From Colombia for knowledge and ... snow

13:48, June 1, 2022

A student from Colombia shared her impressions about the Urals and studying at UrFU

As part of the Master's programme "International Management" of GSEM UrFU, students from various countries study at the Ural Federal University. So, this year Mariana Daza Puerto from Colombia came to UrFU. Mariana gladly shared her impressions of her stay in the capital of the Urals.

In a different rhythm

— I arrived in Ekaterinburg on December 1, 2021. Our lectures started in September - online. And, of course, I had to quickly adapt to this format of classes, because the time difference between Russia and Colombia is 10 hours,” says the student. “I chose Ekaterinburg for several reasons. Firstly, because I am from a large metropolitan city - Bogota, and I really wanted to change the atmosphere, to see what it's like to live not in the capital. Having already lived in Ekaterinburg for a while, I undetstood that the rhythm here is different and life is more relaxed than in the capital. And secondly, I liked the master's programme “International Management”.

Mariana is an architect and has experience in this field. But the change of professional trajectory only opened up new horizons for her and allowed Mariana to change the angle of perception.

— I am glad that I can get acquainted with something new, delve into economic processes, understand how the organization functions and how different corporations interact with each other. All this is very exciting. Moreover, since the program is entirely in English, I did not need to take a course in Russian, and I was able to start classes right away,” the student explains.

About clothes

Mariana's first impressions of Russia are related to our climate:

— When I arrived here at the beginning of December, it was very cold. I realized this even at the airport, when I noticed that passengers are starting to put on a lot of clothes before going out. I have no seasons in my homeland - in Colombia it is always warm and sometimes a little cold. But the temperature never drops below zero. Therefore, this method of warming was unusual for me.

And in Russia, Mariana saw snow for the first time in her life:

- I travel a lot, I've been to different countries, but I've never seen snow before. And, I must say, I liked this picture - a city covered with snow, snow-white trees, and also New Year's decorations, luminous lanterns and garlands on the streets. It all looks so beautiful!

About the great and mighty

“I still don’t feel very comfortable in the Russian-speaking space,” Mariana admits. — In general, locals treat foreigners kindly. For example, I often met people who understood that I was a foreigner, and showed sympathy, tried to help me. True, there were those who immediately began to get annoyed when I could not pronounce a phrase or formulate something in Russian. Of course, I plan to learn Russian. I like the way it sounds, I like the sounds, individual words and phrases. The most important thing for me at this stage is to learn how to read in Russian, and for this you need to get acquainted with the Cyrillic alphabet.

What impressed you at UrFU?

According to Mariana, the Russian educational system is somewhat reminiscent of the Colombian one.

— We also have both private and public educational institutions. In general, the level of knowledge that Colombian students receive is high, she says. 

It is noteworthy that the list of the most popular professions in Colombia and in Russia is very similar. So, in Colombia, there is a special demand for programs that train future engineers, specialists in the field of digital technologies, business and law. And the student was especially impressed by the UrFU infrastructure with a huge number of educational sites, specially equipped classrooms, conference halls and co-working centers.

“In our country, such a developed infrastructure can only be found in private universities,” explains Mariana. “If we talk about the very approach to university education then the Russian grading system is similar to the one that exists in Colombia. But the fact that the semester is also divided into half-semesters was news to me". 

In Colombian universities, students study the same courses for three to four months, and then they write final tests and take exams. According to the Mariana, when she arrived in Russia, it was difficult for her to get used to the fact that the university was empty and that there was no special interaction between teachers and students, because everyone studied online.

“Of course, I miss live communication,” she adds. — On the other hand, I was happy to learn that representatives of their other countries are studying with me in the master’s program — in addition to guys from Russia, we have students from Mexico, Iraq, India and China in our group. And it was such a wonderful discovery: every time I immerse myself in a multicultural educational space with great pleasure. In my opinion, this is exactly what makes this master's program unique.

Volleyball, snowball fights and walks in Shartash

- I really like to play volleyball, in Colombia I even played for the team, - says Mariana. - Maybe in Ekaterinburg I will have such an opportunity.

In addition, Mariana likes drawing. But before it was difficult for her to find time for her hobby. But now, when a minute is given between classes or after, she  takes paints in her hands with pleasure and begins to draw.

“And I have always liked traveling,” continues Mariana. “Living in a big city is not easy. Every day we solve different problems, it takes a lot of energy. And so, when I lived in Bogota, every weekend I tried to go somewhere to have a rest after a busy week.

Arriving in Russia, Mariana was able to get acquainted with the nature of the Urals and appreciate it.

— Every weekend I try to get out somewhere. I have already visited Shartash several times, it is very beautiful there. I like to admire the winter landscapes, wander through the forest, just walk. And Ekaterinburg is a wonderful city in this regard, very comfortable for walking,” the student concludes. “I am glad that I ended up here and chose UrFU.

Based on an article in the newspaper "Ural Federal" dated January 31, 2022.