It was my first trip outside India, I was a bit scared to start my journey. I was anxious about every small detail about my survival in a new country without knowing the local language. But all these doubts and hesitations were allayed once I set foot on the very humble and accepting land of the early rising sun i.e. Japan. I realized that all my anxiety and qualms were uncalled for as the Nihong-jin (people of Japan) are so helping and generous.
Under the kind guidance of Kanemaki san and Kohei san, I worked on the novel Auxin Inducible Degron method and wanted to see if the degron works in mammalian system /avian system. I learnt a lot of new techniques and carried out few experiments generating encouraging results. Not only techniques but I also learnt the way one should design a question to be investigated for research and how to think about a problem through logical reasoning. One of the best points of working in Kanemaki san’s lab was the freedom that I enjoyed. Kanemaki san was open to discussions at any point and I never felt hesitant in asking any question or expressing any of my thoughts. We had discussions on various topics from research to international history and cultural differences. He was gracious enough to grant me an opportunity to attend the Kobe conference. This turned out to be an enriching experience both in terms of exposure to the kind of research done in the whole of Japan and also visiting a really modernized island.
Visiting Japan was a wholesome experience for me. Along with interesting but hectic weekdays in the lab, I had soothing and relaxing weekends. I got to spend quality time with other interns and PhD students. We explored lot of places together appreciating Japanese culture and enjoying Japanese food. I became a big fan of Japanese food and I miss sushi back home here. Attending the Mishima lantern festival and going to a karaoke bar were unique experiences. Going to restaurants, movies and trying hot Indian food with my lab mates Kohei san and George san was really fun. I also had a wonderful chance to go fishing in the Pacific Ocean and attend a barbeque party that followed. I never felt like a foreigner in Japan. Everyone really made me feel at home. I gathered a lot of happy and sweet memories and also made lots of friends from Japan which I will treasure throughout my life. In short, I can summarize my stay in Japan as ‘70 days of eternal bliss!!!’
I would like to express my gratitude towards the NIGINTERN committee who put in so much effort to organize this program in such a planned and ordered manner.
To all the members of the NIG fraternity, I would like to say thank you for being so kind and considerate and helping all the interns whenever needed.