I'm currently doing my master thesis in Stavanger, Norway in biological chemistry at University of Stavanger. My master thesis is exploring the cryoprotective effects of fish protein hydrolysates treated with three different enzymes and their effect in inhibiting ice crystal recrystallization, in frozen cod. As part of my research on cryoprotection and ice crystal recrystallization phenomena, I was sent to Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology in collaboration with UIS through the METIS-program.

My stay in Tokyo was for 2 months where I lived in the TUMSAT Campus throughout my whole stay and was supervised by Hagiwara Tomoaki & Shibata Mario. Upon my arrival to TUMSAT I was kindly greeted by my International student coordinator Tomoko Hirano, who assisted me throughout my whole stay with adversities regarding the dormitory I was living in and other difficulties such as payments of bills, and filling out several papers which to my surprise was a little more complicated than I had thought.

After completing the moving process and had taken care of all the necessary documents and papers, I quickly started exploring the campus which my coordinator was so kind to show me around. The campus life was thrilling and mesmerizing as there was a whale museum to explore and a historic ship in the campus alongside many other important historical figures related to the university. In addition the campus was brimming with people everywhere I went, which really gave it a unique university feeling. TUMSAT was also very considerate to me as they also had assigned me a student tutor which became my first friend in Tokyo and made it much easier for me to get to know others and also assisted me with any tasks.

The university life in TUMSAT was an unforgettable experience as it was both thrilling and fun as much as it was challenging and exhausting. The work ethics in Norway were quite different than the ones in Japan and was something I realized very fast upon beginning my research in Tokyo. In Tokyo, it was expected of me a much higher level of independency in my work, than I previously had experienced. Although the high level of independence was strenuous at first, it didn't take long until I graciously received a ton of help from my fellow classmates within my office. Making my research and work in Tokyo much more efficient and socially fun. Luckily the office I was allocated in was right next to my supervisors office, which made it highly practical to discuss with my supervisor when I often had questions. In the office I was allocated in all students related to my supervisor and similar research to what ive been conducting gathered together. Which was how I quickly managed to make friends in Tokyo as I could discuss with my fellow competent classmates, and when in need also ask for their assistance regarding my lab trials and data analysis. The high level of independency in the lab helped me evolve as a scientist and further strengthen my efficiency and understanding of lab work.

Exploring the city and the city life was not so easy at first as I had arrived in early February and in Tokyo during that time, it was generally very cold and windy outside which made it difficult to venture outside and see the city. And I was not yet accustomed to how the metro system with their many different lines operated yet. But as the weather changed rapidly within a week and all seasons could be experienced on different days within the week. I started planning the best days to explore and finally got to see the city. Tokyo is unlike anything else and it´s not an underestimation to say it's a one of a kind place.

Tokyo consist of beautiful city life with a lot of skyscrapers that makes you feel relative small to the city. In comparison to Norway where there is too little to do, Tokyo had the opposite problem of that where you can easily get overwhelmed and overstimulated by all the different things in the city. And all the places you are able to explore. That's why I had to wisely pick my priorities over the things I wanted to see and do during my stay in Tokyo as it was basically impossible to explore the whole city and country within such a short time.

One of the things that stood out to me the most with living in Tokyo, was how hospitable the people of Japan truly are, which is reflected within their culture and is apparent when interacting with them and how respectful they are. This is also very apparent in their customer service which is a delight to experience in both restaurants but also in basic convenience stores.

One of my biggest surprise in living in Tokyo was how cheap it was considering I was living in the main capital of Japan. Prior to my arrival I had expected that Tokyo would be much more expensive. But realized very soon that everything in Tokyo was fairly cheap and made it much more easier to live and thrive in Tokyo. The culture of Japan is also something unforgettable as there are a lot of historical sites and places to visit. With a lot of delicious food everywhere you go.

TUMSAT gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of amazing people and friends in Tokyo and was an amazing learning experience on how other countries conduct science and what kind of working ethics and standards Japan has in comparison to Norway. although my stay was short, the memories were plenty and irreplaceable. And this has definitely been an experience I won't forget anytime soon!