Boarding the flight from London to Belfast, Northern Ireland, marked my first “aha” moment. Up until that point, everything had felt relatively familiar. Traveling from the United States to London, I experienced a sense of comfort and accessibility similar to what I was used to back home, along with the usual hustle and bustle of…
Tag: Northern Ireland
Developing a Sense of Community Abroad in Northern Ireland
While more than halfway through my study abroad experience at Queen’s University in Belfast, I have begun to reflect on the academic and social communities I have gained here. Academically, I have been able to connect with my professors in a meaningful way in the Psychology department as well as my Archaeology professor. For psychology,…
Hello from Belfast, Northern Ireland!
Hello! My name is Cole Perkins, and I am a second-year student studying Psychology with a minor in Anthropology here at Pitt from Naples, Florida. I am currently in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for the Spring 2026 term studying at Queen’s University Belfast. Despite a snowy beginning and a semester marked by significant changes, I have…
Growing from Ireland
Before studying abroad in Ireland, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I had never traveled alone before and have always considered myself a homebody. I remember feeling incredibly homesick during my freshman year of college, even though I lived just 30 minutes away from campus. Despite this, I was determined to step out of…
The Right of Way
Before you go on a trip abroad everyone always tells you that you are going to see things that are different from your home country, that you might get homesick, and that you are going to face culture shock. As part of an assignment for my program I made 20 observations about things that are…
Exploring Interdisciplinary and a Welcome to Northern Ireland
At 3:30 am Pacific Standard time, when I left for the airport, I really started to come to terms with the fact that I had two weeks to soak up everything that Northern Ireland could offer me on the interdisciplinary workings of working with children with disabilities. And by 4:00 am, I was on the…
Traveling Abroad with Normah: Next stop, Belfast, Ireland!
Hi! My name is Normah Salazar. I am a rising Junior in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. I am a Biology major on the Pre-Med track with the goal of attending Medical school to study surgery. I currently volunteer at Allegheny General Hospital and am exploring various healthcare specialties by shadowing…