Student Voice: My first month here at AIU – Sandra LU, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy

Sandra LU from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy is participating in our exchange program for Spring 2024 semester. We would like to introduce her experience at AIU.

My first impression

I have always dreamed of living and studying in Japan, and I’m very happy to have the opportunity to study here in Akita and share my experiences in this article.

My first impression of Akita is that people are very kind and friendly to everyone, and that AIU has a really good environment to study in and to interact with students from all over the world.

Due to the limited number of students, I think it is much easier to make friends and meet new people than at other larger universities.

Numerous activities and events

Thanks also to the numerous activities and events organized by the Student Affairs’ Office and RA, students have a lot of opportunities to learn about each other.

The activity that I highly recommend is the bus trip, where you have the possibility not only to explore Akita but also to share your time with other AIU students.

For example, I participated in the bus trip to Kakunodate Town and Lake Tazawa with my roommate, and we had a lot of fun enjoying Kakunodate’s Sakura Festival and eating some local specialities like Oyakodon and Kiritanpo.

The Sakura trees were really amazing!

Excited to explore more

After leaving Kakunodate Town, we also tasted the delicious honey-flavored ice cream of the nearby Hachimitsuya shop and admired the gorgeous landscape of Lake Tazawa.

This is only my first month’s experience here in Akita, and I’m already having a lovely time, so I’m very excited to enjoy my stay in Japan by participating in many other activities and exploring more Japanese culture.