Reflecting on my time in Belfast, just as it is about to end, I can feel myself already missing the community I have created here. Moving to a new place, making new friends, and adjusting to the culture was something that I originally had a lot of difficulty with. As someone who is naturally quiet and reserved, I was nervous about moving to a new place and having to start all over again when it came to making friends, adjusting to a new city, and reworking my usual work habits to align with a new school. However, in hindsight, as someone who finds it harder to adapt to a new area right away, Belfast was the perfect place for me because of the combination of being in a city without the overwhelming aspect of fast-paced city life. It provided an atmosphere that was reassuring and safe but never dull.
Similar to GWU, Belfast's green spaces has a calmness and security that juxtaposes the campus being in the city. Adjusting to this new place was easier because of the comfort I felt in Belfast reminding me of GWU. With that being said, upon first arriving in Belfast, I was nervous. Despite the similarities that I grew to be grateful for, the differences surrounding culture shock and discomfort in adapting to a new place shaped my first few weeks. The different accents, currency, and the way they drive on the other side of the road were all difficult to process at first. However, Belfast being a smaller city meant it did not have the face-paced, often overwhelming quality that most cities have, which was helpful when attempting to adjust to living there by myself. And while the physical urban space did play a role in my love for Belfast, what truly made me feel at home was the community that Queen’s University provided within the dorms and the school. Thus, as the semester progressed, I could feel myself slowly acclimating to the city and the school. What was once overwhelming very quickly became my norm, and eventually, I settled into a routine, confident in myself as someone who had integrated into Belfast life.
As someone who has now lived in Belfast for almost six months, I know I will miss it immensely. Often referred to by my friends and me as a calmer and much smaller Dublin–none of us know if that is actually true–we just know that despite our fondness for the two-hour bus ride to Dublin from Belfast, Belfast had become our home and we would choose it over any other city. Very quickly, my routine consisted of walking through the Botanic Gardens every day to get to class, stopping to get tea at the coffee shop in the library, and going to music trivia every Wednesday night at the Student Union with my friends. Weekends consisted of going to the city center and exploring new pubs or clubs. Even more mundane things like sending my mom my Tesco receipt to show her how much money I saved at the grocery store, going to local restaurants, or finding a local snack that I love and know I’ll miss once I go back to America, cemented themselves into the life I built in Belfast that I have come to love. As I reflect on my time here, I find it hard to believe that there was a time towards the beginning when I wanted to go home, but that homesickness quickly transformed into belonging. I think the city of Belfast is often overlooked, not seen in the same light as Paris, Barcelona, or even Dublin, but it is a city with rich history and wonderful people. As my semester comes to an end, I will remember my time here fondly and know that I will forever view Belfast as a place I saw as home, even if it was only for a few months.
Kamille Tacy
GW Exchange - Queen's University Belfast
Spring 2023
Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Africana Studies