Japanese

Information

Student Voice: Yu-Hsuan Jen, Tamkang University, Taiwan

Yu-Hsuan Jen is a first-semester exchange student at AIU from Tamkang University, Taiwan

Yu-Hsuan Jen at the Tatsuko-Hime statue at Lake Tazawa
Photo courtesy of Yu-Hsuan Jen

Academic Experience

My major is international business, but I’m taking a variety of courses at AIU, including Global Business and Management, International Cooperation and Development, Upper Elementary Japanese, and Sado [Tea Ceremony].

I really enjoy my Japanese class, because there is a lot of direct interaction with the other students and the teacher.

Schedule at AIU

I searched around on my own and found a working holiday opportunity during the winter, so I’ll be leaving AIU after the fall semester to work at a guest house in the Kansai area then returning for the spring. It’s been a challenge to make all the arrangements

Campus Life

Photo Courtesy of Yu-Hsuan Jen

A Cappella Club

I’m a member of one of the groups in the A Cappella Club. The club is composed of several different groups and we compete with one another for slots at our performances. They do give preference to international students, since we’re here for a shorter amount of time and have fewer chances to perform.

My group is all international students, from a few different countries, and we got to perform one song in a competition in mid-November. We also have a large performance in December. We used to practice twice per week, but we’ve had to increase our practice time before that competition and the upcoming performance!
 
 
 

Bus Tours

A Preserved Samurai Family House in Kakunodate
Photo courtesy of Yu-Hsuan Jen

It was really nice to have the university-arranged bus tour around Akita right after we arrived, in September. None of the international students knew anything about Akita yet, but the tour to Lake Tazawa and Kakunodate and introduced us to the area and showed us what opportunities we had.

Since that experience, I’ve been inspired to travel on my own, too. I went to Oga Peninsula with some friends and a group of us even took a ferry up to Hokkaido.

Yu-Hsuan Jen is a first-semester exchange student at AIU from Tamkang University, Taiwan

Yu-Hsuan Jen at the Tatsuko-Hime statue at Lake Tazawa
Photo courtesy of Yu-Hsuan Jen

Academic Experience

My major is international business, but I’m taking a variety of courses at AIU, including Global Business and Management, International Cooperation and Development, Upper Elementary Japanese, and Sado [Tea Ceremony].

I really enjoy my Japanese class, because there is a lot of direct interaction with the other students and the teacher.

Schedule at AIU

I searched around on my own and found a working holiday opportunity during the winter, so I’ll be leaving AIU after the fall semester to work at a guest house in the Kansai area then returning for the spring. It’s been a challenge to make all the arrangements

Campus Life

Photo Courtesy of Yu-Hsuan Jen

A Cappella Club

I’m a member of one of the groups in the A Cappella Club. The club is composed of several different groups and we compete with one another for slots at our performances. They do give preference to international students, since we’re here for a shorter amount of time and have fewer chances to perform.

My group is all international students, from a few different countries, and we got to perform one song in a competition in mid-November. We also have a large performance in December. We used to practice twice per week, but we’ve had to increase our practice time before that competition and the upcoming performance!
 
 
 

Bus Tours

A Preserved Samurai Family House in Kakunodate
Photo courtesy of Yu-Hsuan Jen

It was really nice to have the university-arranged bus tour around Akita right after we arrived, in September. None of the international students knew anything about Akita yet, but the tour to Lake Tazawa and Kakunodate and introduced us to the area and showed us what opportunities we had.

Since that experience, I’ve been inspired to travel on my own, too. I went to Oga Peninsula with some friends and a group of us even took a ferry up to Hokkaido.