I never thought I would go far from home. I was an ordinary high school student from a working-class family, and I didn't think traveling the world was in the cards for me. For my undergraduate and doctor degree, I only applied to universities within an hour of my hometown in the United Kingdom. Staying at the same university seemed like the safe option. A few years later, as I was considering a postdoc（博士后）, I once again wanted to stay close to home, in the comfort of my Ph. D. lab. But I hope to run my own lab one day, and I knew that seeing a different approach to science would be valuable.
I heard about a fellowship program in Japan that sounded like a good fit. The flexibility of the program appealed to me. I could choose how long I would be there-rom as little as a month to as month as a year-long enough to experience a new place, learn and get some msearch done but short enough to make the experience less scary. I thought of it almost as a holiday, somewhat like going to a conference in an interesting far-off place.
But when I was accepted, the head of the group I was going to join wanted me to stay for the full year. I hesitated. After much thought, I worked up my courage and signed on for the year-knowing that, if things went badly. I could come home earlier.
Almost everything was different from what I was used to, but getting used to these differences was easier than I had expected. Eating out with my labmates offers a great communicative opportunity. Talking with my new colleagues about their experiences conducting mearch in other countries helped open my eyes to new ways of doing things.
After my fellowship, I thought I would leave Japan to do a postdoc elsewhere. But when my fellowship adviser offered me a longer-term position in his lab. I couldn't say no. This time,though,it wasn't because I was afraid to go somewhere new. It was because I wanted to take advantage of an exciting opportunity. After the jump I took with fellowship. I now feel I can do anything.
