I came to Japan with my family in 2014 and have been here since middle school. I had plans to go abroad for university, but I decided to enter a Japanese university because I did not want to leave my family during the COVID-19 pandemic. I am currently studying an engineering course called Interdisciplinary Engineering1) . I chose this university because it is a little different from other universities, and there are many areas that interest me, such as robotics research.

Right now I am mostly studying areas such as physics and mathematics, and I will also be doing some experiments on robots in the future. I am interested in how robots can be useful to society. For example, I am interested in the various problems in society, such as the garbage problem that is causing global warming, and if people continue to sort garbage at garbage disposal sites, there is a high possibility that they will become ill. I think that if we let robots do that kind of work, it could provide an easier solution to the problem.

I was in the IB2) program at an international school in Japan, which is one of the most famous courses in the world and has very challenging content. I studied hard for it and wrote and submitted an essay (personal statement) for the entrance exam. Students whose essays are accepted are invited for an interview by the university, where they are asked questions about interests in engineering such as physics and oxygen, so I read books on those topics.

I passed in 2019 or 2020. I don't remember clearly. The Japanese I learned in high school was at a higher level than the JPLT, and I was reading literature and academic papers and writing reports, so compared to that, the JLPT3) was just general knowledge and I think I found it relatively easy.

I think Japanese is a difficult language overall. Probably, kanji is the hardest part. I can manage conversations with "plain Japanese4) ," but often, I can’t recall the appropriate professional words, which makes it very challenging. For example, it is easy to say, "I took an exam to get into a university,” but if you know the word "juken," which means "to take an exam," it makes the conversation sound more professional rather than childish. I think I can convey meaning but I would like to increase my vocabulary to make it sound more polished.

I used Minna no Nihongo5) when I was studying for the JLPT. There is a test called the Japan Kanji Aptitude Test6) for studying kanji, and I think the textbook was quite useful. I think it is good because it has easy-to-understand explanations and makes you write the kanji correctly many times. Also, I used an app called Quizlet7) 7) to write down the kanji and their meanings and practice by myself. I still use it a lot in my kanji classes at university.

The most memorable thing about college life as a whole is that every semester I get to make new friends and experience things that I have not experienced before. I think the bridge from being a child to becoming an adult is university for me, so I learned a lot. I have friends, I have family, but I thought it was most important for me to take responsibility for protecting myself, as well as to learn new things on my own and to do things on my own.

There are many things. One is that my family is close by. Also, even though university tuition is cheaper than overseas, I think the quality of the classes is almost the same, so I think that is a good thing. Sometimes the university professors' English is not so smooth, and sometimes I don't understand them, but if I ask them something I don't understand, they answer me right away.
In my department, experiments are the most important thing, so the facilities for experiments are very good. My friends from abroad tell me that sometimes the machines are not available when there are many people in the university. Right now, there are only 8 students in my grade, so there are always opportunities for everyone to do experiments.

I think the Japanese culture of Japanese people being protective of the other person's feelings is very good. Somehow, in other countries, there is a real tendency of people to want to do things their own way and deciding to do it that way. Of course, it is important to express one's opinion, but there are times when that is wrong and times when it is not. In Japan, there are many cases where you have to consider the feelings of the other person. For example, I used to work part-time at a convenience store, and I think about how customers think and how they come into the store.
For example, drinks are placed right at the entrance because probably the most people buy drinks, so the store is designed that way, I think. In addition, I can ask the customer if they would like a bag when they don't have a bag or ask them if they would like chopsticks when they buy a boxed lunch. I really like this kind culture. This makes the living experience more convenient and kind.

When I first came to Japan, there was a feeling in me as a child that I did not want to come here. All my friends were in India, and I really did not want to go to a different place. But then I found the good things about Japan and got used to it.
However, now I'm a little sad. I just now said I like Japanese and Japanese culture, but conversely, I feel like I can't have a close relationship with people even though they are kind to me. For example, I think it is very nice that everyone is quiet when you are on the train, but in India, people talk to people around them, make all kinds of friends, and have a willingness to help if someone is in trouble. But in Japan, talking to people can be considered troublesome. Sometimes, I feel it’s too sad that talking to someone is considered troublesome.

First, my plan is to graduate from university over the next four years. After graduation, I will probably leave Japan temporarily, travel to different countries, try to live there, and maybe come back to Japan in the future. I haven’t decided yet, but whether it’s research in robotics or creating videos since I like cameras, I want to do something I’m interested in that can contribute to society.

I think it is very important to learn about Japanese culture. If you don't know the language, you need to learn the language first, and once you learn Japanese, you can really converse with Japanese people. But I think that in order to deeply understand the language, you need to understand Japanese culture; otherwise, just it probably doesn’t make sense to know only the language. So, if you want to come to Japan, I think that learning not only your major but also Japanese culture and language, and taking a bit of interest in them, will make your life smoother. Also, travel a lot and visit many places in Japan.