Memoirs of Japan
by Gino C. Matibag, MD PhD
Having lived for more than six years in the Land of the Rising Sun to pursue higher education had been one of the most treasured moments of my life. I want to share my experiences to all those who are curious about, and who had been in Japan as well. I shall narrate the Japanese people the way I saw them. Are they really hardworking people? Are they really honest? Is it really a land of high technology? Or are these merely labels? Let us explore Japan. I will offer a series of drafts of the book I am working on for you to get a glimpse of what is in it. Hopefully, the book will be available in the first quarter of 2010. In finding enjoyment from the book, I think my mission will have been accomplished.
I encourage suggestions, reactions, comments, and advance orders to my email: gino510@yahoo.com. Please label your subject heading MEMOIRS when you send a message. Thank you.
Excerpt of the Prologue
Coming from a middle income family in a developing country, education was thought to improve one’s economic life. Domestic and international travel is costly. So, like most Filipinos, I could hardly afford any foreign travel. At the age of 35, I have yet to see the world beyond Philippine shores. It did not occur to me that I would be living in a foreign land. In my younger years, all I wanted to do was to finish medical school and earn comfortably through private practice.
All these things changed when I was aged 33. I was then working in one of the provincial government hospitals south of the capital city of Manila. My medical career during those early years was not going the way I wanted. Young male obstetricians in culture-sensitive Philippines will not only face challenges in winning popularity among his clients but more importantly, from the clients’ husbands.
Wanting to try my luck elsewhere, I decided to look for study grants and jobs abroad. I applied for post-graduate courses in Australia and the UK, where I could study for free and with minimal stipend. I also sought jobs in the US. All of them are English-speaking nations. But my mind and heart were not really sold to the idea. At the back of my mind, these countries are not where I wanted to be. I wanted another place. I did not know the reason. I did not exactly know the place either.
During one of my regular dental check-ups, I told the plans to my orthodontist, an ex-scholar in Japan. He and his wife convinced and helped me to try my luck in Japan. The idea of being in the land of sushi and bullet trains suddenly appealed to me. In my mind, I saw myself in Japan already. I became excited. So, I immediately searched for possibilities in the Internet. I also went to the Japanese Embassy and fulfilled all the required documents for application.
It was not easy to do. Aside from the usual documents required to go abroad, I had to submit two essays stating what my research plans were, fields of study, letters of recommendation, and all. In contrast to the old recruitment system where the Embassy will find a Japanese host researcher for the applicant, the new system requires an applicant to find for him a host researcher in order to be accepted.
I mailed an introductory letter to 17 universities stating my intention to study in various fields such as immunology, obstetrics, gynecology, surgery, cancer treatment, social medicine, etc. Only three of them replied. Two of these sent me neatly packed, voluminous, and beautifully-illustrated brochures about their universities. The catch is everything was well written in the Japanese language. How in the world will I understand that?
Luckily, one Japanese professor sent a postal mail written in satisfactory Japanese-English. He wanted me to return to him my résumé. I was immediately thrilled. There is hope. I immediately faxed to him my 20-pages curriculum vitae from the lone Internet café of the fourth class town where I was currently employed. Since then, we frequently communicated through emails whenever I go back to Metro Manila and can access the Internet. We developed a friendship along the way. I wanted to flee my country right away. I waited for acceptance impatiently.
This is my story…