Hobbits and Shakespeare and Kiwis -- oh my!

When I first watched Peter Jackson's adaptations of The Lord of the Rings at age 10, I knew I had to visit New Zealand. How could such sweeping plains, craggy volcanos, and verdant farmland exist in one small island country? However, because of the stresses of traveling so far, I knew this would not be an easy trip to plan or execute on my own. What is a sad nerd girl to do? Luckily, I found my answer in TEAN; not only did they help with my travel and living arrangements, they offered me the chance to work for college credit and live in my dream city, Wellington, for two months. I had the opportunity to get real-life, cross-cultural work experience at Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand, a partner of the Globe in London that specializes in educational outreach for secondary school children. Aside from my 40-hour work weeks, I was able to explore the country that had fascinated me for so many years during my spare time. It took a few bouts of severe homesickness and many trips to the coffeeshop by the office, but in between searching for Hobbits and those ever-elusive Kiwi, I found a better, stronger version of myself along the way. I'm forever thankful to New Zealand and TEAN for allowing me the opportunity to live a dream and plan for my not-so-distant adulthood, all at the same time.