself the best chance while filing a claim when you save the receipts of purchases for your more expensive items. Taking photographs of items, noting down serial numbers, etc and saving the information online is also a good measure.
Covering yourself for financial loss is only part of the deal. For people like us, the work we store on our laptops and USB sticks are worth more to us than its financial valuation. You cannot put a price on emails of appreciation you received from a previous boss, silver coins your mom presented you, or the book you were writing into late hours in the night. At least with regard to information, I’ve learnt the lesson to never become lazy about backing-up my work.
I cannot overemphasize the need to become self-reliant in the context of dealing with personal disaster. Especially in places where English isn’t always understood, learn the local language to the level of being capable of explaining your problem to emergency services and police. No matter which organization you work for, when you find your place broken into at 11 pm, you are on your own to deal with it.
I’ve come to learn that no country really likes us migrants, irrespective of background or role in bettering their economy. While you could consider yourself very fortunate to receive help from those around you, it’s not something you can always count on. Make no mistake – you definitely accentuate your risks while living abroad, and would do yourself a major favor by planning ahead for when the unthinkable happens to you.”
Ramesh Chidambaram is from India. He is a recent MSc micro-electronics graduate of TU Delft and now works for Infineon Technologies A.G. in Austria.
“I will remember this New Year for a while, for it was when my residence was broken into and wiped clean of all valuables. Crime is a fact of life in most cities around the world. Being at the receiving end of crime is never fun, and the effects are exacerbated when you are outside your own comfort zone. People like us, who predictably leave our house everyday at definite times to attend classes or work become excellent candidates for break-ins. We also face the handicap of being in temporarily rented places, rendering it senseless for us to invest in improving security. The only measure possible is to plan ahead and minimize losses when you find yourself affected.
Taking a reliable insurance policy that covers you against break-ins and medical emergencies is a good first step. Household insurance may cost a bit, but be aware that in the event you have a break-in, your expenses will surely run much higher. Starting from mending the door or window that was the entry point, to replacing the items stolen, the bill can easily reach a couple thousand euros. I personally cannot imagine why someone with things to lose would take the chance of remaining uninsured.
However, I’ve also learnt that a mere insurance policy doesn’t help by itself. Few of us take the trouble to satisfy the basic requirements stipulated by our policy. For example, you give yourself the best chance while filing a claim when you save the receipts of purchases for your more expensive items. Taking photographs of items, noting down serial numbers, etc and saving the information online is also a good measure.
Covering yourself for financial loss is only part of the deal. For people like us, the work we store on our laptops and USB sticks are worth more to us than its financial valuation. You cannot put a price on emails of appreciation you received from a previous boss, silver coins your mom presented you, or the book you were writing into late hours in the night. At least with regard to information, I’ve learnt the lesson to never become lazy about backing-up my work.
I cannot overemphasize the need to become self-reliant in the context of dealing with personal disaster. Especially in places where English isn’t always understood, learn the local language to the level of being capable of explaining your problem to emergency services and police. No matter which organization you work for, when you find your place broken into at 11 pm, you are on your own to deal with it.
I’ve come to learn that no country really likes us migrants, irrespective of background or role in bettering their economy. While you could consider yourself very fortunate to receive help from those around you, it’s not something you can always count on. Make no mistake – you definitely accentuate your risks while living abroad, and would do yourself a major favor by planning ahead for when the unthinkable happens to you.”
Ramesh Chidambaram is from India. He is a recent MSc micro-electronics graduate of TU Delft and now works for Infineon Technologies A.G. in Austria.
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