LIM JIA YEN (Malaysia)
Architecture and Civil Engineering (3rd year)

Hi there!
My name is Lim Jia Yen. I am a freshman at TUT and currently a third-year undergraduate student of the Architecture and Civil Engineering Department. I am from Malaysia. I am happy to be a member of the first cohort of the brand new Global Technology Architects Course (GAC). Before joining TUT this April, I spent three memorable years at Toyota National Institute of Technology, so leaving there was hard for me, but I was eager to start my new journey at TUT too.

As you may know, TUT is located in Toyohashi city, which is in the southeast corner of Aichi Prefecture, facing the Pacific Ocean. To me, Toyohashi is a city with great diversity. It is a relatively old city where you can still find places full of Showa charm, and yet, it is full of energetic and youthful vitality at the same time, especially in the summer. TUT has great diversity too. My impression of TUT was how globalized the atmosphere of the campus was when I first arrived. Ever since TUT was selected to join the Top Global University Project, TUT has a feature of relatively high percentage of international students, and this proportion is increasing every year. One of the latest efforts of TUT to increase its international diversity is by introducing the GAC course. The course aims to foster students with the capability to apply advanced technological skills and scientific training to tackle global issues, as well as with the necessary leadership skills.

To be honest, my studies at TUT were tough at the beginning, as my schedule was fully packed. I take lectures ranging from my course-specialized subjects to Japanese language classes, and there are specially designed lectures for me as a GAC student as well. Although my study life is busy, I do enjoy some of the classes like the online GAC English program and Intercultural Communication Theory that I am taking now. In fact, most of the lectures are conducted in both Japanese and English. Actually, this bilingual education system is of real benefit to me as I am able to understand the lesson better, and it will also be useful in my future career. Moreover, there is additional language enhancement support provided by the university. The English and Japanese language advisers give me useful advice about how to improve my language proficiency.

I know that all work and no play is not good for me, so I make sure to fill my leisure time with club activities and cultural exchange programs in Toyohashi. I joined the university surfing club and we usually go for training early in the morning before class starts. Surfing has become my hobby here because I really enjoy surfing in the morning in the great Pacific Ocean. It actually makes a good start to my daily routine. Besides the club activities, I have had the chance to participate in several outdoor activities organized by the international club in Toyohashi called Himawari no Kai. By joining these activities, I have been able to make a lot of new friends from all different ages and walks of life while learning about the local culture.

Another feature of life here is the dormitory. As I am a GAC course student, I have the chance to live in the newly built global house. The share houses are comfortable and well equipped with open spaces for communication. There are five members in our share house and I am the only foreign student. However, all my housemates came from different parts of Japan and they share different cultures and local dialects. Living in the global house actually provides me with more chances to understand Japanese people and to learn to live with others. We learn to share and help each other. For example, we learned how to cut hair and we help each other to cut hair quite frequently. Besides that, I'm happy to say that my housemates share my love of cooking and we always cook various dishes together. Sometimes, we even try to invent some recipes, such as almond chocolate cookies. Also, weekend nights are always fun as we always have parties and we talk and have fun until midnight. Of course, this makes Monday the hardest day of the week.

My life in TUT is satisfying as I am sure that I am in the right place for me to learn and to enjoy myself. For me, TUT is much more than just a university. It challenges me beyond my limits and has expanded the horizons of my student life.