Chapter XXI: Home
Paris, France Late July 2016 “My baby girl!!!” My mom caught me in a rib-cracking embrace at the airport baggage claim. “You’re safe now....
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DAKOTA MORLAN
Writer, Journalist, Editor
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May 25, 202010 min read
Chapter XX: Safe
Grasse, France I awoke from the first real sleep I’d had in days. The sun was shining in on me through a picture window that overlooked...
May 24, 20208 min read
Chapter XIX: Bastille Day, 2016
Nice, France July, 2016 It was Bastille Day and the beginning of our final week in Nice. I had spent the day meandering by myself. I felt...
May 23, 20207 min read
Chapter XVIII: Nice
Nice, France June 2016 It was everything I’d imagined it would be: impossibly charming architecture, gentle sea air, and endless gelato....
May 15, 202011 min read
Chapter XVII: Back to Normal
My Apartment, Student Village The time had come and I was finally packing. Tomorrow, I would be on a flight to New York, where my parents...
May 4, 20209 min read
Chapter XVI: Farewell, Jerusalem
The Shuk, Jerusalem January 2016 Though I had liked him from the start, Daniel never ceased growing on me. He was just so - normal. I had...
Apr 27, 202012 min read
Chapter XV: A Very Arab Christmas
My Apartment, Student Village I swear if you LAZY FUCKS don’t clean up in the kitchen I am going to FUCKING LOSE MY SHIT disrespectful...
Apr 14, 202016 min read
Chapter XIV: Petra
Petra, Jordan The ancient city of Petra is hidden in a red rock basin, carved out by extinct ravines and intricately sculpted by the...
Apr 6, 202017 min read
Chapter XIII: Al Bedu
Somewhere in the Wadi Rum Desert There are few things as badass as riding a camel through the desert. I had grown up riding horses and...
Mar 25, 20205 min read
Chapter XII: Crossing
The Israeli/Jordanian Border It's a surreal thing, crossing a border on foot. After being processed by the Israeli side, we entered into...
Mar 14, 202010 min read
Chapter XI: On the Road Again
Jerusalem Central Bus Station December 2015 Tyrone was a lot street-savvier than me, or at least believed himself to be, so I let him...
Mar 6, 20208 min read
Chapter X: Elham
Hebrew University, Jerusalem December 2015 Winter was descending over Jerusalem and it was raining in my garden. The trees, soaking in...
Mar 3, 20206 min read
Chapter IX: Istanbul
Istanbul, Turkey November 2015 My mom offered to pay me not to go to Istanbul. It had recently been described in the news as a major...
Feb 19, 20205 min read
Chapter VIII: Krav Maga and Goodbyes
Jerusalem, Israel I had thought it would be fun to learn Krav Maga. What better skill to learn in Israel than the renowned IDF martial...
Feb 13, 20208 min read
Chapter VII: The West Bank
My Apartment, Student Village There were new videos on the Israeli news sites almost every day. I thought it strange that the press would...
Feb 10, 202012 min read
Chapter VI: A Date
Jaffa Street, Jerusalem It was my first date with Stav, a 23-year-old whom I had met at a coffee shop (okay, Tinder). Much to my delight,...
Feb 7, 20208 min read
Chapter V: Settling in
The Student Village, Hebrew University A few days later, Coen came to see me. I was flattered, but also couldn’t help but feel a bit...
Feb 3, 202017 min read
Chapter IV: A World Away
Hebrew University Student Village, East Jerusalem My first few days in Jerusalem were a blur. When I finally moved into my dorm, I was so...
Feb 3, 20209 min read
Chapter III: A New Friend
JFK International Airport, New York October 2015 Preceding my departure, my mom had given me an immaculately organized manila folder,...
Feb 3, 20203 min read
Chapter II: The Holy Land
Davidson College, North Carolina January 2015 “You can go anywhere in the world you want to go.” The statement had great potential,...
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