Hello, UTokyo undergraduates. My name is Sho Shimoyamada. I am a Project Assistant Professor at the Graduate School / College of Arts and Sciences and I am a faculty member of the ‘Go Global Gateway’ team.
Because of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, you are asked to stay at home, studying online. No doubt it has been difficult to make new friends. I am worried that you may be stressed out. If you are a first-year student, you may feel anxious and confused about the gap between the present situation and the campus life you expected.
Like yourself, people all around the world are feeling worried and uncertain about what the situation is going to be. A friend of mine in the UK, for example, told me that she managed to come back from France, where she had been visiting on business, to London. But she is unable to return to Edinburgh (Scottish capital), where she lives. My Muslim friend, who lives in Taiwan, said that he is unsure when he can meet his wife, who is based in Syria.
It is not only you.
If you feel stressed over the current situation, please imagine yourself sharing the same emotion with people across the globe. Sympathising beyond the national and cultural borders may be an important aspect of globalisation, especially when the world experiences hardship.
I hope you are reading this essay in your leisure time to refresh yourself. I am looking forward to meeting you on campus.