Hello there! My name is Finandya Fatihasari, and I am part of a double degree program between Ibaraki University and Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia. I first learned about this program while I was in the first year of my master’s degree at Graduate School of Biotechnology, Universitas Gadjah Mada. As soon as I heard about it, I was eager to join and started looking for a suitable laboratory. Since my background is in medical science, I was happy when I found out that at Ibaraki University there is also research about depression in Toyoda Sensei’s laboratory.

After I read more about the Laboratory publications, I found that research was cutting-edge with state-of-the-art equipment and the latest scientific methods. I got more excited after knowing that depression has become a major problem in the world today. WHO estimates that this disease will become a big problem by 2030, and the number of people suffering from this disease continues to increase every year. It is even more interesting to learn that this depression also causes other physical illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease, which has become the main cause of death worldwide. I am interested in joining because I see the current situation in Indonesia, social stress is increasing, but awareness of mental health in Indonesia is still low, and people tend to ignore stress and its impact on mental and physical health.

When I came to Ibaraki University, I belonged to Toyoda Sensei Laboratory, and I stayed at Yoshida Sensei Laboratory. I was worried at first about the adaptation. However, the members of both Toyoda Sensei's and Yoshida Sensei's laboratories were incredibly welcoming and supportive. They would kindly help me to learn and to adapt to the laboratory work culture in Japan. At first, when I arrived many things were new to me, however, Sensei and all the lab members would patiently teach me. Moreover, my lab colleagues also kindly taught me Japanese when we had free time.

Outside of the laboratory, I also found people to be very friendly and welcoming. They shared snacks and souvenirs from different cities, and I was able to experience different parts of Japanese culture, as well as enjoy many Japanese festivals during the summertime here. I am very grateful to be able to study here at Ibaraki University as I could get many life experiences here. As an international student, I highly recommend studying at Ibaraki University. It's a fantastic opportunity to learn and grow in a supportive and friendly environment.