After a well needed eleven hour slumber, we started the day off at our first english breakfast that left me beyond happy and full. The hotel provided the full English breakfast experience, breakfast meats, tons of fresh pastries, and a wide selection of teas to start us off on a good foot for the long day. Our day was focused on going to Birmingham City University, also named BCU, to engage with a new perspective of how nursing education compares and contrasts to the system in the United States.

To get to the campus we went on our first double decker bus! This was one of my favorite experiences of the day due to the elevation of being on the second floor of the bus. Arriving at the University made me immediately realize buildings in the United Kingdom have some differences to what I am used to in the States. Educational buildings in Birmingham are very colorful, spacious, and sunlit compared to the minimalist and darker set lecture rooms used in educational environments back in the United States.

We had a very intriguing and educational lecture about burns and wound care from Chinenye Anetekhai, a nursing professor at Birmingham City University. She is from Nigeria and has been a nurse a good portion of her life and now educates students at the University. I learned how important it is to properly take care of burns immediately after the incident to salvage the epidermis and stop further spread of damage. Burns can occur from many different household items including hot water, oil, hair tools, and electrical appliances. Making sure houses are safe with children can prevent up to 70% of burn incidents, aiding in the stop of these preventable situations. We also went over how the nursing curriculum works in their University. They tend to only have three years of nursing school and go into clinical settings immediately the first year. They do a learn as you go system, instead of the Pittsburgh curriculum that starts off with prerequisites before getting hands on. During our first day at the campus, we ate at the dining hall and were shocked at how healthy and balanced the food options there were for students. I got a vegetable empanada and my first diet coke in the UK and was pleasantly surprised with how good the cafeteria food was here. Many other students ended up picking the chicken and curry bowls that seemed to be a popular choice among the Birmingham students as well. After our school day was done, a small group of us took a walk around the city stopping at places we were wanting to see or looking for future food opportunities. We visited the Birmingham City Library that has over seven floors filled with notable books and authors. It was beautifully furnished with a garden peering over the city with a remarkable view. We eventually met up with the entire group to have another group dinner at Asha’s, the best Indian I have ever had. Many celebrities such as Ed Sheeran, Tom Cruise, and PINK proclaim about how good the Indian food is here. We tried tons of new foods ranging from samosas, chicken tikka masala, small onion patties, and tons of different vegetable dishes. I am not picky at all so I do love trying new, authentic dishes I would not be able to have if I did not step out of my comfort zone.

We of course had to end our night off with some gelato at one of the Italian dessert places we saw on our walk before dinner. I chose hazelnut and tiramisu gelato that were shaped into a small, delicate flower on top of the sugar cone.

All of the food today left me speechless and definitely wanting to revisit again later in the trip.  One of my new main focuses of this trip is comparing and contrasting the architecture to Pittsburgh. The buildings range from old, rustic brick buildings with a lot of history to tall, modern buildings with a technological vibe to them, all very close in distance. I also have started paying attention to how different the layout of the buildings are inside in the United Kingdom vs United States. As I noticed before, places have more windows and sunlight in England bringing a more airy and open vibe to the building. I have really enjoyed so far taking mental notes on comparisons in buildings, food, and civilians. I have had multiple conversations with some of the locals here and find it interesting how they can immediately pick us out, even when we are by ourselves. I find it important to understand things from other people’s perspectives besides just ourselves, so talking to locals about what they like to do has brought another depth to the trip I did not expect so soon in. I hope to try tons of more new food and see more historical sites as the trip goes on!