Clinical Exchange in Japan

I was part of a team at Nagoya University. When I first came to Nagoya, I must admit I was a little scared, I expected everything to be very different and difficult. Little did I know that I would be welcomed with open arms.
From the first day, I had my desk and my locker. Every morning, I would find a little sweet on top of my notes, and every morning I would start the day by learning a Japanese word from the secretary and ditching her Italian one in exchange.

Every morning the doctors would do their best to translate all the cases discussed at the morning conference. They always made sure I had no more questions by the time we left the room. Every request I had was somehow taken care of.
This was a good chance to learn a lot about cardiac surgery: I had the chance to operate on pigs’ hearts firsthand, I had the chance to scrub in during the operations, we studied the differences between the European guidelines compared to the Japanese ones, the doctors would always make a recap of the operation after they finished.

I was there to work on a little research project that I will use for my final dissertation at my graduation. So, I also learned how a research project works. Both the doctors and the professor would make sure my work was going in the right direction and always guided me.

I also felt part of a team because I and the whole department spent a lot of time together, not only in the OR. We had lunch together, we went out to dinner together, and I would always get invited to conferences and events. Every doctor always had some suggestion as to what I should try, and where I should travel over the weekend.

Of course, this is not all that Nagoya had in store for me. I made friends with a lot of very special peers with whom I share incredible memories. We went to karaoke together, tried out Japanese traditions, strolled around the city, and traveled together. We now have plans to meet in Europe in a few weeks!

Besides all this, I feel that my time in Japan made me grow a lot as a person. I challenged myself to be in a new situation and learn how to live in a country that for many things is very different from my own. I got to learn about and fall in love with Japan, a country that now I truly miss. I am extremely, undoubtedly, grateful for the time I was given in Nagoya and hoping for a chance to go back soon.

To Japan, I can -only say ありがとうございます