－随想－●My Internship Experience─────────────────────────────────────────────────────

基盤技術研究所(インターン生)

Thom Bohdanowicz

My name is Thom Bohdanowicz, and I’ve just finishedOver time, I was introduced to the theory of polymer

working as a student intern for the Base Technology Research

mixtures and phase separations, as they were important to aGroup at TOAGOSEI’s Nagoya Research and Development

project currently being worked on in the department involving

Centre. I’m a Canadian student currently studying at theunusual rheological results. After studying the theory I was able

University of Waterloo, one of the largest and most well-reputed

to start working with computer simulations of phase separations

universities in the country. My current major is Nanotechnology

using SUSHI, a computer program developed specifically toEngineering (a mix of electrical, chemical, and materials

simulate interfaces and phase separations. I also spent timeengineering), but I am also earning a second degree inteaching myself to program using Python. The freedom I was

Mathematical Physics at the same time. My university has a large

given in the first couple of months of the internship was reallyco-operative education (co-op) program which means I need togreat, since it allowed me to make a contribution that reflectedcomplete multiple work placements with companies to earn mymy interests, which isn’t necessarily always how things up indegree, which is how I ended up finding an internship with

North American internships. As I built up facility in running

TOAGOSEI.

simulations, I was eventually able to start work in trying tosimulate conditions that would explain results currently beingrdWhen I arrived in Nagoya on September 3 , 2009, I thoughtseen in experiments being run by other group members. I wasI had some idea of what to expect. It was my second time inalso able to attend and present at a small conference for users ofJapan, after all, after having spent 2 weeks in Yamagata

the simulation software I was using, which was a great

Prefecture back in 2004. I was looking forward to many things I

opportunity that I don’t think I would have had working with any

remembered from my visit during my teenage years: the beautiful

other company. Eventually I was able to apply mathematicalgreen mountains, the interesting food and drinks, and themodels found in literature to program a prototype of a new

distinct feeling that everything is new and different fromsimulation program that might be able to give better results ineverything I know. But beyond that I wasn’t really sure what tocertain situations than the one currently being used.

expect from the next 8 months. What would my work be like?
What would living in another country be like? The answers tothese questions that revealed themselves during my time inJapan provided me with an incredible life experience that I’ll
fondly look back upon for the rest of my life.
My first few weeks in Nagoya were very exciting. I met mysupervisor (Dr. Hiroshi Sasaki), and everyone I would get towork with in Nagoya, and got to start learning about the kind ofresearch that goes on there. With the help of various people inthe department I was able to spend the first month or so learning
about polymer science and adhesives, which was pretty advanced
subject matter compared to what I had been learning in school,

In addition to simulation work, I was also very fortunate to

but also complemented it well since I would be seeing much ofhave been able to participate in lab experiments, learning about

this kind of science later in my degree. In the first month I foundthe various experimental methods used in the industry, and howthat the preparation I’d had in my first two years of myto design experiments and analyze scientific results. I’m very

engineering degree were serving me very well and I was able tohappy that I was able to experience the many different facets ofapply very much of what I’d learned while building new

the work and research done in the department, from individual

knowledge as well.

experiments and research to group meetings presenting and東亞合成グループ研究年報

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discussing results. The cohesive group atmosphere I saw within

At Toagosei, I felt like even when group members were working

the lab was unlike anything I had seen during my previous

on different things, there was still an intangible sense ofinternships, and to me, really said something about Japanese

cohesiveness and sharing in the group, and there always existed

work culture.

a collaborative spirit between employees. The sharing of ideas
and results that went on in research meetings helped this as well.
rdMy position with Toagosei was my 3 internship placement,

I suppose that this sense of cohesiveness can also partly be

but because my previous experiences were in more North

attributed to the fact that Japanese employees tend to stay with

American style work environments, getting used to being andthe same company for a very long time (if not for their entire

working at Toagosei seemed at first like it might be difficult.

career) whereas it’s not uncommon for employees of North

Before coming to Japan I had heard many stories about how

American companies to change jobs and companies several times

Japanese work environments differed from North American ones,

during their lives for the purpose of advancing their own

some particularly emphasizing how much more difficult it was toindividual careers, often at the expense of the companies theywork in a Japanese company. I was told that in Japan I wouldleave. For this reason I found the Japanese work place to be inhave long work days. This was not an exaggeration. Though thesome ways more conducive to achieving better results andscheduled work day at Toagosei ends at 4:45 pm, it appeared toprogress. The employees work together in spirit for the company

be completely normal for members of my group to stay and work

rather than selfishly for themselves. Even outside of work hours I

much longer. Sometimes until 8, sometimes until 11. Sometimes

felt that there was a higher level of personal contact among co-even later! I found this incredible at first, since outside of special

workers because of company organized events and also because

circumstances, most people will go home when the workday endsof the fact that so many employees live together in the company

at 5 pm in North American workplaces. Even in my last work

dormitory. I thought that the kind of close constant contact withplacement in an academic environment at a national lab, it wasyour colleagues that one gets in a Japanese work environment

rare to see anyone staying past 7. In getting used to putting inbecause of the above was just fantastic, and am something whose

as much work time as my colleagues, I came to have anabsence I might really notice in my next internship placement.

admiration and respect for them and their dedication to theirwork. I feel like working at Toagosei has allowed me to develop a

And while my experience working within Toagosei has had astronger work ethic that will help me be a better employee in all

great impact on me, I only consider it to be half of my internshipof my future career endeavours.

experience. The other half was what I was able to do outside ofwork hours and how I experienced the rest of the Japaneseculture. I feel like I was very fortunate to have been allowed totravel and not only see some of the main attractions of Japan,
but also have unique opportunities to experience things thatmany who come to Japan often do not. On many occasions, I’ve
had co-workers take me on outings to places or events thatallowed me new experiences. For example, I was lucky enough tobe able to be brought to a local Shinto festival which allowed me
to participate in a truly unique aspect of Japanese culture,
helping me to appreciate what Shinto is really about.

Another interesting aspect of Japanese works culture I
noticed was the cohesive sense of togetherness that groupswithin the company have. Often in North American companies, itfeels like everyone is working to satisfy their own needs andgoals individually. As common as it is for people to work
together and in teams on projects, I feel like employees are much
more motivated to work for their own benefit and advancement.

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Having Japanese colleagues with me on many of myI got to experience world class snowboarding in Nagano andexplorations of Japanese culture, from sightseeing to restaurant

Hokkaido, was able to snorkel beautiful reefs in Okinawa, andoutings really helped me to better appreciate finer details that I

bathe in incredible natural hot springs on the volcanic Izu islands.

would not have been able to otherwise.
That said, I was also able to experience Japan in yet another
different way away from the company and my co-workers. By
getting involved in Nagoya’s large and active international
community I was able to see Japan from yet another perspectivewith a group of people who were foreigners like myself who havemade Japan their home. Because this group was neither Japanese,
nor of any other specific national denomination because of thevariety of foreigners in Japan’s international community, thisalso allowed me a unique cultural experience, as well as theoccasional break from Japanese society to discuss, compare, andThe incredible variety of experiences that I was able to havecontrast certain aspects of Japanese culture with other world

over the last 8 months have become some of the highlights of mycultures. These kinds of discussions were always stimulating andlife. Unique experiences I never thought I’d have been able tofurther helped me to appreciate Japan and its special culturalexperience in the next 10 years travelling the world, never mind

place in the world.

in such a short time, and in a country 4% the size of my own! But
while the fact remains that Japan is indeed a special country of

One of the main reasons I wanted to come to Japan wasdiverse beauty and attractions, my conversations about mybecause I wanted to travel and see a new part of the world, and I

travels that I had with some colleagues and other Japaneseconsider myself having been extremely successful in this goal.

people revealed to me that most of them had never seen or done

During my time in Japan I was able to travel as far north as

many of the amazing things that I had done during my time in

Sapporo, and as far south as the remote Okinawan islands ofJapan. While at first I found this hard to believe, it got me

Ishigaki and Iriomote.

thinking about the country I live in, Canada, and how incredibly
little of its incredible and diverse beauty I have seen. What I’ve
come to believe because of this is that to a certain extent, it’scommon for someone to take their surroundings for granted nomatter where they are. This was confirmed to me throughdiscussions with people I had met who have spent a significant
amount of time in Canada. It turned out that almost all of themhad seen more of my home country than I have! This is one

I saw important sites of Japanese culture and heritage inexample of how exploring Japan has actually pushed me to have aKyoto and Hiroshima, but also travelled to beautiful areas lesser

deeper appreciation for and desire to discover my own country.

known to foreigners such as Kanazawa, Takayama, the Tokyo Izu

So not only did my time in Japan teach me to appreciate newislands (Oshima, Niijima, and Shikinejima), and Beppu.

things, but also taught me to appreciate old things as well. Thishas led me to the conclusion that travelling somewhere new inthe world is an important experience that everyone should have,as it will enrich their view of the world immeasurably, just as mytime in Japan has done for me.
If there is one aspect where I wish my time in Japan had
been more successful, it is that of language. I came to Japan witha modest knowledge of basic Japanese words and expressions.
And while my ability to communicate with my co-workers in東亞合成グループ研究年報

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Japanese

didimprovemodestly

overtime,

andoverall

communication in a mixture of English and Japanese was often
enough for my purposes, I found myself wishing I was able tocommunicate more personally in Japanese so that I could better
get to know my colleagues and communicate more naturally withthem. But at the same time, the pursuit of a new language nevercomes naturally and requires a great deal of effort, and I hopethat in the future I can devote such effort to learning Japaneseand enhance future trips made to Japan.
I can go on forever about all of the great experiences I had
during my time with Toagosei in Japan, but I think it would be
best to summarize it as follows:
Toagosei gave me an incredible opportunity to not only gain
extremely valuable work experience learning to work effectively
in the scientific sector and develop my mind, but also see theworld in a way that most people never get the chance to: fromthe point of view of a different culture. I will forever be gratefulto Toagosei and everyone I came into contact with there who
really went out of their way to help me make the most of my timein Japan. If I could go back in time, I would not need to change
anything about my experience in the last 8 months.

I’d like to finish this with an enormous thank you toeveryone I had the pleasure of meeting at Toagosei, both in andout of my work group, for the incredible kindness and patience
you’ve shown me during my stay. Because of you I have nothing
but the best impression of Japan to bring back to my friends andfamily in Canada.

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