Well, my friends, I wish this blog wasn't so much doom and gloom lately, but life has been rough again recently. Earlier this week I found out that one of the students on my Israel trip died in a car accident in Jordan over the weekend. This is shocking news, and it's incredibly hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that she is gone. Rosemary was the other person in my room at the hostel to have her belongings stolen. We bonded from that experience and had picking up money at Western Union adventures together. We both love bubble tea and were thrilled to find a stand to buy it at one of the markets in Tel-Aviv. We had intense conversations about love, life and Islam, and, for 18 days, she was one of my constant roommates. She was a kind and generous person, always giving to others and offering insights to the group. She had a beautiful soul and was truly engaged in life. Rosemary had been travelling and studying abroad over the last year, concentrating her studies in the Middle East. We'd made plans with others in the group for a bunch of outings when she returned, and it's so hard to understand that she won't be returning, that more time with her won't happen. How can this beautiful, 29 year old woman no longer be? From the responses to the tragic news of her death, it's clear that Rosemary impacted so many people's lives in amazing ways, and she will be deeply missed by so many. I will miss her presence here very much.