Hello, Hilltoppers! As you may know, I’m writing from Buenos Aires during my study abroad experience in Argentina, which is where I had my first near-death experience.

Not really, but today I feel like Ross in “The One with the Ride Along” after the car backfires and his life flashes before his eyes. I have a newfound respect for life. I am lucky to be alive.

Let me back up a few weeks. My iPhone stopped working seemingly for no reason, and it was the kind of broken where pressing the power button off and on wouldn’t fix anything. Apple Support online couldn’t help me either, so I made my way to the nearest certified Apple retailer downtown.

I won’t bore you with all the details, but I will say it took me spending five afternoons at iPoint in Palermo during a span of three weeks before I finally got a replacement phone. And let me tell you, living in a huge city where everyone speaks a language you’re still learning without a phone is a topic that could have a column all to itself. I’m basically a cartographer now. 

Anyway, this morning I was cheerfully scrolling through Twitter for the first time in three weeks as I ate breakfast (It’s the small things we really take for granted. As the band Cinderella once said: “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”) when my host mom came into the kitchen and started telling me about a story she saw on the news: there was an armed robbery on Saturday at the iPoint in Palermo.

Three robbers came in at around 2:30 p.m., threatening customers and employees with their guns, according to Clarín. When the robbers saw police arrive, they started shooting before hopping into the getaway car parked by the entrance and driving away, leaving behind their bags of haul.

Unfortunately, I don’t have my host mom’s reenactment of the shooting recorded, but even if you can’t read Spanish, definitely check out the online coverage to watch the security camera video if you want a thrill. 

The most surreal part for me watching the video was when my host mom pointed to the innocent female customer who entered the store just before the robbery’s climax and told me that it could have been me.

Luckily, there was only one minor injury from shattered glass. Also luckily, I got my iPhone back before all this occurred. It was hard enough to get help with no guns pointed at them.

My mom thinks it’s a good thing I was not there because she says getting shot is not worth getting a good story. I told her I’m a journalist, and anything is worth a good story.