Expat life involves adjusting "self" to the "other," and sometimes that "self" needs a little escape and a lot of indulgence in the form of a musical intervention.

This playlist, sculpted during two cross-country train treks in Sri Lanka, has become my soundtrack for transit. 

The indulgence of familiarity in the face of mystery, allowing me to turn inward, for just an hour or so -- 

imagining that snoring neighbor bumpin to Poliça with me,

basking in longing for my far away lover with the help of Belle Ville,

wishfully lulling that crying baby to sleep with the help of The Touré-Raichel Collective 

-- all of this allowing me feel a bit more human in the face of chaotic novelty.

Crossing through the jungle, getting dusty in the dry country, through mountain tunnels, and swampy villages - these jams have helped transform a foreign milieu into something uniquely my own. 

Transit tunes - a safe space for your ears, an exemption from the crazy, a "serenity now" if there ever were one.

playlist by Elizabeth Bittel, follow Elizabeth on her Sri Lanka travels here.

music is for sampling purposes only – please support local record shops and musicians at their shows!