Moritz Kramerさん

Our exchange with Hyogo Medical University began as planned on August 21, 2023. However, due to the time difference, I decided to arrive a few days earlier to get used to it, which did not cause any problems. After arriving at the airport and passing through border control, I was allowed to move into my new accommodation directly. Here I was supposed to stay for the next month (it was a dormitory, just a 5-minute walk from the hospital and the local train station). The room was clean and tidy, well equipped and I also got 2 meals a day (6 days a week). Lunch was also provided, and I was allowed to eat it in the hospital. At this point, I would like to praise the food which was, as typical it might be for Japan, always excellent and varied.

Immediately after my arrival, not much time was wasted. Already at the first weekend, before the internship even started, I went on exploration, together with my two friends from Rijeka. Places like Dōtonbori or Osaka Castle were of course at the top of our list and were visited straight away, but a few more highlights were to be added over the next few weeks. We definitely didn't laze around, on Sunday we walked 25,000 steps, a number that is quite impressive considering the temperatures prevailing in Japan at that time. The following days should not be less active either.

And then the time had already come, my first day in the hospital began. I chose to spend 4 weeks in the Department of Anesthesiology, as this is one of the specializations I might want to pursue later. The hospital was huge (I got lost countless times) and as expected, very modern. I was welcomed warmly by all the doctors, although there often was a language barrier. Detailed explanations were not possible. Unfortunately, it was also not possible to lend a hand, probably due to the same reason. Despite of that, it was extremely interesting to watch the doctors at work. Since I accompanied the anesthesiologists, I was able to observe a wide variety of operations after the usual induction of anesthesia.

In the afternoon, after my day in the hospital, as well as on the weekends, there were usually lots of things to see, do and eat. The 4 weeks were by far not enough time to experience everything I wanted. A detailed description of all my trips would go beyond the scope here, so I will only briefly mention a few of my personal highlights. Those definitely included our trip to Kyoto, where we visited Kinkaku-ji and the Fushimi Inari Shrine. Other destinations were Himeji Castle, Universal Studios Japan and the large Kaiyūkan Aquarium. And of course, a day with the deer in Nara couldn't be missed. But those are just a few examples; we have experienced so much more, and I enjoyed everything.

At this point I also would like to highlight another thing that made me very happy. During our stay, we were contacted by members of the English Club, as well as by the students who would be traveling to Rijeka for their Exchange. Therefore, we were able to exchange ideas with the locals, who also took us to really good restaurants—many experiences that you simply cannot have as a tourist. Thank you all so much for that!

But it wasn't just the students who gave us the warmest welcome. Some of the doctors also provided memorable experiences, even in their own free time. Just to name some examples: We were invited on a day trip to Kobe, where we had Chinese food, or we formed a racing team and had a blast on the go-kart track.

All in all, I can only emphasize how happy I am that I was given the opportunity for this exchange. I had a wonderful time and met many amazing people. It was an incredible and overwhelming experience that I can warmly recommend to everyone. I would like to thank everyone who was involved one more time for everything. I've been to Japan several times and I'm thrilled every time. I'm sure I'll come back there soon.