How Did Shakespeare Have The Opportunity To Study Abroad

Over the summer of the 2014-2015 academic year, I had the opportunity to study abroad in London, England for five weeks through AIFS at the University of London. I’d always wanted to go abroad, often thinking wistfully about far off places that are as foreign as they are charming. In my junior and senior years of high school, I took a particular liking to all things British literature. Shakespeare occupied more time than deemed respectable for a Midwestern high school student, and in an attempt to break from the monotony that is the Shakespearean tragedy, I dabbled in the works of the Bronte sisters, Dickens, and of course, Austen. My fascination was so extensive that I was offered a spot on a trip directed by my British Lit teacher, called

Therefore, the majority of my preparation came in the form of packing the best suitcase possible. I wanted to have quick and easy access to my readings on the plane, and I was always worried that I would lose my passport. This trip made me learn how to be organized and concise in just about every physical way possible.
Funny enough, getting through customs was the hardest part of the trip. Apparently an American girl traveling by herself to the lovely city to study Shakespeare and Austen isn’t believable. My guard checked my AIFS student letter very carefully, asking again what classes I’d be taking and where. After getting grilled by someone without the American warmth that I was so used to, the first tube ride was a piece of cake.
While I was London, I was enrolled in ENG 134: Introduction to Shakespeare with Dr. Kaara Peterson and ENG 440: Major English Writers: Austen with Dr. Katherine Kickel. Both classes required us to interact more with each other and the sites than it did any European students. We would occasionally have a Londoner as a guide for sites that required them, or ones where a guide would be far more beneficial than simply exploring ourselves (such was the case when we toured The Globe