Five weeks. It’s enough time to feel like you’ve lived some place, but not so long that you actually have.
The FAMU summer program was hands down one of the greatest experiences of my life. Every year, Emerson is one of the numerous film schools that ships about 2 dozen lucky students off to the Czech Republic to have the time of their lives. It was summer camp, but for 20-something film students. It was a family vacation with no fighting. It was spring break for an entire summer.
Of 2 dozen classmates, I met virtually all of them for the first time. I consider the majority of those to be among my closest friends to this day. The majority. How many best friends do you get to have in your life? Imagine meeting 15 of them at once. That’s what it was like.
It felt like a once in a lifetime experience, but there must be something in the air, because I’m told that it’s like this every summer. 2 years later, I’m still talking about going back, but it won’t feel right unless I bring 15 of my closest friends with me.
We always say, “Someday I’m gonna make some money and drag everyone back.” It’s probably not true, but it’s nice to fantasize about recapturing the past.