We are only day 1, hour 4 into our study abroad in the UK and we’ve already gotten to see so much of the beautiful city. From talking to some Birmingham residents previously, I’ve been told that this city isn’t much of a sight. I didn’t know what to expect from it before arriving, but now that I’m here and have only explored a few places, I’m already in love.
Brum is unique and exciting and feels very much like an alternate version of Pittsburgh. There are people out and about, hanging with their mates, going to dinner, walking to a pub. Everyone looks very put together and proper, and those who are traveling to a club or perhaps a pub are dressed more party-like.
Besides the residents, the architecture and monuments are exquisite and the history behind them is fairly interesting. We’ve passed by a few structures of historical figures, such as Queen Victoria in Victoria Square. We also ran into a telephone box, which made me feel like Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap. We walked passed a few religious buildings, and although these religions were very different from one another, they were fairly close by, showing the diverse population and the respect everyone has for one another. Learning about European history is interesting when most of our historical lessons are about American history.
There are many differences and similarities to the States. Some things that I found similar were the popular city-type vibe, the weather, the diverse population(although it seems to be a bit more diverse here in Birmingham), and the many historical sights there are. Pittsburgh is a popular city, I would say, and there’s always people walking from place to place. That reminds me of Birmingham, although Brum seems to have a bit more people walking about, but that may be due to the early nightlife. The weather is nicer than I though it would be. It’s a bit cloudy and rainy, but it’s also humid out, which is very similar to Pittsburgh. When it comes to the differences between the two, there are a lot. To begin, since the legal age for purchasing tobacco products and alcohol is 18, you will see many citizens with vapes, cigarettes, open bottles of alcohol, and just empty cigarette packages everywhere. It’s more common here than in the States. I’ve noticed, too, that the younger generation dresses up and goes out to pubs and clubs quite early in the evening. At about 6pm we saw many people getting ready to begin their nightlife, while in the States, or Pittsburgh at least, nightlife begins at 9-10pm latest.
After all the sightseeing today, I’m looking forward to exploring more of the city and actually speaking to some Brummies to get a feel of their typical day-to-day lifestyle. I’m also looking forward to going to Birmingham City University and speaking to the nursing students to understand how they learn differently than we do in the States. I have to get used to their terminology here before I begin speaking to anyone, though, because the terms they use here are sometimes very different than the terms we use back home.
