My program came to a close today, but I have a few days of independent travel to reflect on my experiences and all that I’ve learned. The two aspects I was most looking forward to while studying abroad were cultural immersion and gaining practical knowledge in my field. Today, I’m going to explore the former. Before coming to Belfast, I had a limited understanding of the politics of Northern Ireland from watching the TV show Derry Girls. The show made the tensions between Protestants and Catholics easily digestible, but did not fully convey the gravity of the situation and its impact on the culture of Northern Ireland.
On my first full day in Belfast, we took a hop-on, hop-off bus tour of the city and entered a residential area. What made these neighborhoods so interesting was that they were divided based on religious and political affiliation, with peace walls as the barrier. The peace walls are painted with murals and statements, such as support for other countries and honoring the legacy of activists like Bobby Sands. To understand why these walls were necessary, you need to know the history of Belfast. The Troubles took place from the late 1960s until the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, and were a conflict between the majority-Protestant unionists/loyalists, who wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom, and the majority-Catholic republicans/nationalists, who wanted the country to be a part of the Republic of Ireland. On the bus tour, I observed signs as well as flags that indicated which side each village represented.
A small glimpse at a portion of the peace walls
Although I had some awareness of the historical context of Belfast, I did not realize the extent to which it impacts society today. Before leaving, I watched a video online of an American who experienced culture shock while traveling to Northern Ireland because she referred to the country as being part of the UK, and was met with some form of hostility from locals, who also preferred that it be called the north of Ireland. In my own experience, the locals of Belfast are some of the friendliest people I have ever met, and are not strict on how you refer to their country. Of course, when in doubt, ask, and it is better not to make any assumptions, but given that Belfast is nearly a 50/50 split of Protestants and Catholics, the locals have experience with navigating diverse opinions. Similarly, I took a day trip to Derry and learned beforehand that the safest option is to refer to the town as Derry/Londonderry when speaking with locals.
For the sake of cultural learning, one of our assignments on this program was to interview a local on topics of our choosing, and I was interested in speaking about politics. Given the protests in Belfast, the assignment was adjusted so that we were given a list of questions to choose from, but the locals I interviewed brought up politics on their own accord. They were college students and explained that the older generations tended to be more traditional because they were alive during the Troubles. One local had a friend who was part of the Orange Order, a Protestant organization, and was not allowed to attend Catholic weddings or funerals. However, the local I spoke with was Catholic and expressed that having an interfaith friendship was not an issue. The contexts of the Troubles are still relevant in Belfast, but differing religious beliefs are not as divisive as they once were.
By far, one of the best parts of studying abroad is learning beyond a textbook. I love having the opportunity to think critically about cultural differences because I get to observe them firsthand. Somewhat unexpectedly, learning about the culture and history of Belfast made me more aware of the relations within my own country. It is interesting to discover what reminds you of home!