About Me – A Not-So-Typical Journey into Clinical English

Hi there —
Just your average junior doctor in Japan with an international itch and an unhealthy habit of turning study breaks into blog posts.

I wasn’t born in an English-speaking country.
No international school, no overseas childhood, no fancy tutoring.

Instead, I grew up in a place where English was just another school subject.
You memorize vocabulary, pass the test, forget everything. Repeat.

And yet — here I am, writing in English, thinking in English (sometimes dreaming in it), and hoping to work abroad someday as a doctor.
Why?

Because somewhere along the way, English stopped being just grammar rules.
It became a tool — to connect, to learn, to practice medicine beyond borders.

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🌱 How It Started

I studied medicine like most do: long nights, heavier textbooks, caffeine and confusion in equal parts.
But I also held onto this one strange idea — that I wanted to talk to patients in English someday. Not just publish research or attend global conferences, but actually sit across from someone, listen to their story, and help them in their language.

That dream led me to short-term programs overseas.
Family medicine clinics in Europe.
Late-night interview practice sessions with imaginary patients.

It was clumsy.
It was thrilling.
It felt like something worth chasing.

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🧭 Why This Blog Exists

Let’s be honest — Japan trains amazing doctors. But when it comes to clinical English?
We’re often on our own.

Sure, we learn how to read academic papers. Maybe give a poster presentation.
But how often do we practice saying,

• “When did the pain start?”
• “Have you had anything like this before?”
• “Can I ask about your daily habits?”

That’s what this blog is about.

A place to practice.
To learn useful phrases.
To think through differential diagnoses.
To get a little more comfortable — one sentence at a time.

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🤝 Why I’m Not Doing This Alone

There’s something I’ve learned through both medicine and language learning:
If you try to do everything by yourself, you burn out — fast.

I’ve been there.
Studying solo. Practicing questions in the mirror. Wondering if I’m doing it right.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

That’s why I’m building this space:
To share what I’ve learned.
To encourage others chasing the same goal.
To remind us that progress is messy — but also deeply worth it.

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🌍 Looking Ahead

I don’t know exactly where this journey will take me.
Maybe a hospital overseas.
Maybe remote consultations with international patients.
Maybe back to teaching clinical English for future students who feel just as lost as I did.

But wherever it leads, one thing is clear:

Clinical English isn’t just about fluency.
It’s about empathy. Clarity. Curiosity.
And it’s something we can all grow into — step by step, word by word.

Thanks for being here.
Let’s keep learning together.

Curious about my personal story? You can read more about my journey into clinical English here.