Growing through exchanges
ボサール アントワーヌ Antoine Bossard
情報学部・interconnection networks、routing problems
大学生になったら、違った視点で自分を見つめてみませんか？
私はフランスノルマンディー地方出身ですが、イギリス、ドイツなど多くの国々を訪れました。そして縁があって現在は日本で教鞭をとっています。異国には別の文化、新しい出会いがそこにあります。知らない世界に飛び込むことは勇気がいりますが、きっと素敵な景色をみることができるでしょう。
I would like to invite you to embark on a life-changing journey. First, I suggest that this journey start with the discovery of the academic field you selected to enter university. There, take your time to uncover the basics of your domain, fear not going down to the root of things: ask yourself “why?” as much as possible. Investigate, challenge, question: do not be afraid to go beyond what is written in books or what you have been taught.
Then, let this journey of the mind be continued by one that truly crosses the oceans: what experience is more enriching than immersing ourselves in a foreign culture, meeting its people, getting accustomed to its language. Once again, fear not pushing your journey that far as it will be so rewarding that your life will henceforth never be the same again, changed for the better towards wisdom.
Experiencing another culture is not only about learning a new language or feeling new tastes, but also about discovering new ways of thinking – possibly through language, certainly – and other communication and expression methods, amongst other things. These discoveries are in my opinion essential for studies, and professional projects and duties later, as they often pave the way for new ideas.
And I would like to emphasise this especially to the students of scientific subjects, like my fellow members of the faculty of informatics. You have a great chance: your field of expertise is so international that no matter in which country you study it, the language used therefor is the same. Mathematicians in France, Italy and Japan all rely on the same symbols
and so on. Computer scientists in Germany, Canada and Japan all learn that a computer is controlled with instructions such as add ax, bx, that the letter A is represented by the numerical value 0x41 and a graph by G=(V,E). So, seize this chance, now, while you are enjoying your university years. I have to be honest: this opportunity will most likely not show up again before long.
Next, I would like to reflect on my own experiences with respect to this matter. I was born and raised in Normandy, a north-western region of France well known, for instance, for having the Mont Saint Michel abbey. This is a comparatively rural area with a sparse population, which is sometimes said to resemble the Hokkaidō prefecture. Growing up in such an environment may limit opportunities of cultural exchanges. Which is why abroad travel conducted as soon as middle school is always warmly welcome by pupils there: it is often the first chance to look at “something else”. I personally had the chance at that time to spend several days in England and Germany. Although short, these experiences created appetite for more cultural exchange and abroad discoveries.
Besides, as I had been practicing judo for several years, I increasingly felt the desire to explore the Far East. It started from very simple things: for judo, first you have to dress differently (there called kimono), you have to speak differently (like hajime), you have to practice in a different place (dojo), you have to behave differently (bowing to partners). All these further increased my will to explore this farthest region and meet its local people. It is essential to note from the aforementioned examples that difference is the stimulus that triggered subsequent enriching experiences. This has to be remembered as people can sometimes be afraid of difference.
After entering university in Caen, Normandy, I had the chance to study one full year in Germany, which was yet another determining experience as rapidly getting used to the local language was required to be able to follow lectures, although, as I mentioned previously, the computer science field makes it significantly easier. Not only living in another country, but also meeting, exchanging and sharing concerns amongst foreign students was enlightening. This allows you to better understand yourself through the relations that exist with other people. In other words, the more the relations established with people of various backgrounds, the better one can understand himself, and life in general. And I see nothing more appropriate to this end than cultural exchange.
I was eventually able to step foot in the Far East, Japan to be precise, around that same period, which provided me with relations to yet another culture, this time a culture that is more distant to mine than any other that I had previously experienced. From Normandy to the world.
I believe that this joy found in exchange, and thus in difference, has no limit: as time goes by, I never feel tired of the novelty brought by new encounters. Very recently, I had the chance to discuss with a person from Myanmar; it was the first time for me to meet a Burmese and I obviously had plenty of questions to ask. I sincerely felt happiness during and after this interview, the sensation of opening a door on a new world.
In the end, I believe that the word that best summarises these experiences and feelings is learning. And just as with learning at school, the happiness induced may not reveal itself instantly, it indeed may take some time and efforts. I sincerely hope that someday you will become convinced that it is worth it.
As epilogue, I would like to mention that I think that I am now living the third step of this extraordinary journey: I try to pass on this message, to show paths to students. And you, which step of this journey are you now taking?