My name is Collins Godrick Wandera, I am 31 years old. I am a Kenyan and live in Nairobi, the capital city. I am tech-savvy, and I work for a technology company based here in the city. Growing up, I had a lot of interest for Russian culture, people and, most importantly, technology.
In January 2023, I saw a post from the Russian Embassy in Kenya, it was an advertisement for anyone willing to learn Russian language online. That was my turning point, the chance of getting closer to my dream began in March same year, since I was part of the first cohort to be admitted to St Petersburg University to study Russian language online.
I have since then enjoyed my study and participated in various online activities including: the IV SPbU Olympiad of Russian as a foreign language, and World Youth Festival 2024.
There is still a long way to go to achieve perfection, mainly because of the limited time where you can directly interact with the teacher, and also a lack of friends/partners around to communicate with in Russian language for practice purposes. However, all the shortcomings cannot shatter my dream; I often listen to Russian radio stations online, TV programs and YouTube content to perfect my speaking skills.
My wish is to continue learning and advance my knowledge about Russian language, people and culture. I am very much grateful to the management of St Petersburg University for offering this great opportunity to Kenyan people. I also sincerely thank the Russian Embassy in Kenya for considering us, and creating programs that enable us to learn and share our cultures and prosperity of these two great nations.
Sincere gratitude to my teacher Maria Gromakova and the entire staff of St Petersburg University.
Peace and Love to all the Russian people.