Today was an eventful day. We left Ireland in the morning and I felt a mixed of emotions. I was excited to know that a new destination was awaiting, but at the same time extremely overwhelm for leaving a place that has acquired a great significance in my life. When we arrived to Belfast I couldn’t help to compare it with Dublin. As our professor anticipated the architecture in Belfast is a reflection of the 19^th century which makes the city look more industrialized, and familiar with the landscape at home. It was very interesting to see how everything seems to be a combination of Irish and Anglo culture. For a second I was a little confused and really trying to define the politics and national identity of this place. It was exactly then when everything we learned regarding the partition of Northern Ireland, the troubles, and religious tension between England and Ireland came to life. Everything started to make sense. My impression on this first day in Belfast is that people on this side of the island are still conflicted when it comes to defining identity , and that the best coping method is the incorporation of elements from both cultures into their lives.

Upon our arrival, we visited Belfast City Hall. So far ,I think this is my favorite part of the city.The architecture of this place seemed to shared a more similar style to the major buildings in Dublin Ireland, with respect to the rest of Belfast. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the history, architecture and current political structure in Northern Ireland. It was again very interesting to see how they have taken pieces and elements from both cultures to develop and recount their history.