Students wishing to study abroad from Akita University
Reports on study abroad experiences

My name is Saki Shibukawa and I am a student of the Department of Regional Studies and Humanities in the Faculty of Education and Human Studies. I studied abroad for about 10 months at the University of Cagliari in Sardinia, Italy. Sardinia is famous as a resort area in Europe. There, I took Italian language classes at the Language Center and undergraduate linguistics classes. The undergraduate classes were taught in English and the Italian classes were all in Italian right from the beginning, so I was constantly exposed to two languages. The Italian classes were mainly made up of international students and were divided into different levels, with around 10 students per class. The teachers were kind and polite and gave us a lot of oral speaking practice. The undergraduate classes I took were classroom-style, just like in Japan. However, I got the impression that many of the students were more proactive in speaking up than in Japan, and that many of them were always forward-thinking about the class. Outside of class, I regularly went to the Japanese language club introduced to me by a friend.
 
What I felt when I came to Italy was that they are very good at enjoying life. A cup of espresso in a bar, enjoying the beach with family on summer weekends, and sudden conversations with strangers on the bus are all part of their everyday life, and I often felt that they have a relaxed mind. And of course, when you think of Italy, you can’t forget the delicious pizza and pasta. You can get a large pizza for as little as six euros, and the vegetable pizza was my favorite.
 
During this study abroad program, I participated in events and experienced living together with Italian and European students. They always tried their best in both study and play, and were a great inspiration to me in my study abroad life. I also have very good memories of being able to experience the culture of Europe, which is far away from Japan, and having the opportunity to interact with international students who were also interested in Japan. The fact that I was able to make good friends from Italy was also a great asset in my life. Through this study abroad program, I was able to experience the differences in the culture and values of each country. I would like to express my gratitude to all the people who helped and supported me during my study abroad. Thank you very much.