Name: Müller Robin
Course: Psychology and Education Course, Faculty of Education
Country/Region of Citizenship: Czech Republic
(I attended school in Japan from 3rd grade of elementary school to 1st grade of junior high school.)

1. What brought you to Shinshu University?

I was very interested in education, but throughout my life, I couldn't decide what I wanted to study and do. I was always partially interested in both natural sciences and human sciences. I had the same problem with pedagogy and psychology. I found the course at Shinshu University perfect for my "inability to decide"; Shinshu University was ideal.

Nagano is known as "Kyouiku-ken" (pedagogical prefecture). Nagano has a very long history in education and pedagogy, and the level of patient teachers, not just at the university but also in the prefecture, creates a perfect environment for a pedagogy student to study in.



2. How did you prepare for studying in Japan (Nagano)?

I didn't prepare much, but that was because I had lived here for some time and was familiar with the land, culture, and people. There were some things that I struggled with, but all of them were resolved just by talking to university teachers and mainly by asking. Asking people around me about what it was like, etc., was what helped me the most - mentally preparing for the new environment.

3. How is your life at Shinshu University?

It's very good. I enjoy it immensely. The teachers are great and very open to any discussions (which Japanese students usually don't initiate, so when you start talking and discussing with them, their eyes just sparkle).

For me, some information is very basic, and I really miss having classes in English, not just language ones but also in psychology and other subjects. Even when there is an English class, the level of information is limited by the English proficiency of the other Japanese students.

4. What do you do in your free time?

I study, work, and spend time with friends. Nagano is very rich in culture and history. I also can't help but mention nature. So, we often rent a car and go on beautiful adventures, especially during longer holidays.

On the other hand, this means that I have a lot of free time. One could spend it making money or on entertainment, which I do both, but I've also started an international network of pedagogy students from different universities and initiated a project in a juvenile detention center. Additionally, I'm using this time to study pedagogy and psychology more deeply.



5. What is your future plan after graduation?

I plan to continue studying and obtain a master's degree. I know that I do not want to work in a Japanese company, so I'll likely become a teacher at an elementary school or a university professor. However, I haven't fully decided yet. This indecision is partly because I'm living a bit like a bohemian, so I'm open to whatever destiny brings my way, and I will happily embrace it.



6. What do you feel about Nagano?

This is one of the stories I experienced here. I chose it and wrote it here for its allegory and deeper meaning. I could write about how beautiful Nagano is and how good it is, but I chose a different approach.

It was already night and even the moonlight did not help me see the path that lay before me. I saw in the distance the silhouette of a person, but I was not sure. I slowly approached and, in the flash of the lights of a passing car, I noticed that it was a man carrying a woman on his back. I walked some distance behind them but could hear what they were talking about. I've always liked stories, told by a dwindling fire under loud music that can't be heard.


With her arms wrapped around her man and her head on his shoulder:

"Do you think I'm a good mother?"
"Of course," he replied in a deep but sober voice, "of course."

"So why don't I feel like it," and she moved her head to the other shoulder,

"Because it's not up to us to decide if we were good parents. That's for the children to decide, after all," He stopped, jumped up to straighten her on his back, and continued: "They will decide if we were good or not."

In a sleepy, almost whispering voice, she finally added, "Well, hopefully."


By that time, I had already passed them and continued on. I turned to look at the man's face. He smiled, we nodded to each other...

We all sometimes find ourselves in a time when we don't know what to do next. We have to make a decision that will change our life. Unfortunately, we don't have a flashlight to light the way. Yet sometimes a person appears who helps us, a car passing by, and for a moment we see what is in front of us.

In front of me, as in the story, was Nagano. At first glance, an uninteresting prefecture - a woman who drank too much sake and can't walk home, so her husband carries her on his back. After a year here and a total of 4 previous ones when I was little, I see something more in it than just an uninteresting prefecture. Nagano consists of two main things. Nature and people - man and woman. Nature, without which people could not live and with which they have a very unique and magical relationship. Then the people themselves, who despite their faults are still an important part of this relationship. Without one, there would not be the other; form Nagano inseparably.

Despite all the things that are happening and with the uncertainty of what the world will look like when the sun rises, they are sure of one thing. The children they raise will be like the two of them. Even though both people (mother) and nature (father) will take care of it, people will always wonder whether they are good parents or not. The effort, interest, and enthusiasm I encountered in Nagano for education is hard to compare with anything else I've seen anywhere else. Even if Nagano is just a stop on your journey and after you greet the man you never see each other again, it's still worth it. To approach that man carrying his wife and listen to their story. Introduce yourself and thereby show them something new, unusual, which they will then tell their children.