Organic Farming in France
September 2008 - March 2009
In August 2008 I found myself with some time on my hands and a modest amount of money saved up from working part-time during the school year and summer breaks. I decided to take that as an opportunity to pursue a personal passion for food and wine and figured there was no better place to do it than France. Having no previous French language training, I promptly researched and acquired an affordable tutor and started taking intensive private lessons. Three weeks later, I began my adventure with a one-way ticket to Lyon, France.
During the six months that I was in France, I was able to work at six different organic farms: three vineyards, an olive orchard, a dairy farm and a 'market garden'. I had the opportunity to learn and do many different things during my stay. For example, I picked grapes at a vineyard in Beaujolais, I helped to make wine at another vineyard near Bordeaux, I harvested olives in Provence and I made pastries for a farmer's market near the Dordogne valley.
I researched and contacted each farm through an organization called WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) which serves as a meeting point for farmers and potential volunteers. The working arrangement and living circumstances of each farm was unique, but I was typically expected to work six hours a day, five days a week, in exchange for room and board.
In between each farm, I traveled almost exclusively by hitchhiking and Couchsurfing, a free hospitality exchange website designed to make connections between travelers and the local community. I found traveling this way to be very rewarding because it allowed me to see a lot of interesting parts of the country and meet many different types of French people, while saving money at the same time.
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Glassblowing
Final Report: The Art and Science of Glassblowing
During my final semester, I chose to do an independent study in the art and material science of glassblowing. I had previously had the opportunity to take a course at the MIT glass lab while I was enrolled there as a student and had enjoyed it immensely. Without a nearby studio, I found it difficult to find opportunities to continue at Olin, so when I had the chance to do so, I chose to take it.
For the artistic portion of my independent study, I attended a 12-week class through the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Through this course I was able to learn the fundamentals of glass blowing and express myself creatively by designing my own pieces. While I don't consider myself to be particularly talented as an artist, I do enjoy expressing myself in this way and find three-dimensional mediums to be the easiest and most interesting way to do so for my abilities.
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