12/15/2021 | Mando Eijansantos (They/Them), graduated from UCI with a major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Mando spent their time as a UCI undergraduate conducting research on radioactive bone cement for treatment of spinal metathesis under the guidance of Dr. Joyce Keyak. Currently abroad in Japan researching radiation dose rate and DNA repair under the guidance of her affiliate Dr. Yoshihisa Matsumoto at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Mando plans to return after the grant and continue working on the radioactive bone cement project while pursuing a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at UCI.
Found below are Mando’s personal stories and experiences during their Fulbright:
My first month in Japan taught me how to transition from thinking like a tourist to thinking like a resident in this country. When I moved in to my apartment in Omori, Shinagawa, I found that my neighborhood was a charming, peaceful place that was popular for raising children – which meant that tourists and foreigners were almost entirely absent, and no one in the neighborhood spoke languages other than Japanese. I had to get my rusty Japanese language skills up to speed very quickly to get myself settled here. It was especially difficult to accomplish tasks such as opening a bank account and registering my address at the ward office. In the beginning, I started every conversation with, “I’m terribly sorry, but I am not good at Japanese…” Though, now, I think it has been at least a week since I began a conversation that way, so I am definitely becoming more confident in my speaking skills!
Fortunately, outside my home neighborhood, I’ve been able to communicate in English. At TITech, I’m gradually getting to know my lab mates. This is the first experience I have had in a large lab group, of about 25 students. I’ve found that because of COVID-19 precautions, it is much more difficult to talk idly with my lab mates than years before. I was told that the students used to relax and socialize in our lab space, but because of the pandemic, nowadays students only come in to work and then go home immediately. Hopefully, despite this barrier, I’ll be able to make strong connections with my lab mates.
Though I’ve been getting used to living in Japan as a resident more than a tourist, I did do a lot of sightseeing during my first month! I had to check it off the to-do list before my lab work becomes busy. I tried to go somewhere new every weekend, and I visited Ikebukuro, Kagurazaka, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Kamakura, Kichijoji, and mount Takao. I also met up with some of the other Fulbright grantees, which was especially fun because we could share our experiences and relate to each other easily. When I was exploring Shinjuku-ni-chome with another Fulbrighter to check out the popular LGBT hotspots we had heard about, I accidently missed the last train back to Shinagawa. But I heard that staying at a bar overnight was a popular thing to do in Tokyo on the weekends, so I ended up spending my entire night at a small lesbian bar. When I explained to the bartenders how I got stuck there, they laughed and told me that everyone else is here intentionally, so it will be fun. The other guests were doing karaoke and were impressed that I knew so many Japanese songs, so I was able to join them. I think that was the most fun I’ve had in a setting where I could only speak Japanese.
Thinking about the personal goals I set for this grant period, I think I’ve made a decent start. In terms of research, the progress is slow due to the training period and learning period, since I have never worked in a lab like Matsumoto-sensei’s lab. I think my training will be complete after December, so I wonder what I can accomplish in the remaining eight months. I also had a goal of making connections with people in Japan, which I think I achieved by joining the dance club at TITech and by meeting people in my neighborhood in a local public chatroom. Though there is a bit of a language barrier, the people I’ve met in these spaces are friendly and encouraging. I hope I can improve my Japanese conversation skills to become more connected with them. Lastly, I wanted to be a contributor of my local community. I tried searching for volunteer work in LGBT resources or English lessons, but due to the pandemic, it was difficult to find available positions. I eventually caved in to a somewhat selfish desire and began volunteering at a pet shelter near my apartment. I’ve been missing my dog so much since I left the USA, so working with these animals has been my favorite weekly activity so far. I’m still rather new, so I hope the staff will eventually trust me to communicate with their English-speaking customers.
Looking forward, I see some challenges ahead that I aim to accomplish. First and foremost, I want to improve my Japanese conversation skills to strengthen my relationships with the people I’ve met so far. I also want to explore places outside of Tokyo, such as Hokkaido or Kyoto. Lastly, to further my research goals, I hope to travel Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Fukushima sometime soon and visit the nuclear history memorials and museums.
Left: Playing Taiko Drum arcade game in Kagurazaka, Tokyo with another Fulbright Young Fellow from Stanford.
Middle: View of Mt. Fuji from the peak of Mt. Takao. hiking trail.
Right: Myself with a beautiful Momoji tree on Mt. Takao
