【研修コース】帰国研修員からのメッセージ　―日本での留学生活を終えて―

2023年9月まで JICA北海道（帯広）の長期研修員として帯広畜産大学に留学していたインドネシアのファリサさんからのメッセージが届きました！
We have received a message from Ms. Farrisa, an Indonesian ex-participant of JICA KCCP (long-term training program) who had studied at Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine until September 2023. (The original English text follows Japanese ones.)

皆さん、こんにちは。私はインドネシア人のファリサ・ロマドヒヤティです。2018年からインドネシア農業省で動物健康指導官（animal health trainer）として勤務しています。私の主な任務は、動物の保健に関わる教育・研修・助言の実施であり、疫学や人獣共通感染症（人から動物、あるいは動物から人へと感染する病気）や動物疾患についての研究に関心があります。動物の病気に起因する感染症の発生が適切にモニタリングできなかったために、社会面、経済面、そして国家の安全保障面で莫大な損失が生じた多くの事例があることから、人獣共通感染症は、近年大きな注目を集めています。このため、私は獣医学の分野で新たな視点が得られることを期待して、獣医学や関連する他の研究領域に強い関心を抱くようになりました。

私は2020年に「食料安全保障のための農学ネットワーク(Agri-Net）」プログラムに応募し、2021年に修士課程に入学しました。元々、2021年4月に来日することになっていましたが、新型コロナウイルス感染症拡大の影響のため、来日が3ヵ月遅れ、同年6月の来日となりました。帯広畜産大学は、牛乳の生産量が多く、日本で最も乳牛の頭数が多い北海道にあります。私の研究では、人獣共通感染症の一つであり、インドネシアの牧場に深刻な影響を及ぼしているブルセラ症に対して、酪農家がどのような知見を有し、取り組みを行っているかについて調査をしました。

Hello dear readers, My name is Farissa Romadhiyati. I’m from Indonesia. I've been employed as an animal health trainer by the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture since 2018. My primary responsibilities involve providing civil personnel with education, training, and guidance on matters connected to animal health. My primary areas of interest are in epidemiology, zoonotic disease prevention, and the study and exploration of zoonotic and animal diseases. The topic of zoonotic diseases—diseases that can spread from humans to animals and vice versa—has gained a lot of attention recently due to numerous incidents that demonstrate how, if disease outbreaks resulting from animal diseases are not properly monitored, they can cause enormous losses in the form of welfare, economic decline, and even national security. For this reason, I developed a strong interest in studying veterinary science while collaborating with other scientific fields in the hopes of gaining a fresh perspective on issues facing the field of veterinary care.

I participated in the JICA scholarship selection process in 2020 for the Agri-Net (Agriculture Studies Networks for Food Security) program, and I was accepted for the program as a master student in 2021. I arrived in Japan in June 2021. I was supposed to arrive in Japan in April 2021, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, my arrival was postponed until 3 months later. It is situated in Hokkaido Prefecture, which produces a significant amount of milk and has the greatest number of dairy cows in all of Japan. This is special for me because it pertains to the research topic I intend to pursue. My research focuses on examining the level of knowledge and practices of dairy farmers regarding brucellosis, one of the major zoonotic animal diseases in Indonesia that affects dairy farms.

In addition to being a student and studying science-related subjects, I like discovering and experimenting with new aspects of Japanese culture. I like to learn Japanese, participate in tea drinking rituals, create calligraphy art, dance at summer festivals, and attempt to prepare Japanese cuisine. I also went through many significant stages of my life as a woman while I was living in Japan. I got married before traveling to Japan, and I discovered I was pregnant there. I was expecting my first child and gave birth to her in Japan during my first year abroad away from family. My supervisor, other international students, JICA officials, volunteers for international students, and new acquaintances I made during those periods all provided me with a great deal of assistance. I want to express my exceptional gratitude to them.

For me, Obihiro feels like a second home. For the rest of my life, I will always treasure the numerous amazing memories I have. Apart from that, living in Obihiro made me appreciate nature and culture even more. These days, I much rather enjoy the quiet and seclusion of the suburbs than the flash and glamour of the metropolis. The verdant greenery and blue sky make me feel more alive. I will always miss the stunning seasonal changes of the Tokachi Region, even with its harsh winters!