A Fortnight in Britain
A Bookworm’s Dream
5 September 2017
Cedar City, UT
The island of Great Britain is a source of awe and respect for many inhabitants of the world. There is something alluring about the history and the grandeur of the royal family, not to mention the accent. For any interested in literature, this small country boasts some of the greatest authors and works to ever grace the printing press. This past June SUU student, Amanda Burrows, was given the opportunity of a lifetime to travel to and around Great Britain as her Global Engagement EDGE project.
The trip included many of Britain’s most beloved sights: Stonehenge, Kensington Palace, Baker Street, Kings Cross Station, Oxford, Loch Ness, and Tintern Abbey to name a few. Her nerd sensibilities were gratified as she pushed a trolley through Platform 9 ¾, knocked on 221B Baker St., ate supper at The Eagle and Child (a pub frequented by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien while the two were attending Oxford), and stood at the gate of William Shakespeare’s boyhood residence. Juvenile pleasures aside, she is thrilled with the first-person experience she gained in the homeland of these authors in preparation for her career as an English teacher.
Ms. Burrows’ obsession with literature began right here in Cedar City when she attended the Utah Shakespeare Festival as a child. Her first play, “Much Ado About Nothing,” tickled her funny bone and romantic tendencies. She went on to be an avid reader of everything from Tolkien to Brontë to Rowling. As an English teacher, she hopes to instill her same passion for reading, analyzing, and discovering literature in at least a few of her students.
Through the EDGE program at SUU, students gain the essential “real-world” experience employers are looking for upon graduation. Ms. Burrows feels that her time in Great Britain will help future employers realize her love for her subject and provide her students with perspective when reading about major authors. ###
Amanda Burrows
435-275-5526