2016/11

Ritter Nobel Diaz Gomez (Panama)氏

①Tell us about yourself.

I graduated at Tsukuba University in March 2000, and was appointed Commercial Attache of the Embassy of Panama in December 1999. I worked as Commercial Attache until 2011, when I was promoted to the position of Economic Counsellor of the Embassy of Panama to Japan. In 2014, I was appointed Ambassador of Panama to Japan. In total, I have spent already 16 years serving in the Embassy of Panama. I believe that thanks to my education in Tsukuba, I have been able to serve for such a long time in our diplomatic mission. I have also served several positions in the Consular Corps in Tokyo, from treasurer to secretary to president from 2003 to 2009. In the course of my career in Tokyo I have participated in several international meetings and conferences representing my country. My biggest achievement while working at the Embassy has been to secure the conclusion of an agreement between Panama and Japan to build a Japanese monorail in Panama to improve the quality of public transportation in my country.

②Reflections on studying at University of Tsukuba, what are the merits?

I enjoyed my life at Tsukuba. I was born in the countryside of Panama, close to nature. So I found Tsukuba a natural place to live. Also, it is an excellent place to study, away from the noise and distractions of big cities. People were always quite friendly and helpful to me. I also created a salsa dance club, which helped me to show my musical culture to Tsukuba people, who appreciated it very much. This club also brought me closer to Japanese people, so I could interact with them in a very casual and Latin atmosphere, improving my Japanese language skills. Tsukuba University has a large and green campus. The library is big and has a large collection of books from all academics disciplines and is also connected with many libraries in Japan. Tsukuba has the advantage of being located one hour away from Tokyo, so students can participate in so many academic conferences in the capital, and now is even better thanks to the operation of the Tsukuba Express Line, which takes people to Tokyo in less than 1 hour. Last but not least, I must say that I had a great academic advisor, who shared and discussed with me different academic and real life issues of Japan and the world.

③Your message to University of Tsukuba students.

I highly recommend Tsukuba University for anyone who loves study and research. Besides is a good place to interact with people and learn Japanese language. It is very close to Tokyo if you wish to attend international conferences with prestigious scholars. If I am born again and given the chance to study at Tsukuba, I would go for it without hesitation.