Friedberg Recipients

Over the course of my semester in France, I made an effort to get to know this country beyond the city of Paris. I traveled to Aix-en-Provence, Montpellier, and Saint-Vincent-sur-Jard. Recording my impressions in a journal and building on them to create several pieces of short fiction, I was able to fully engage with all the sights and experiences. I have assembled a short story collection that will allow me to look back on my thoughts and feelings while abroad in France for the rest of my life. (Elizaveta took the Sweet Briar Junior Year Program in Paris) Continue reading »

Mushrooming is an experience with a peculiar allure, following, and culture. For instance, the French are CRAZY about mushrooms, but you would never know it. This is because everyone has their own secret spot which they share with no one. I once asked a man where he goes to pick his mushrooms, and he told me that he would tell me, but that he would then have to kill me. (Jack studied at the BU Study Abroad program in Grenoble) Continue reading »

I think I really found what I was looking for when I started frequenting a small, technically boring café in my neighborhood called Chez Renée. I spent lots of time there reading and writing in its one-room, high-ceilinged space with tall, full bookshelves lining all four walls. (The owner) accepted my accent without derision, and we had good conversations about living in Paris. This turned out to be my personal version of café philosophizing, and it will always remain as important to me as Café de Flore was to Sartre and Beauvoir. Continue reading »

By giving Parisians the opportunity to tell their story on a map, I hoped to unveil such places, which in turn would reveal the true character of Paris according to those who actually live there. Continue reading »