Student Voice: I believe that goodbyes are not forever and not the end – Denese Chew, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom

Denese, the middle on the upper row, enjoying her Japanese Class with her classmates.

2020 has been a tough year for everyone. No one would expect that Covid-19 has such a powerful impact on the world. It changes the way we live and interact. Companies shifted to remote working; education shifted to online studies. So, virtual meetings are now essential in people’s daily lives.

I can still remember when I received the tragic news from AIU that they will conduct the entire semester online. How disappointed I was as I had been looking forward to being back to AIU. I chose to continue my Spring Semester with AIU as I thought I might have the chance to go back to AIU again. However, the situation now doesn’t allow us to do so. But I am glad that I made the right choice as AIU had made every possible effort to ensure the students enjoy it. And For this reason, I still feel like being in AIU!

My favorite class is the Japanese language. It made me feel like I’m still connected to Japan. My Japanese sensei is so kind and considerate. Due to the time difference that each of us is experiencing, she adjusted to the timetable to accommodate us. And make sure that all of us can interact with each other as much as possible during the class. Besides that, sensei will invite some Japanese students to join us to practice what we learned in the class with them.

However, having a synchronous class is not always that smooth. Sometimes, we can get distracted and miss some key points here and there. We faced some technical issues too. So, senseis also provide asynchronous learning. It includes self-guided lesson modules, assignments, streaming video content, posted lecture notes, and exchanges across slack.

Now, the Spring Semester is drawing to a close. But I believe that goodbyes are not forever and not the end. Hopefully, this pandemic can be over soon, so we will meet again. Thank you, AIU!

Studied at AIU in the Fall 2019 and currently studying in AIU’s online Spring 2020 Semester.