Student Voice: The four seasons in Akita and my favorite experiences from each－Yu Hsuan YU, Yuan Ze University

AIU has restarted hosting international exchange students for the first time in two years starting from the Spring 2022 semester. Student Voice introduces what international exchange students have learned and experienced at AIU and in Akita.

Here is a message from Ms. Yu Hsuan Yu

Spring: I first came to Akita at the end of April. At that time, I was very excited since I’d never gone to Akita before. During this period, I attended lots of clubs and made lots of new friends. The clubs I joined are Kyudo (弓道) and Kendo (剣道) club, I often went to practice one time each week. I also made friends in the club, and I tried to practice my Japanese with them as well.

The first farming experience(rice planting) in Akita with local farmers

Summer: There was a type of farming project for exchange students to join. So I tried out farming while in Akita, which was my first time to experience it. I also ate Babahera Ice Cream (ババヘラ) being sold near the school. Additionally, I attended a field trip to Oga (男鹿), where I enjoyed the atmosphere and had a great time with my friends.

The school’s bus trip to see Hydrangea flowers in Oga

Autumn: Akita became colder and colder, so I tried the Akita Kiritanpo Hot pot(きりたんぽ鍋) for the first time. It’s pretty delicious and my body was warmed by the soup. All of these things were new for me, and I wanted to experience more and know more about Akita, too.

Winter: This was my first time seeing this kind of snow. Since Taiwan is pretty hot, even in the winter there is seldom any snow, and usually only in the mountains for about one week. I built a snowman and got into a snowball fight with my friends at AIU. I still want to play more, and have more great times with my friends as well.