'COLONIAL HOUSE' Despite hard conditions, former servant misses village

Her bad language got her tied to a stake in the cornfield for several hours.
By GAIL SHISTER
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Julia Friese is ready to return to 1628. After five months' hard living, circa 17th century, on an isolated stretch of the Maine coast for PBS' "Colonial House," Friese misses her fellow time-travelers.
"Colonial House," which completed filming in October, airs May 17, 18, 24 and 25 from 8 to 10 each night.
"We became so much like family," recalls Friese, 26, gallery programs coordinator at the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. "As hard as it was, it was home. I miss that sense of community and comfort we had."
Like participants in PBS' "Frontier House, "Manor House," and "The 1900 House," the 26 villagers of "Colonial House" lived day-to-day life almost exactly as it was lived in that period and place.
Twice-monthly baths. Public punishments. And indentured servants -- such as Friese, who was placed in the home of the conservative governor and his family.
"I had to bite my tongue. It was very hard to be told my opinions didn't matter because I was a woman and a servant. I stayed awake at night, stressed out about being the lowest of the low, the bottom rung on the ladder."
Friese, a Miami native and University of Florida grad, moved to Philadelphia in fall 2001 "on a whim," because a good friend lived here. "I had no car, no money and no job. I had just broken up with my fianc & eacute; and I needed to find out who I was."
Friese applied for "Colonial House "because I'm very feisty and always looking for a great challenge. I couldn't let this opportunity out of my hands." She was chosen from among more than 5,000 applicants.
Though she never had to wear a scarlet A (for adultery), Friese was punished with a B (blasphemy) and P (profanity) on the same day.
As was done at the time, she was tied (loosely) to a stake in the cornfield for several hours. Most important, Friese lost her "prune privileges." As the only available fruit, prunes "were like gold. We used them for currency."
After living on a diet mainly of whole oats, dried peas and salted meats, Friese went gonzo when she got home, "indulging every single craving I had had during the five previous months."
Pizza. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Chicken wings. Jack Daniel's and Coke. Then her boyfriend, John Paul Travis, 28, a technician for an engineering company, surprised her with a trip to Cancun, Mexico.
Friese still dreams about "Colonial House" and has flashbacks sometimes, as when she sees prunes in the grocery store. Her experience has given her a new philosophy.
"I'm able to see what's important in life. When you wake up in a situation where your goal is to survive that day, you don't worry about superficial things."