We finally landed in London after a long trip and we finally got on the bus to Birmingham. My first impression of the country in general was how fancy everything was. For example, the bus that we went on seemed futuristic as well as the airport with modern furniture and locations. Also, I am very shocked to see them driving on the left side. I am so used to driving and walking on the right side that it will be hard to adjust to. Although I was asleep for most of the ride to Birmingham, I was up for a little bit and noticed the views outside, and they were beautiful. The landscape and buildings were also futuristic looking and seemed cared for more than some cities in America.
Something else that I found interesting was the people in Birmingham. First off, several people were very kind and considerate, especially the waiters and flight attendants. I was very surprised to see how much they wanted to make a pleasurable experience for us. Something else that I noticed was the several different people that are in Birmingham. I saw several people that were different ethnicities, cultures and races. I would say just from walking around for an afternoon, I saw about 20 different cultures. Birmingham seems like a very inclusive area. For example, it was really cool to see jewish people and Buddhists residing on the same street. Something else that I thought was really neat was right near the bathrooms, there was a multi faith room. I thought that this was a very thoughtful idea for a city to have and I had never seen a room like this before. Also, there was a very interesting statue that stood out to me in front of the library. The statue was based on a real life family from Birmingham in 2014. However, this family was not a “traditional” family and I thought that it was really neat that the city put this statue in the middle of this public location. I think it is really nice to see how inclusive this city is.
Something else in Birmingham that stood out to me was the architecture. I noticed that it was very old and victorian looking. It was absolutely stunning in these places and you could really feel the history in these areas. However, as I said earlier, there were also places that were more futuristic looking. For example, the library looked very cool with a garden and what looked like wires all over the building. Overall, I feel that Birmingham has something for everyone to enjoy and has so much history to offer.
Differences and Similarities Between Birmingham and the U.S.
The similarities that I noticed between Birmingham and the U.S. was what the city had to offer. There was a very nice mall that one could shop and get clothes. I think that the U.S. has a lot of these types of malls as well. However, I was surprised to see the differences in the names of the stores and what they offered. Birmingham is similar to other cities in the U.S. with lots of places to walk and many people out and about. Birmingham did have some really pretty canals and boats that not a lot of cities in the U.S. have. Apparently Birmingham has more canals than Venice does, which just goes to show the difference between Birmingham and other cities (especially in the U.S.). Something else that was very different to Birmingham and the U.S. was how much the city of Birmingham seems to care about their people. This goes along with how there are so many cultures and lifestyles found in the city. Also, something interesting was the several defibrillators on the streets. This really shows how much the city and the people in the city care for each other and how willing they are to help. I think that if the U.S. had more of this then it would be very beneficial to the safety of the people.
What I Am Looking Forward To
I am so excited to keep exploring the city of Birmingham and continue to see more of the culture. I also am excited to do the same for London. However, I am the most excited to go to BCU and learn more about the education and health system in this beautiful city and see how it compares to the United States. Until tomorrow!
