VIS ( 11)Voice of the International Students

医学研究科
国際連携室だよりFebruary 2014Vol.

The International Relations Oﬃce issues a newsletter "VIS" to send out a live message from our international
students and to promote the exchange of cultural information from diﬀerent countries. We hope this letter
helps to cultivate intercultural communication s and exchanges.
VIS 発行の目的は，留学生の生の声を外に出すことと，異文化間の情報交換を促進することにあります．
VIS が異文化間のコミュニケーションを養い，国際交流を実行していく上で役に立つことを望んでいます．

International Hour インターナショナルアワー
Living in Japan is a golden era of my life. I find my studies at Hokkaido University tobe very difficult, however, I have found time to attend International Hour with myfamily. It is a unique experience to learn about the culture and traditions of different
countries, many about which I know only the name. I have had memorable interactions with Japanese and international students while enjoying delicious international food at parties following the presentations. I was inspired to make a presentation about my own homeland of Pakistan.

Muhammed Ali

The International Relations Office provided me with the opportunity to present“Pakistan: the Land of Pure” . It was a wonderful experience to share the diverse,versatile culture and traditions of Pakistan. At the post-presentation party many
participants seemed pleased to learn about my country.

PhD student of Hokkaido UniversityGraduate School of Engineering (Pakistan)

日本に住むことは素晴らしいことだと感じています．インターナショ
ナルアワーに家族とともに参加して，名前だけしか知らなかった国のことを知り，その後の交流パーティーでは日本人や他の国からきた留学生と話し合うことができました．
自分の国パキスタンのことも発表したいと思い，その願いは叶えられました．

Background image of autumn view of the Medical FacultyAutumn Entrance 秋入学
I am privileged to be among the first intake of students accepted this autumn forAutumn Entrance at Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine. The faculty
handled everything flawlessly. Staff of the International Relations Office attended
to every student query with ease. Even during registration for lectures, the support
received was extremely helpful. I cannot speak Japanese, but found no trouble at allwith communication; all procedures were clearly explained, making registrationstress free.

Conscilliah Rhombohl Menda

I have not yet encountered, and do not anticipate encountering, any major problems during my stay. If there are any problems, they would be related to living
adjustments like finding food products or adapting to the local cuisine. If thathappens, I can approach other groups on campus that are set up for assisting withwhat I hope are minor issues. I have enjoyed every experience so far, and I am
settling in comfortably to laboratory work, lectures and life.

MSc. Student of Hokkaido University
Graduate School of Medicine(Papua New Guinea)

私は2013年から医学研究科で始まった秋入学の最初の留学生です．私は日本語が話せませんが，国際連携室のスタッフから英語で十分な説明をうけて,無事に履修届けを出し終えました．私には，なにか困ったことが起きてもすぐに助けてくれる人たちがいます．順調に研究も開始しました．

The Land of Opportunities

出会いがある国Japan is an amazing place to learn new skills and grow as a person. When I came toSapporo four years ago, I could not speak much Japanese, so communication wasan issue. I am now working as a teacher at a university in Sapporo and can teach myclass entirely in Japanese. Apparently nothing is impossible in the Land of theRising Sun!

Michal Mazur

Hokkaido University is a very international place and being here has allowed me tosocialize and get to know people from all over the world. Since coming to Japan, I
have had a chance to try a real Persian food, learn Indonesian dance and wear traditional Mongolian clothes. I have also had many opportunities to attend Japanesecultural events including meeting kindergarten kids, participating in karate training, learning Japanese calligraphy, taking part in world peace fieldwork and muchmore. Everyday in Japan brings something new and I look forward to them all!

PhD student of Hokkaido University
Graduate School of Info. Sci. & Tech.
（Poland）

４年前札幌に来たときにはあまり日本語ができなかった私が，いま札幌の大学で日本語のみで授業をしています．
日本では不可能なことはないのです．北大で世界中から来ている留学生と知り合い，さまざまな国の文化を体験しました．
日本の文化である空手や書道なども体験しました．
日本では，毎日新しいものとの出会いがあります．
これからもその出会いが楽しみです．

My Japan Encounter

私と日本の出会い

I have found Japan to be a very interesting country. For me, a fan of Aikido andmanga, the opportunity to study in Japan is a once in a lifetime adventure. However,I think I will never forget my first day. A friend of mine told me once, “making mistakesis the best way to learn.“
I arrived at Chitose Airport, and bought a train ticket to Sapporo. I got on the train,
tore the ticket into pieces and threw it away, as I always do in my home country. Iarrived at Sapporo station and was stopped at the automatic gate. In order to get outof the station, I needed that ticket! I had to buy another ticket. It was my firstencounter with the country of rising sun.

John Steve Kabore
Ph.D student of Hokkaido University
Graduate School of Engineering(Burkina Faso)

日本は本当に面白い国です．私の国では、電車の切符は乗るときにだけ必要です.千歳空港に到着し，札幌駅行き電車に乗ると，私はすぐに切符を破り捨てました．ところが，札幌駅を出ようとしたら，自動改札機が閉まりました.外に出る時も切符が必要だったのです！また切符を買うはめになりました．

To Seek the True International Exchange
国際交流のより良い姿を求めてThe Furubira International Exchange has welcomed over 1000 international
students from 90 countries. Four important things have emerged from our experiences:
1. We treat students as our family and invite them to enjoy home-cooking, as wellas Japanese customs and culture.
2. We ask students to introduce their countries and culture to us to enhancemutual understanding.
3. We try to build life-long friendships. We take pride in having many repeat
visitors, who motivate us to work even harder!
4. These experiences help in building trust with each other.

Keiko Asano
President of Furubira International
Exchange Association（Japan）

古 平 国 際 交 流 協 会で 2 6 年 間，会 長として活 動を続 けてこられ た 浅 野 恵 子さん は ，国 際 交 流 の 仕 事をするにあ たって，つぎの ４ つ のことが 大 事 だと考えています．
１ ．留 学 生 を 家 族として迎えること，
２ ．古 平 の 子 供 たちが 異 文 化 に 触 れうる機 会 に すること，３ ．長くお 付き合 いをつ づ けること，
４ ．信 頼 関 係を築くこと．

3 3

The 2013 Year-end Party

2013年末の会

In December, the International Relations Office of the Graduate School of Medicine
continued its custom of an annual year end party. As a member of the team, we didour best to make the day comfortable and joyful, while as an international student
I was looking forward to attending the party as I consider it a nice opportunity tobroaden my knowledge and connections by spending time with people from different countries in a relaxing and casual atmosphere.
The party was gorgeous. It started with the everlasting tradition of group photoand ended with the bingo game when those lucky people got their presents.
Throughout the party we had a generous buffet of dishes from Indonesia, Japan,Jamaica, India and Egypt. For kids it was also charming as they could play in their
dedicated corner and they received their New Year gifts as well. Finally, as expected,
we enjoyed the party and had a great time.

Sameh El Morsy
PhD student of Hokkaido University
Graduate School of Medicine(Egypt)12月に国際連携室の「年末の会」が開かれました．私は支援スタッフの一員として楽しい会になるよ
うに尽くす一方，一留学生として会に参加することを楽しみにしていました.くつろいだ雰囲気のなかで，いろいろな国の人たちと知り合い,話ができるからです．会は恒例となった参加者の集合写真の撮影で始まり，ビンゴゲームで幕を閉じました．子供たちは特別に用意されたコーナーで遊び，プレゼントももらいました．参加者は各国の料理を楽しみました．

Voice of the International Students 医学研究科 国際連携室だより

Vol.11

Issued by the International Relations Oﬃce, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine
Date of Publication: February 2014
Correspondence to: relation@med.hokudai.ac.jp
Website URL: http://kokusai.med.hokudai.ac.jp