Hello everyone. It has been some weeks since the new semester has started. How have you been? You may have already become used to online classes. Being online makes it possible to not only attend classes but also do your daily shopping, keep in touch with your family / friends and get other various things done. But let me suggest something different—thinking about the value of being offline.
To notice the value of offline experience, it may be a good idea to consider what we cannot do online. For example, online menus cannot let us smell food. In Gogatsusai (UTokyo May Festival), which is unfortunately postponed this year, there are usually many yatai (food stalls). We cannot, however, smell the street food even if we visit the Festival’s webpage. Of course, it is impossible to eat the food online although we can order it through websites.
I studied at the University of Edinburgh for many years. What was surprising was the long daytime in summer and the short one in winter. I knew that Edinburgh’s latitude is much higher than that of Tokyo but simply knowing about the latitude through online information was totally different from experiencing it on site. In June and July, I used to enjoy playing golf in a public park after 8 p.m. I once told my friend, who would worship at a Mosque regularly, the pleasure of playing golf late into the night. But afterwards I began to regret it. Do you know why felt so? Let me give you a hint—it’s about meals.
How about university classes? You are now hearing the voice of your instructors and classmates through Zoom. Is the voice that you hear in the virtual space the same as the one you would hear in a classroom? Suppose you have a debate in a class. You may hear the loud voice and feel hot when the debate becomes heated. This kind of exciting vibe is unique to on-campus classrooms where people physically gather to study together, isn’t it?
Online learning enables you to acquire knowledge beyond the geographical borders. You are also able to remotely communicate with lecturers / professors and students who are abroad. However, there are many things that you never know until you physically visit certain places. I am sure you cannot wait till you begin studying on Hongo or Komaba campus or even go on study abroad. That moment will come for sure!