With February upon us, our REECA master’s students are knee-deep in course packs for spring semester. But even their winter breaks kept them engaged with the Davis Center’s vast and fascinating region. Read on to learn how.
👶🏻👦🏻👧🏻 "Over winter break, I traveled to Armenia, where I spent time with my family, and had the chance to volunteer with the Hayordi Foundation, an organization that supports refugee children from Nagorno-Karabakh who lost their fathers because of the war and are now displaced in Armenia. Each time I visit, I come away having learned something new about my people and the resilience of their everyday lives." — Aspram Israyelyan ('27)
🎥 "As someone interested in pursuing documentary filmmaking, I took the opportunity to watch several recent documentaries related to the region, including ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin,’ which captures the militarization of Russian schools from the vantage point of Pavel, an events coordinator-cum-filmographer at a small-town public school, and Gar O'Rourke's ‘Sanatorium,’ which documents a Ukrainian health resort amidst the war." — Akbota Saudabayeva ('27)
🎄 "For the holidays, I prepared a mini-version of the traditional 12-course Ukrainian Christmas Eve dinner (sviat vechir). I spent the day preparing some of my favorite dishes, like borscht and a braided bread called kolach. These traditions have a rich, resilient history that dates back to ancient times, and they have survived despite repeated repressions. I treasure the chance to carry them on." — Nana Gongadze ('27)
🚆 "In January, I visited Latvia with fellow REECA student Christopher Conway. We enjoyed the snowy landscape, visited museums and churches, glanced over the Art Nouveau architecture, and profited from the town's culinary and libational wonders. At the Riga Central Station, we found for sale the latest edition of the journal New Eastern Europe, featuring an article by our fellow REECA student Alice Volfson.” — Markus Vaher ('26)
📝 "Over the break, I've returned to freelance writing on Eastern European politics and security. Luckily enough, I was contacted by The Moscow Times and asked to write a 2025 round-up of Caucasus-Russia relations in the run up to the end of the year. I also continued to write my weekly newsletter, the Eastern Neighborhood Bulletin." — Nicholas Castillo ('27)
