留学生達の思い/ Ahmed from Mexico

Ahmed Miguel Roman Abolhosen is an exchange student from IPN (National Polytechnic Institute), Mexico working at the Shintake Lab which specializes in soft robotics. Roman is engaged in Soft Actuators and Organic Solar Cells to obtain intelligent material with a view to the realization of simple, multifunctional devices and robots that resemble living organisms.

 

  Hi, my name is Ahmed Roman, I come from Mexico. I’m writing this letter in my 10th month of exchange here in UEC -Tokyo, Japan. What a rollercoaster of emotions and experiences has it been to move to and live in Japan. 

  Everything started at the beginning of 2022 when the COVID-19 pandemic was still going strong and after missing the time to come to Japan twice (Oct. 2019 and 2021), I was glad and excited that at last Japan’s border had opened, and my dream to come to Japan was going to be fulfilled. 

  A fourteen-hour flight brought me to Japan, and after crossing the border controls I was set free outside of Narita airport. Having yet to take 2 buses and with the first of the many “午後の紅茶” tea plastic bottles to enjoy in Japan, I set out for the UEC.

  Even though I had to do a 2-week quarantine in the dormitory, the welcome from the other international students and the staff was warm. They bought all the necessary things for the stay of us newcomers and helped us, by bringing us food during the self-isolation period.

  After the quarantine was over, the true “Living in a Foreign Country Experience” started, and it hasn’t been an easy path to transit, I must confess. It has brought a lot of challenges: not knowing the language, not understanding the manners, or simply not having any idea of how things work in this new place. But all of this is part of the process, and if you take it positively, and try to focus on improving it, the feeling of satisfaction and reward will be even bigger.

  Japan is quite a magical place. It’s a place full of contrasts, where the old and traditional customs meet with the new technology and rapid development that is everywhere you go, but maybe, more importantly, it’s a really beautiful place, at any time wherever you are, there is always going to be a landscape or a wonderful view waiting for you, from the playful beach days in summer to the astonishing sunsets on Nogawa River in winter.

  I’d like the reader to know that while being in Japan, your opinion of Japan itself, your country, and even your own identity will change over time. However, this experience turns out to be inspiring; you can be sure that you will learn from it and improve over it. There could be some positive things about your country that you will appreciate even more when you are here, which you might have never realized before you left your home.

  During this year of exchange, I have met so many wonderful people, in the really short period of time that we had, I have made friends that I would consider for life, and found people whom I talked to, who profoundly impacted my worldview and the goals that I have set for my life until this point.

  I’m grateful that this opportunity was offered to me, and to all the people that I have met, and that helped me so much throughout this journey, especially my supervisor Professor Jun Shintake, my lab members, my fellow countrymen, my family, staff at UEC, and to all the international students that I’ve met on Campus.

  So, if for some reason you are reading this and wondering about taking this big step, don’t hesitate, take the opportunity, and follow your dreams.