Today our group traveled to the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, and it honestly felt like stepping into a completely different world. As a freshman nursing student from the United States studying abroad in Birmingham, I have already learned so much about healthcare, culture, and daily life in the UK, but today taught me something different. We looked at an important part of history and how it shaped communities.
We took the public bus there, which is something I am slowly getting more comfortable with. Public transportation here feels very different from back home, where most people rely heavily on cars, and where double decker buses are not common. On our walk to the museum, we passed Dudley Zoo and Castle, which actually reminded me a lot of zoos in America. Even though so many things here are different, moments like that make the world feel smaller and more connected. The weather was rainy and chilly, which honestly seems pretty typical for England. I am definitely learning that carrying an umbrella is basically a survival skill here. While talking with locals, I also noticed more language differences between the UK and the US. One funny thing I learned is that people here pronounce the letter “Z” as “zed” instead of “zee.” Small differences like that remind me every day that I am truly experiencing another culture firsthand.
When we entered the museum, it immediately felt immersive because the entire place is designed like a historical town. Today’s theme focused on the 1960s, so workers were dressed in period clothing and live music played throughout the streets. It did not feel like a normal museum where you just look at exhibits behind glass. Instead, it felt like traveling back in time. One of the most interesting parts of the day was learning about coal mining and the industrial history of the area. We saw a replica steam engine and learned about the harsh conditions miners worked in. I was shocked to learn that horses were kept underground in the mines and blindfolded while being brought down so they would not panic. We also learned that boys as young as ten years old worked in the mines doing dangerous labor.
As a nursing student, I immediately started thinking about the health consequences these workers probably faced: breathing problems, injuries, exhaustion, and poor living conditions. It made me wonder what healthcare looked like for working-class families during that time and how many illnesses went untreated because people could not afford to stop working.
Later, we visited a rebuilt schoolhouse called Saint James’ School and participated in a mock classroom lesson. Before class even started, we had inspections on our shoes and hands, and quite a few students (including me) were publicly embarrassed for having painted nails. The classroom rules were extremely strict, and one student pretending to misbehave even had their hands hit as punishment. Seeing how harsh discipline used to be made me appreciate how much education and healthcare now focus more on compassion, communication, and emotional wellbeing.
After the schoolhouse, we explored more of the museum, visited the candy shop, listened to live music, and walked near the canal boats. I loved seeing all the details from the 1960s, from the clothing and cars to the old architecture throughout the town.
Even though today centered around history, I still found myself connecting everything back to nursing. Learning about how people lived and worked in the past helps explain why healthcare systems developed the way they did. One thing I want to take with me from today is a greater appreciation for resilience. The people who lived during those times endured incredibly difficult conditions, yet communities still found ways to support one another and build lives for their families. Today left me wondering how healthcare workers managed illnesses and injuries with such limited resources and how future generations will someday look back at our own healthcare system. Studying abroad continues to challenge me to think differently, ask more questions, and see healthcare through a wider historical and global perspective.