Since two sexual assaults occurred near my University in less than one week's time, I have felt a compromised sense of security. The most recent incident happened on the very street where I live. It has left me shaken and questioning my own choices when it comes to safety. I am a young woman (21) living alone during the week. I almost exclusively walk to get around, mostly alone and sometimes late at night. These crimes occurred at 5pm and 9pm, which shocked me as I almost assumed those to be somehow infallibly 'safe' times. I tend to be naïve, I guess.

My initial thought was that I needed to buy some mace or pepper spray. I had a heck of a time finding a retailer but finally found a sporting goods store that carries pepper spray. However, there are also a lot of stores online selling pepper spray products. Does anyone here have a certain product they bought online and are particularly happy with? I just know it needs to be something small so that I'm likely to keep it on my person at all times. The ones that look just like pens appeal to me the most so far. Here is an example: http://www.pepper-spray-store.com/pr...tain-pen.shtml .

I will also be living alone in my parent's home for the fall semester. My mother is going on sabbatic leave and my father is accompanying her. Ideally we would like to have a renter, but my parents are very skeptical about allowing someone we don't know to live in our home. Our location is not really appealing to University students as we live far from campus and I'm not optimistic about finding a renter. Living alone with my parents in another country didn't seem at all daunting until these recent incidences gave me a reality check. We have friends in the neighborhood and I'm also thinking I should make an effort to get to know our neighbors better before my parents leave. What should I know about living in a big house by myself? I will be using my parent's cars for transportation during this period.

One day during my senior year of high school I was driven home from school by some friends and discovered I had returned to a ransacked house. I went around the back of the house and noticed that my bedroom window had been forced open and the back door was swinging open in the breeze. I ran straight out of my yard to a nearby gymnasium and used someone's cell phone to call the police. How was I to know if the robbers were still in there or not? I was terrified.
When I'm living alone and come home after being away are there certain precautions I should take when I enter the house?

I know we have many women here on Pet Talk and I would imagine that a lot of you have lived alone at some point in your lives. I want to know what steps you take to assure your personal safety.
Have you taken self defense classes? What kind? How useful did you feel they were?
Do you carry any self defense products with you - pepper spray or something else?
Do you have certain rules or procedures you follow that you feel reduce your risk of becoming a target?

I would appreciate any and all feedback. Thanks!