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Theresa AICHINGER

#Real Voice
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Austria flag

From Austria

First-year student, Master's Course,
Division of Humanities and Intercultural Studies,
Faculty of Urban Liberal Arts
(Exchange Student)

Q1.What is it like to be part of TMU?

What fascinates me is the beautiful lush campus situated in the suburbs.
In fact, I live in a dormitory located on campus, and it is very convenient because the campus is equipped with everything from an affordable school cafeteria to a well-equipped library.
When I have time, I sometimes ride my bicycle to the Tama River and other areas of natural beauty, as well as go for a stroll around the neighborhood by jogging.

Q2.How do you normally spend your day?

Schedule for the day

I wake up around 8:30 to 9 a.m. and go to TMU without having breakfast. I eat lunch in the cafeteria with friends after taking a class in the morning. My favorite lunch menu is agedashi tofu. On average, I take three to four classes a day, and I go to the library to devote extra time to studying kanji characters between classes. After leaving TMU around 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., I run, exercise, or go out to eat at a restaurant with friends. I go back to my dorm around 10 p.m. and take a shower and then talk to my parents via Skype before going to bed. Since it has not been too long since I came to Japan, I have been keen on studying, but when the next term comes, I plan on working part-time just a little.

Q3.How do you spend your weekends?

I go to karaoke with friends or go out to Tokyo to attend events by the International Circle. I love the Studio Ghibli films and other Japanese anime movies, so I sometimes spend my weekends watching movies online.

Q4.What is the appeal of TMU?

In front of the Computer Center, Minami-Osawa Campus

First, the quality of Japanese language courses is very high, and I can learn a variety of new things. Also, when I ask other people who study abroad in other schools, many international students cling together in groups in the dormitory and in the classrooms and do not interact much with Japanese students. However, at TMU, most of the students living in the dormitory are Japanese, and there are only four international students, which makes it easy to make many Japanese friends. Students are all open-minded and interested in international students. What's more, many students can speak German, and this also helps me become acquainted with many students.

Q5.Why did you choose Japan to study abroad?

I became interested in Japan since I had a Japanese friend when I was in kindergarten. And then, I attended the University of Vienna to study Japanese and political science. Despite all of that, I felt that I had to go to Japan in order to speak fluent Japanese, and that's why I decided to study abroad in Japan.

Q6.How are you taking classes at TMU?

I specialize in Japanese studies and political science, so I take these classes by selection. Although I can understand the classes in Japanese, I sometimes experience difficulty in grasping the terminologies for political theory introduction. At such times, I get a help from friends who can speak German.

Q7.What are your career plans after graduation?

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I would like to return to Austria after a year to finish my master's course. Although I want to pursue my research afterwards, I have not decided on the details yet. While my research will be probably centered on Japanese studies, I would also like to extend my research to Japan's political thoughts and folklores since I am also interested in folk stories and Kojiki.

  • This content is at the time of the interview.