Immersed in Russian culture: St Petersburg University student from Syria talks about his experience
Sveid Ruslan Mohammed Kheir is a Syrian student from Damascus who came to Russia to study Russian at St Petersburg University. Already in Syria, Ruslan became interested in Russian culture. Upon his arrival in St Petersburg, he therefore continued his acquaintance with it. Ruslan shared his impressions about it and prepared a story.
My name is Sveid Ruslan Mohammed Khair. I am from Syria, from the city of Damascus. I came to Russia in September to study Russian and to continue my higher education in linguistics. Back in Syria, I went to the Russian Cultural Centre (Russian House), where I learned to play the piano and participated in Russian cultural and musical events. Thanks to the Russian House, I was in close contact with Russian culture, music and literature.
When I arrived in St Petersburg, I immediately started looking for a place where I could immerse myself in Russian culture. I thought that this way I could learn the Russian language faster and at the same time study music with good Russian musicians. Fortunately, my Russian teacher from the Preparatory Department of St Petersburg University, Petr Bystrykh, advised me to come to the orchestra of the Cantorum School, which is near our hall of residence in Peterhof.
In this orchestra, we play music of different genres. Here I decided to play the bass guitar, because I have always liked the sound of bass in Russian music.
I’ve always played alone before, but here I do it in the orchestra, which is a great experience for me. So far it’s going well. And thanks to the support of the musicians and conductor Ekaterina Ivanova, I am quickly learning how to play in a group of musicians. And I was even able to take part in a concert dedicated to the day of lifting the Siege of Leningrad during World War II. I learned that this was a very important day for the people of St Petersburg. We have a few more concerts coming up, and I’m really excited to be a part of them too.
So my idea of immersing myself in Russian culture is coming true!