to the iranian government or its people. and believe a huge misunderstanding led to our detention and prolonged imprisonment. shane, josh, and i had no knowledge of our proximity to the iran/iraq border when we were hiking at the waterfall, a popular tourist site frequented by local families in iraqi kurdistan. if we were indeed near the iran/iraq border, that border was entirely unmarked and indistinguishable. though my friends and i never intended or chose to go to iran, the tragedy of our imprisonment has forever marked our destinies. i never in my worst nightmare imagined i would be a prisoner. i never saw it coming. and i never knew that my family would have to suffer like this.