Hi friends, I have now spent a week in Belfast, Northern Ireland immersed in their community. Throughout this week, I have taken note of some similarities and differences between my community at Pitt and my community in Northern Ireland.
Something that I found to be very similar was transportation. We received bus passes that can be used an unlimited number of times during our two weeks here. This has reminded me a lot of Pitt as we used the public transportation system often, as I do with the Port Authority buses in Pittsburgh. It has been very convenient to be in another city that has a strong public transportation system. One difference that has been a little frustrating is how early the buses stop running. This has been a little difficult to navigate when we are out later at night.
Another difference that I noted immediately was the difference in pace from Pitt to Northern Ireland. In America, especially the Northeast, the culture is very fast-paced. Everything is very timely, and people are often in a rush. Contrarily, the Belfast community has been much more slowly paced. At home, I work in the restaurant industry as a server and bartender. Because we make money through tips, we are trying to get tables out of the restaurant as quickly as possible to allow more tables to come in. In Northern Ireland, the servers make an hourly wage, so they make the same amount of money regardless of how many tables there are. This results in servers being less adamant about getting tables out of the restaurant quickly. My friends and I have found that we often have to ask for the check because otherwise they will allow us to hang out there all night.
The community of people that I am around is similar to the one I am around at Pitt. Because I am in SHRS, a lot of my friends are in the health sciences. The same is true of the people on this study abroad program. Everyone is in the health sciences. Although, there are a lot of CSD students on my program, and I don’t usually run into many CSD students at Pitt.
A typical day here in Northern Ireland is much different from my life at Pitt. Because my program is only two weeks, our days are very full. I have class from 9-5 everyday, which is more school than I am used to at Pitt. Then, we always go out to dinner at night since we are in dorms without a dining hall. At school, I typically do not go out to eat very often because I make meals for myself at my apartment. Instead, my time is spent at schools clubs at night. Therefore, my schedule has been quite different.
The sensory stimulants around me such as sights, smells, and sounds are also different from Pitt. Something I noted quickly was the lack of police cars and ambulance sirens constantly going off. At Pitt, it is very loudly and there are always noises, whether that be sirens or buses. In Northern Ireland, it is much quieter which is a stark difference.
Overall, I have enjoyed the first week so far. The academic portion is certainly challenging, but the payoff of knowledge and experience makes it worthwhile. I am looking forward to the final week.
Best, Reese
