Despite feeling nothing but motion sickness during the flight to the airport in London, the initial two days in Birmingham felt rather refreshing. Walking through some parts of Birmingham on Sunday and enjoying some authentic fish and chips for lunch was very pleasant. Something that become evident quite quickly was just how multi-cultural Birmingham was. Our initial walk through some of Birmingham took us to many different areas with different cultural identities. One of the first areas we walked through was the Birmingham “Chinatown” which boasted many Asian stores, restaurants, and also murals. It is very evident that immigration from the British colonies helped to facilitate the wide ethnic varieties in the population that are very noticeable, especially for someone like myself who does not come from a very diverse area.

One area specifically where I got to experience this multi-culturalism first-hand was through religion. Just on our first day, we managed to pass a synagogue and look at a very old Anglican church. I was also given the pleasure of being able to attend Mass at the Oratory of Birmingham. May is the Month of Mary and the Oratory boasts some great Marian statues and murals, as well as truly beautiful architecture. Mass itself was attended by a very diverse crowd in all things from ethnicity, gender, and even age. On our second day in Birmingham, our walking-tour guide mentioned that diversity, especially religious diversity, has long been a core aspect of the history of Birmingham that aided in its growth. Being able to participate in that multi-culturalism felt very satisfying, especially as I was very keen to see some of the differences in religious culture between Birmingham and what I’ve seen in the United States. Seeing many of the different religious cultures throughout the city, especially those Abrahamic ones, has reminded me of the similarities that many of us share. It specifically reminded me of an instance where I was able to share an appreciation of the Virgin Mary with a few members of the Islamic Faith, who hold her in high regard in their religion similar to Catholicism. Hence why this blog is titled Noi Vogliam Dio, Vergine Maria (We want God, Virgin Mary – the name of an absolutely beautiful Italian Marian Hymn).

For many areas multi-culturalism is a centrifugal force rather than a centripetal one. Some people are very against the idea of encouraging multi-culturalism and not all of those fears are unfounded. In many areas multi-culturalism has led to violence, oppression, and other negative impacts for some parts or even the whole of those societies. Birmingham, however, appears to have made multi-culturalism part of the Birmingham culture itself. The first day of walking revealed so many interesting shops, restaurants, people, and even statues that all seemed to reciprocate their own unique cultural backgrounds. It was also very funny to hear what some of the people we met assumed about America. One guy working in a food truck seemed rather enamored by the very thought of tornados, going as far as to label them one of the two reasons he would never visit the United States (the second being guns).

Our second day in the U.K., and first full day in Birmingham, was even more interesting. We experienced our first day at Birmingham City University and met many of the faculty that we will be learning from in the coming two weeks. Learning about some of the specifics of the United Kingdom’s university system and being able to compare that to how we do it in the United States was very interesting. While sitting down for lunch we were able to have a few conversations relating to both the academic side of what we were studying and also as a way to compare some things and talk about some cultural differences between our two nations. Hearing what the faculty had to say has made me very eager to hear more of their stories and the information they will be sharing in the upcoming classes.

Following our introduction to BCU, we spent the evening checking out the Art Gallery and taking a tour of many parts of Birmingham we had not seen yet. The art gallery was another area that really highlighted some of the historical contexts behind the multi-cultural background of Birmingham and much of the UK. Much of the art was focused on certain political issues and movements that helped to develop that atmosphere. The walking tour allowed us to see much more of the beautiful architecture of Birmingham, explore the amazing library, and learn some of the unique histories behind many areas around the city.

So far it has been a wonderful experience to see how the city operates. I could have never imagined how captivated I would be by so many of the different things we will be learning about, let alone the things we will be experiencing and living hands-on while here.