Contact
Ms. Megha
- From
- Patna
- Degree
- Ph.D. student, Graduate school of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University
Message
Please give a short introduction about yourself.
I am Megha from Patna. I am currently pursuing PhD in Graduate school of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University. I completed my Bachelor of Technology in Biotechnology from Amity University in 2012. I was working as a Research Assistant in National University of Singapore for 2 years before getting enrolled in the PhD program.
What is your favorite thing about Chiba?
It is a great city to live in. The pollution-free atmosphere, the comfortable climate, transportation system, the flower in early spring, cherry blossoms, the symbolic flower of Japan, in spring, and autumnal leaves in fall, makes Chiba very convenient and beautiful place to stay.
In what way has your impression of Chiba or Japan changed since coming here?
Earlier, I was little scared about the food since I am vegetarian and I thought I would need to cook every meal. But, after coming here I realized that there are several Indian restaurants around and also we can find a number of Japanese restaurant providing vegan foods. Although English is not quite common language here, but the University has tutor system which helps a foreign student for completion of basic formalities like opening a bank account, registration at ward office, etc. I am so amazed by the politeness of Japanese people. My daughter is in nursery and the teachers in the nursery try their level best and make me understand the progress of my daughter even though there exists a language barrier. Similarly, my colleagues in University helps me in all possible ways in translating a document written in Japanese language. I feel so great to live and be surrounded by such great people.
What attracted you to choose Chiba University as a place to study?
The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University is one of the oldest pharmaceutical faculty among the Japanese national University. Also, I got the opportunity to study in a well-established laboratory led by Prof Kazuki Saito, who is one of the most cited researchers. While working as a RA in NUS, maximum research papers related to my study was authored by Prof Saito, and it is my honor that I am pursuing PhD under his guidance.
In what way did you adjust yourself to Japanese culture?
Frankly speaking, I did not have to do much to adjust to Japanese culture since I feel it is very close to Indian culture. But, I have started learning Japanese language offered by University because I feel by knowing the language I could interact more with the people here and will get to know the culture better. I feel very fortunate to get MEXT scholarship as it gave me an opportunity to learn and imbibe Japanese people’s politeness and hard-working attitude.
Please give a message to students or researchers in your home country who may be thinking about studying in Japan?
I would strongly recommend students to consider Japan for higher studies. The exchange of research ideas, the education system, and the infrastructure are the best what you get in any other country. The teachers, staff and all the fellow students are so encouraging that you would enjoy doing your research here. Japan is a country that teaches you more than just research and coursework. The desire for achieving quality, hard-working attitude are some of the many qualities you will learn being in Japan. Each and every day lived in Japan teaches you something new and makes you better and more strong.
In case you feel homesick, there are several Indian groups and community across Japan and there are events and celebrations for all the Indian festivals. In true sense, it can be considered as a home away from home.
