I had the best time of my life in these 6 weeks at NIG. I had never been to Japan before this internship, so I was extremely nervous and excited! Everyone in Niki sensei’s lab was incredibly welcoming and supportive. My project was to screen and isolate suppressor mutants of mukB in E. coli. Since it was my first time working with E. coli, my mentor, Akiyama-san guided me through all the steps of my project and provided me with all the relevant information. Throughout my project, I got some interesting results which the lab will further study and publish later on! This internship helped me reaffirm my confidence in my lab skills and allowed me to explore a potential career path.

Outside the lab, I formed close bonds with all the other interns which will probably last a lifetime. On the weekends, we explored so many different places! I visited Hakone, Yokohama, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Kamakura, Atami, and Karumai. We even hiked up Mt Fuji! Throughout these trips, I immersed myself in Japanese culture by going to a traditional tea ceremony, wearing a kimono, attending summer festivals, and eating delicious Japanese food. I particularly love tamago sandos! This internship wasn’t just a new scientific journey, it was also a personal journey to discover myself. I am deeply grateful to everyone in Niki lab for having me, and the NIGINTERN team for making this internship possible. I will definitely visit Japan again, since I promised my mentor that I would travel all 47 prefectures! Arigato gozaimasu!