Exactly right. Contagious rumors and speculation flying all about you and all you know is your lifeline, the American Embassy has not called you - then you find out they don't even know of you. We've been in two very unstable armpit of the world countries and not only did we register - we made friends with staff. :o)
Anyway, my point is that just like during the Katrina aftermath, you can't take what people in the middle of the situation are saying as proof of anything. People who are scared, do not always have the clearest thoughts and it's human nature to look for someone to blame when the crap hits the fan and the fan is aimed at you.
And an excellent synopsis. We all hope we would be self-sufficient and have all our wits about us but as I said earlier, pray God we never get caught up in the middle of a war to find out.
I hope you are in a wonderful and safe part of the world.
I'm in Singapore. It's a beautiful, peaceful place with high security and most Americans move around here like there is no reason for worry, but...here is the US Travel Advisory Safety and Security section for Singapore
SAFETY AND SECURITY: Since December 2001, Singapore security services have detained more than three dozen members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a terrorist organization with links to Al Qaeda. JI had planned attacks against government and private targets in Singapore associated with the United States, Singapore and other countries. In the aftermath of terrorist bombings in Indonesia in October 2002, August 2003 and September 2004, the Department of State is concerned that similar attacks may occur in other Southeast Asian nations because extremist groups present in Southeast Asia have demonstrated transnational capabilities to carry out attacks against locations where Westerners congregate. Terrorist groups do not distinguish between official and civilian targets. Americans residing in or traveling to Singapore and neighboring countries should therefore exercise particular caution, especially in locations where Americans and other Westerners live, congregate, shop or visit, including, but not limited to, hotels, clubs, bars, restaurants, shopping centers, identifiably Western businesses, housing compounds, transportation systems, places of worship, schools, tourist areas, resorts, beaches or public recreation events/venues. U.S. citizens should remain vigilant about their personal security.
The travel advisory was even more dire sounding when I first moved here and after the Bali bombings a lot of people were very scared, but most have gone back into a state of complacency now. We have Malaysia above us and Indonesia beside us. Both places are known to harbor and train terrorists. There is also a large Muslim population here. I think it would be crazy to think that something bad couldn't happen here. You can bet the bank that I'm registered with the US embassy.