Hiroshima University - Mr. Ahmad Syazni Bin Kamarudin and Ms Norshida Binti Ismail


		Mr. Ahmad Syazni Bin Kamarudin Laboratory of Aquaculture Ms Norshida Binti Ismail Laboratory of Fish Parasitology (Malaysia)
		My name is Ahmad Syazni Bin Kamarudin, and together with my wife Norshida Binti Ismail, we are among the new international students in the Graduate School of Biosphere Science.
	We are from Terengganu, a state located on the northeastern part of Peninsular Malaysia. Higashi-Hiroshima reminds us of our hometown, its scenery, its rural setting with some universities that is so calm and comfortable for living. However, our hometown has a warmer weather and is blessed with a long white sandy beach. Many people earn their livelihood from fishing so it is one of the best places for seafood lovers. For those of you who would like to enjoy the scenery and to relax, Terengganu is the best place to visit.


Beginnings of a new life:
We arrived at Kansai International Airport in Osaka on 25^th September 2010. It was a memorable event as it was the first time for both of us to fly abroad. On that day, we took the Shinkansen train all the way to Higashi-Hiroshima with the help of maps given to us by Malaysian friends back home. On the train, two Indonesian girls guided us from Osaka to our destination. What a blessing! At Higashi-Hiroshima, two kind Moslem brothers warmly welcomed us to their house as we had to wait for about one week before we can enter the International House at Hiroshima University. We are really thankful to the families of Mr Helmi and Mr Ridzuan for providing us a temporary place to stay. In the course of our adjustment period, God blessed us with many kind people who sincerely helped us in many ways. We appreciate the help given to us by Mr Venmathi Maran, Mr Yusuke Kondo and Mr Watanabe. Staffs from the student office of Hiroshima University provided so much useful information and were greatly helpful, making our new life off to a good start.

*Academic life:*
I completed my first degree at the National University of Malaysia which awarded me a Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology with Management, while my wife graduated from the University Malaysia Terengganu with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Biodiversity Management and Conservation). In 2008, we both received the Master of Science (Aquaculture) from the University Malaysia Terengganu. Thereafter, we worked at the Aquaculture Department of the University Sultan Zainal Abidin in Terengganu. After one year, we decided to accept the opportunity offered by our employer to avail of Malaysian government scholarships for young researchers/lecturers. Selecting the best school to do our doctoral studies was not easy, but after contacting Prof. Susumu Ohtsuka and Associate Prof. Tetsuya Umino at Hiroshima University, we believed we have found our destiny in Japan. My study focuses on the population biology and population genetics of the yellow fin sea bream under the guidance of Associate Prof. Umino while my wife studies parasitic copepods on fish in Japan in the Ohtsuka lab.		Research visit to Uwajima in Ehime prefecture
Apart from my wife’s studies, she works jointly with researchers at the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology laboratory in Shizuoka. We learned many new skills and techniques with the help of our professors and lab members. The modern research facilities and easy access to scientific journals provided by Hiroshima University ensure that students maximize their potentials as graduate students and researchers. We are truly grateful for all these opportunities.

*Social life:*
Visiting "Genbaku Dome" (the Atomic Bomb Dome) in Hiroshima City

We have been living and studying in Japan for more than one year now. We learned many aspects of Japanese culture. My wife has traveled to a number of places such as Uwajima in Ehime-ken, Shizuoka including a tough journey to Okinawa on a research cruise in May 2011. On weekends and holidays, we spent time visiting beautiful sites and attractions around Hiroshima. At the start of our life in Hiroshima University, we attended Japanese language class where we met some friends from many countries and shared interesting cultural information. However, due to increasing laboratory work, we had to withdraw from the language classes. Now, we are trying hard to learn the Japanese language using books, the Internet and through our friends. We took part in several parties at the International House and local restaurants and enjoyed delicious Japanese food as well as lively interactions with many students. As Muslims, we avoid some food such as alcohol, pork and meat. We really appreciated the respect and understanding shown by our Japanese friends towards our diet restriction. During parties with lab members and professors, we are provided with food we can eat. In many ways, the party becomes vegetarian, or a fish and seafood party since our friends know we cannot eat meat and pork. Thank you so much! People in Higashi-Hiroshima are helpful and kind to each other. When I asked some people to help me find a place or to look for something in the supermarket, they all tried their best to explain things clearly or sometimes take the trouble to bring us there. It is simply heartwarming and makes us feel more comfortable and relaxed.

Cherry blossom viewing (Hanami) in Hiroshima