The visit was marred by an unnecessary omission.
Considering that I've lived in Israel since 1970, I know with certainty that I live in a desert, which is included the concept of "near a desert." There's little humidity and our rain is restricted to a few short months of the year. So when I saw that sign asking if I live in a desert I was expecting to find Israel listed among the countries on the map. Granted that not every country you'd find in an atlas is listed, but being a loyal enthusiastic Israeli patriot to me Israel is the most important, even if not the largest, country there is.
And of course being such a loyal patriotic Israeli I'm rather hypersensitive to such omissions. Isn't Israel the most important country in the world? Isn't it the center of world affairs? Doesn't the world's moral magnifying glass, compass or microscope focus on Israel more than any other country? From the perspective of the editorial staff of prominent international newspapers, magazines etc. you'd think that Israel was a country of a billion people at least. Considering the amount of time the United Nations General Assembly, Security Council and its various humanitarian organizations spend on what's happening or what they claim is happening in Israel, you'd certainly think that Israel is the largest and most volatile country in the world. So, I don't think that I am unrealistic to have expected to see Israel listed along with Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
At present, Israel is suffering from an unusually dry winter. Besides the great blizzard, and rainfall in the warmer parts of the country, in December 2013, we've hardly had more than a few moments' rain. This is very worrying. Davka, Arizona is also suffering from a record-breaking lack of rain.
I hope that nobody blames me. Last year I claimed that I had been gypped, because it rained or was very cloudy all through my winter visit to Arizona....
