Quote Originally Posted by Stan View Post
Most still do think so. But (a big but), half of the problems with expats is their status at the embassy in question and their (the expats) lack of desire to get engaged with the embassy counselor's service section (dedicated to assisting and keeping expats informed). Can't maintain contact with the unwilling How quickly they come a runnin' though

We performed a massive evacuation in the 90s due in no small part to being engaged with our expat community. The missionaries are a tough bunch, but still managed to help and also got out while the getting was good. Coordinating an airlift in a war zone is no fun and having some ungrateful expat makes it just more fun.

Now that I've been on the other side of the fence for 18 years, I've encouraged expats to assist and maintain contact. The embassy can't help you if they can't contact you. Seems simple enough !

Yeah, half the emails are bogus and a PITA to delete and the invitations every year for the 4th are just a pathetic attempt to show you "they" care, but, without some input and occasional assistance from expats, the embassy is doomed to fail.

Some folks need a reality check and some are just too difficult to even save.
Some folks in the embassy need a reality check at times.... the ones here seem generally to inhabit a different universe.

I confess, I've never bothered to engage with the embassy. I also confess that I've no objection to being on my own. In the unlikely event that I need them, I'll go to them, with low expectations.

The embassy here admittedly has a fair bit on its plate; there are a lot of American expats here and a lot of them are obnoxious, demanding, and ignorant. On the rare occasions when I've been in the consular services section (usually for a US notary stamp or some such) there always seem to be some buffoon making a scene; I don't envy those who work there. Their communications and (I assume) their plans seem calibrated to the average, which is understandable, and are fairly irrelevant to me personally. I certainly don't think they'd be coming up here to give me a hand, in the unlikely event that it was needed!

My guess is that if you called them up and told them you were dying, they'd e-mail you a list of embassy-approved funeral parlors, but that is perhaps unkind