MEXT Scholarship Series: Research at the Infection Biology (Bacteriology) lab - Bobby Sookhoo

It has been a year and a couple of months since arriving here in Japan as a MEXT student. I began the Masters’ program in April 2020 with research at the Infection Biology (Bacteriology) lab.
 

This update would focus mainly on the aspects of a MEXT student from my perspective and experiences that would give future MEXT prospects an idea of what to expect. Of course, I will mention the few Japanese activities/events that I have attended but keep in mind that this has not been often.
 

As a Master’s student and one that conducts time consuming, tedious, and challenging research, it has been a very hectic and challenging experience so far. As a MEXT student or even a student, your work/educational duties must be your top priority. As a brief recap, my research deals with molecular mechanisms of pathogenic bacteria. With respect to my MEXT experience so far, my goal was to maximize my research year (2019) gaining laboratory experience, adapting to various environments and preparing for the even more challenging working conditions with regards to starting the Master’s program. Of course, this means working in the laboratory from morning until late at night (90%) of the time, everyday (yes, including “holidays” and weekends). There is no “summer”, “spring”, “winter” or any type of holidays, we are required (or at least, you should know for yourself) to work at every chance you possibly can. A very good example of why this is extremely important is in the wake of this corona virus, where your work can be significantly hampered. As such, it is crucial to maximize and to as much productive work you can do while there is a chance. A point to note is that even when starting this Master’s, research in your respective lab is still a requirement. I want to emphasize that MEXT students experience will differ greatly depending on the field of study and University.
 

One of my most privileged events yet was attending a dinner with members of Sophia University in conjunction with APIC, other organizations’ representatives from other Caribbean countries, and other MEXT students. I was privileged to get this opportunity to meet a wide range of people from different International organizations. Some of the people I met were Kurt Davis, the Jamaican Embassy representative, the President of Sophia University, and Hiro, also a former friend I met at Sophia University, and very interestingly, two MEXT students from Barbados and Jamaica.
 

Another event I attended was a trip to Kamakura. A very warming surprise was that, Khair Ali, my friend from Trinidad and Tobago and now a JET in Japan (someplace), also attended. During this trip, I met a lot of new people from various places and experienced the beautiful place that was Kamakura.
 

As for cultural events related to my University, frankly, there were not any (maybe few) to attend during my time until now of writing this report. One reason is that, and I emphasize again, as a student, I prioritized my work first. There were still small events such as the end of the year party that the labs organized as well as farewell parties for short term students. Speaking of short term students, during the research year there were always new students that join the lab for short durations. For instance, in September 2019, two new students joined the lab for 6 months, while in February 2020, there was a short term program called the “Sakura program” where two students came for one week. These students were all foreign, coming from places such as France, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Indonesia. A lot was gained from having these short term students such as being able learn to convey different teaching styles, understanding their differences in work ability and knowledge and of course their own cultures.
 

As a result of the coronavirus situation, all classes are online, but, since my research requires me to be in the laboratory and deals with infectious pathogens (microorganisms), I am still required to conduct research in the laboratory albeit with strict criteria such as ensuring all safety measures are taken when entering the laboratory As such, for our laboratory and others in similar fields, research still continue as normal.
 

All in all, As a MEXT student in this field of study and from my opinion, your research and school duties are top priority, but there are times when you will be able to visit Japan and experience many different cultures (again, this is heavily variable with respect to your field of study). A last point to keep in consideration is that a lot of tolerance and patience will be needed to deal with unexpected or unfavorable circumstances, especially with professors and classmates. For me, having the opportunity to study and conduct research in Japan outweighs any negatives that I may encounter or experience.


MEXT Scholarship Series: Research at the Infection Biology (Bacteriology) lab (Japanese Embassy Facebook)