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AIU Voices
Alumni Voices: One amazing year at AIU and the impact on my life – by Tobias GRIES,? Ludwigshafen University, Germany
What do you want to experience at AIU? Who do you want to become through study abroad?
In this series, we would like to introduce the articles written by former AIU exchange students to share their most memorable experiences, what they learned and how the AIU experience has helped them get to where they are now, and what they would like to tell international students who are thinking of studying at AIU.
The purposes and goals of studying abroad are different for everyone, but we hope that the stories of these alumni will encourage you to consider choosing AIU as your destination.
Here is a message from Tobias GRIES. He was an exchange student who studied at AIU in the Fall 2009, Winter and Spring 2010 Semester.
“最高”*: That pretty much sums up the one amazing year I spent at AIU and the impact it had and still has on my daily life. Let me tell you why:
* 最高 [saikou]: awesome; unbelievable; super; best ever)
Unlike other universities in large cities, AIU is nicely situated in the beautiful countryside landscape of Akita, with an amazing campus. One might think that being away from major cities would create a “boring” environment, but it actually is the opposite. What I really enjoyed is the international environment on campus where most of the students were living. Hence, it really feels like an international village where you can exchange thoughts and cultural experiences with students from all around the globe.
Therefore, this global exposure, and being surrounded by beautiful nature, helped to broaden my horizon and way of thinking in a more open-minded manner. Inevitably this also had and has a positive impact on my working style and career.
During my time at AIU I had the chance to build many global friendships, but of course also with many Japanese students. Later after graduating in Germany, I went to Tokyo straight away for an internship, where many Japanese fellow-students from AIU had just started their careers. Hence, we could get in contact and help each other overcome these new challenges of the business world.
As the AIU Alumni have a great network, especially in Tokyo, I also met my future-wife-to-be at one of the Nomikais* back then. My wife was also a student of AIU (Ikkisei**), although she had already graduated when I came to Akita in 2009-2010 for my year abroad.
* Nomikai (飲み会）：Get-together; Happy Hour
** Ikkisei (一期生）：First graduation class
So, one can say that my year at AIU had a massive-life changing impact… which I am still feeling every day today ?
My wife and I now have two beautiful kids, Leo (5yrs) and Hana (3yrs).
Funnily enough, my best friend Levo from Germany, who came to Akita for study abroad at the same time as me, also got married to an AIU graduate. So, we are regularly celebrating AIU reunions, although in a smaller circle. ?
After graduating in Germany and coming back to Japan for an internship in 2011, I then lived in Tokyo/Yokohama for 13 years. Japan became my home and the home of our family.
This past September 2024, we moved to India to start a new adventure, as I accepted a new challenge of building up a new factory for my company here in Pune, but Japan and Akita will always remain our home!
What I would recommend to the students going to Akita: Don’t hide in your room, go out and meet other students at the cafeteria, at the circles/clubs or even while doing your laundry. Don’t stay in your room at your desk studying too much! Nowhere else can you meet people from different backgrounds and countries in such a small community and in such a rural village as you can at AIU.
You should also spend the Winter program at AIU as there will be less students than usual and that’s when you can make real friends for life. Go out and enjoy the nature – snowboarding, hiking, swimming, … – Akita has a lot to offer!
What I also really enjoyed during my time in Akita were the local community outreach programs offered to meet children from local kindergartens and exchange about different cultural habits. Through these programs, I also went to play baseball, did rice farming, celebrated Halloween, and learned about local traditions such as Namahage and Kanto-Matsuri. We visited countless local festivals and interacted with the locals, who always welcomed us warmly.
I think this is something truly different to the big cities where everyone follows their daily busy schedule. Here you really have the chance to connect and exchange with the locals. Overall a great and unforgettable experience, 最高 !