My year abroad at Hokkaido University

My name is Karin Boris and I come from Gothenburg in Sweden. I´m studying the programme Energy-Environment-Management at Linkoping University. The programme is a five-year engineering programme and combines knowledge in energy technology, mechanical engineering and industrial economics. The education fills a gap between the areas of energy, environment and management and the purpose is to gain knowledge of both the technology and the environment in which it is to be used.

I chose to study abroad for a year and Japan was my first choice because of the ancient traditions and beautiful nature. I arrived in Sapporo in September of 2018 and at first it was a bit overwhelming. The language barrier made everyday life hard and the living and studying culture was different from what I was used to. That was also the reason why I chose Japan because I wanted my year abroad to be challenging to be able to develop on a personal level and become more independent. Now, after learning some basic Japanese and adjusting to the cultural differences, my daily life has become less stressful.

During my year here I have been fortunate to take interesting courses in several different areas such as material science, environmental system, heat transfer and fluid engineering. I have also been able to take courses that aren’t offered at my home university which has been very exciting and beneficial. Outside of school I have gotten the chance to ski in the wonderful Japanese snow, eat the best food, travel to beautiful places and meet people from all around the world, earning memories for life.