It’s that time again! Tonight, I’m flying out of JFK to Kiev, Ukraine, where I connect with a flight to Tel Aviv, Israel. Happy Spring Break, y’all!

The last two weeks have been the busiest so far of law school, so I am more than ready to get on the plane and get some sleep (I find long-haul flights to be relaxing in a strange way). Total travel time will be 10 hours to Kiev, and 3 to Tel Aviv.

The last time I crossed the Atlantic, I was returning to NYC after backpacking in Europe for 7 weeks this past summer. It feels like years ago.

I am so happy to be traveling again (as always), and also to keep myself occupied with some fun, non-school-related reading on this trip! (Ok, I did print a few class things to read along the way).

Reading: Last Train to Istanbul by Ayse Kulin

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I started this last week and plan to finish it on the way. The story is set in Turkey and France during WW2, and follows the struggle of a Jewish Turkish family living in Marseilles during the German occupation as they attempt to escape to safety, as well as the work of Turkish diplomats to protect their nationals across Europe as war breaks out. It’s been a really good fiction read so far.

Other reading: Goodbye to All That: Writers on Loving and Leaving New York

The Education of Dixie Dupree (Donna Everhart)

Press Freedom in Africa: Comparative perspectives

The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood (Rashid Khalidi)

Israel: A History (Anita Shapira)

 

Listening: Pod Save the World / Pod Save America

I am obsessed with these podcasts! I’ve downloaded the most recent ones, as well as the very earliest ones to catch up on this trip. I highly recommend today’s “Of Russia With Love” on Pod Save the World- an interview with former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul. It does a really good job of  explaining the Russia situation by breaking down the Obama restart, analyzing the return and rise of Putin, and discussing if and how Trump really changes anything.

 

Jamming: Current Travel Playlist

As always, a travel playlist for the long trip is so necessary.

  • I Don’t Care About You – Lake Street Drive
  • Heart in a Cage – Chris Thile
  • Back to the Island – Leon Russell
  • Bushwick Blues – Delta Spirit
  • Art Isn’t Real (City of Sin) – Deer Tick
  • Texas & Tennessee – Lucero
  • Mississippi – Bob Dylan
  • 24 Frames – Jason Isbell
  • Into the Mystic – Van Morrison
  • FourFiveSeconds – Jaime Wyatt version
  • Wildflowers – Dolly Parton
  • Silver Lining – Carl Anderson
  • The Funeral – Band of Horses
  • In Bloom – Sturgill Simpson
  • Hotel California – Eagles
  • Beast of Burden – Rolling Stones
  • O-h-h Child – Nina Simone
  • Fake Love – Drake
  • Bad and Boujee – Migos
  • Black Beatles – Rae Sremmurd
  • Night Moves – Bob Seger
  • Rainy Day Women – Bob Dylan
  • Guttersnipe – Bhi Bhiman
  • My Church – Maren Morris
  • Lovin in my Baby’s Eyes – Leftover Salmon
  • Water Under the Bridge – Adele
  • Everything’s Gonna Be Undone – Band of Horses
  • I’m Amazed – My Morning Jacket
  • Stars Fell on Alabama – Tara Nevins
  • Traveling Alone – Tift Merritt
  • Vice – Miranda Lambert
  • Waves – Miguel + Kacey Musgraves remix
  • Like a Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan
  • I’ve Got Wheels – Miranda Lambert
  • Vienna – Billy Joel
  • Africa – Toto
  • The General – Dispatch

 

Next stop…Kiev!