Joining the AIU Festival Committee: Lin Wan-Ju, National Chengchi University, Taiwan

Lin Wan-Ju (foreground, left) with members of the AIU Festival Committee celebrating the successful completion of the festival.

Lin Wan-Ju is a second-semester exchange student at AIU from National Chengchi University in Taiwan.

Extracurricular Activities: Deeper Language and Cultural Learning

I am from Taiwan, and have learned Japanese as a minor subject for 3 years. To learn more about Japanese culture and enjoy the life in Japan, I decided to join in the project team of AIU festival committee to interact with Japanese students.

AIU Festival Committee

In the project team, we conducted 6 projects in the campus to help participants of all ages enjoy the AIU festival more.

I handled 2 projects, which were the Food Project and High School Student Project. In the first, we provided ingredients to participants and guided them to make rice pizza on their own. The participants put the sauce they preferred and some cheese on the Akita’s specialty – rice – and then we would grill it by hot plate to create a unique flavor. Because this activity was free, it attracted lots of people to join in.

Immersed in the Akita Community

Helping local farmers dry rice after the harvest in the traditional fashion.

The most impressive thing during the experience of joining in the project team was that because of the need of the wood to have a campfire, 4 project team members and I went to a farmer’s house and helped them to do some farming. After one afternoon’s farming, we got some wood for free.

It was the first time that I felt that I am in AKITA, where everything is based on people, not money. Because I am from the city in Taiwan, this was my first time to live a life in the countryside. I really appreciated the opportunity to help the farmers and also communicate with them.

Celebrating a Successful Festival with New Friends

AIU Festival Committee members took a trip together to celebrate the successful festival, including a stop on the Oga Peninsula

After AIU festival, I also went on a 2-days trip with the project team members to northern Akita and Morioka in Iwate. We made the pottery on our own, and also stayed one night in a hut. Making dinner together, playing games and chatting whole night, it was the most interesting event I have ever had during my exchange life in AIU.