05/08/2022: Arriving in Heathrow, London around 8 in the morning, the Plus3 UK trip was off to a great start. Our group was graced by the views of the English countryside as we drove two hours to Birmingham. Once we arrived, the jet lag was beginning to set in, so we opted to eat a delicious lunch to gain some energy. After trying Costa Coffee, which is the British equivalent of Starbucks, we ended up dining along the Birmingham Channel in Brindelplace at The Malt House, which is a 500-year-old pub. Of course, my first meal in England had to be fish & chips. During this meal, everyone was joking about British slang (a Birmingham native is called a Brummie, fries are called chips, and a toilet is called a loo *not lou or lieu as a professor pointed out this morning*). Next, we scouted out the Birmingham Channel shops; there are so many good eats which are central to this area!! I’m excited to try out some of the pubs here.

Our afternoon was spent walking around Birmingham, making us good and tired so we would sleep soundly and convert to British Standard Time. We explored Digbeth and the Bull Ring. Digbeth was supposed to be a really cute shopping area, but there was lots of construction which made it difficult to get around. We did however find a cute thrift store, which I may return to later in this trip. I am choosing to look at all the construction in Birmingham positively as “an investment in the future of England.” The Bull Ring has a really cool history. A highlight was visiting St. Martian’s Anglican Church. The church was constructed in the 1200s, and it retains its full beauty today.

Technically, this is when our program ended on day one; however, as a Roman Catholic, I had to fulfill my Sunday Mass obligation. Prior to the Plus3 UK trip, I did some research, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Oratory of St. Phillip Neri has located only a 10-minute walk down the street from our hotel. This is exciting because I attend the Oratory of St. Phillip Neri in Pittsburgh for daily mass, and I am also a member of the Pitt Newman Club at the Oratory. Attending mass was my absolute favorite part of my first day abroad! The Oratory’s courtyard was stunning – there was a lovely Marian statue outside decorated in honor of the month of Our Lady. Mass was extremely reverent, and it was amazing to get to pray with my fellow Catholic classmates. After the chaos of traveling and being awake for almost 36 hours straight, mass allowed me to find peace and realize the beauty of my circumstances. To top it all off, when walking out of mass, the Oratory was lined with rose bushes – which was very reminiscent of a sentimental place in my hometown, the Park of Roses in Columbus, OH. The bushes boasted orange buds with pink undertones, which are the absolute favorite flowers.

A group of students decided to finish off the evening with an authentic Brummie food truck experience. I enjoyed a Bison Burger paired with the iconic Heinz Ketchup, all the way from Pittsburgh. Finally, after an all-exhaustive day, everyone called it a night.

05/09/2022: We woke up early this morning to attend our first class at Birmingham City University (BCU). One of the cool things about our breakfast experience was getting to use the fancy coffee machine to make myself a cappuccino. After this we were on the road to BCU; we walk almost everywhere as a group, so I expect to traverse several kilometers a day for the rest of this trip. Our first class was an introductory lecture about BCU and its staff. Everyone we met was so welcoming and personable. It was really interesting to hear about life as a nursing student in the UK. For instance, nursing undergraduate programs in the UK are 3 years, whereas in the US they are 4 years. I thought it was cool that the BCU nursing student uniforms, although similar to that of Pitt, have lapel patches that denote the year/qualifications of each student. We also learned that there is no similar exam to the NCLEX in the UK. Once a nursing student graduates, they are permitted to work in the hospital systems, because they are certified through the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC). In the UK, nursing students also specialize during their undergraduate degree, which is almost unheard of in the States.

This lecture provided some excellent information that has made me re-evaluate my research topic. Originally, I wanted to study health disparities that immigrants face within health care and education in the UK versus in the US. Now I am considering taking the approach of health care and educational infrastructure, specifically focusing on accessibility. Who can become a nurse based on their physical, fiscal, and educational abilities? So far on this trip, the UK is proving to have far more resources for both mental health treatments and disability care. For instance on our walk yesterday we saw a mental health clinic that serves individuals ages 13-25. And every building we have entered has had ramps and other features of accessibility for individuals who have physical disabilities. I am not certain that I will end up pivoting to this section of research, but it definitely has piqued my interest.

This afternoon we spent time exploring another area of Birmingham. We enjoyed visiting the Birmingham City Art Museum, which had a fascinating exhibit on the history of racism against the South Asian population in England. Next, we received an excellent tour of both Chamberlain and Victoria Square. I really appreciated learning about the history of Birmingham. Who knew that it has a similar history regarding the steel manufacturing industry to Pittsburgh?! We also got to venture into the Birmingham Public Library, which totally puts Hillman to shame. It is so breathtaking inside. I am looking forward to writing a few blogs there while enjoying the 360-degree view of Birmingham off its terrace garden. We finished off tonight by exploring Grand Central Station Shops, but for dinner, a small group of us decided to try some Greek food and British soda.

My first two days in Birmingham have been delightful! In an attempt to keep my reflection short: today was the best start to 14th grade that I could have asked for–CHEERS!