by Shinichi
During my study leave at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, OIST, Japan (2023), I walked to my office at OIST every morning. I often took a route where I could get a full view of the cobalt-blue coral sea of Tancha Bay and, in the distance, Ie Island. Then, I often thought this must be how a paradise would look like.
During my study leave at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, OIST, Japan (2023), I walked to my office at OIST every morning. I often took a route where I could get a full view of the cobalt-blue coral sea of Tancha Bay and, in the distance, Ie Island. Then, I often thought this must be how a paradise would look like.
 Tancha Bay |  our accommodation |  Ie Island in the distance |
Enjoying the view of a paradise, I had a secret. I was waiting for a “Love Letter from Canada” (which happens to be the name of a famous Japanese song). In fact, our 2023 started with a trip to the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, where I applied for a Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC), although there was no guarantee I would get one.
An outcome was supposed to come out in early Spring, but it was already the 5th of May. For the previous two nights, I could not sleep in pain and walked around the OIST campus after midnight for hours. Earlier in the year, I was diagnosed with gallstones and was told I would have to have them removed at some point. On that day, I woke up at 3.30 am with incredible pain, so I could not go back to sleep. Instead, I started checking my email, and there was an email – the long-awaited letter – a CERC success!
And I screamed for joy and agony, and I walked down to Tancha Bay to ease my excitement and throbbing pain. It was ~6 am when I returned home. Then, my wife, who just got up, took me to the hospital. It was a Japanese holiday, so only emergencies were open. To make a long story short; I got operated on and got gallstones removed. I had to stay in a hospital for a few days, which I had never done. On my hospital bed, feeling discomfort physically and mentally, I thought about how to tell my group members and friends about my news. The news of CERC was embargoed until the official announcement (it turned out, till mid-November last year), although I was allowed to tell people who would be affected, informally.
I told the big news to my lab group members one by one online, and each of them was surprised, but they were very happy for me and my family, who were excited about the move despite the -20-degree winter experience in Edmonton early in the year.
For I-DEEL, 2023 was another amazing year despite me being away a lot. Although Zoom meetings help, we have great group members who support each other and can work independently. Notably, Patrice and Sammy are nearly finishing their PhD after a difficult 4 years, coinciding with the biggest global event in my and their generation – the COVID-19 pandemic. For them, much of our interaction has been online.
With all its limitations, we are lucky with virtual technology that connected our group together tightly in 2023 and the previous few years. Moreover, I feel privileged to mentor such a talented group of people who are enthusiastic, kind, intelligent and productive. So, thank you all - this is my love letter to all I-DEEL members.
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