A student from Thailand: "Do not hesitate to apply for SPbU’s Preparatory Courses"

How did you know about St Petersburg University and the Preparatory Courses?

Scholars from 55 countries take part in the XV MAPRYAL Congress

Many of my friends and people who I know were studying at the Preparatory Courses and some of them graduated from St Petersburg University. My professors at Thammasat University also recommended me to apply for the course. And then I went on the website spbu.ru to learn more information.

Can you tell us about yourself and about your educational background?

When I was in grade 11, I was an exchange student of AFS Intercultural programme in Russia for 10 months (2016-2017), I was in Krasnodar with my Russian host family. I had a good experience and wonderful time there. It made me impressed and loved Russia. It was the first time I began to be interested in Russia and wanted to learn more about it. That’s why I decided to study in Russian Studies programme at the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Thammasat University and then continue my education in Russia.

I am delighted and honored to study at SPbU. I’m interested in various languages and cultures and consider myself as a global citizen. I think that language and culture are connected and influence people nowadays since the past, so it would be great to understand and respect each other.

Did you experience reverse culture shock when you came to Russia?

This is my second time in Russia, so I didn’t experience culture shock that much. But when I first arrived to Russia, I was surprised that Russian people do not smile much. They looked serious. Compared to Thai culture, no matter what we always smile. Once my Russian friend asked me, why I always smile? Do I smile to hide something in my mind or this is common expression? Then I’ve learned that It is part of national character. Russian people do not express their feelings at first, but if we get to know each other, they are nice and friendly people. One more culture shock for me is when Russian people come home they change into other clothes to stay at home. Russians believe that outfit you wore all day outdoors will carry the dirt from the street, so you should change into new clothes. I agreed with this idea and always do it.

Do you like St Petersburg? How do you get on with the locals?

I’ve been in St Petersburg once when I was an exchange student and I fell in love with this city, whether, history, culture, architecture, environment and people. That trip inspired me to dream of visiting St Petersburg again and now my dream come true. I love to go for a walk around the city, visit museums and cafes. Through these activities, I learned more about Russian culture and locals. I enjoyed my life here every day and found out that there are endless things to discover in St Petersburg.

Can you share with us some of the most exciting or challenging moments while studying?

One of the most challenging moments in Russia was an adaptation period when I arrived. Although I mentioned this is not the first time I’ve in Russia, but leaving your home country and to moving to another country where you haven’t been for a long time made me feel a bit anxious.

I arrived after the start of the semester because of some inconveniences. The first week was really busy, because I had many tasks to finish in a short time, whether it was documents or accommodation in the dormitory. My Russian wasn’t really good, so it was difficult to communicate with staffs because most of them speak Russian. But after going through all this, I’m happy to begin a new chapter in my life and ready to handle everything.

As you have already spent some time at the Russian University, can you pinpoint some differences in the educational process?

According in my experience at Thammasat University, there are quite lot similarities in the educational process. For example, Russian classes at Thammasat University, I studied with a Russian teacher who taught the same way as a teacher in Russia. Anyway, there are some differences in the educational process which is the environment and atmosphere. I feel that Russian universities look a little gloomy, but on the other hand, I also feel energetic and concentrate on lesson during study. Another difference is an exam ticket (экзамен по билетам), it is a paper sheet that contains questions for students to randomly select from different tickets and answer it. I haven’t done this test before, so I found out that interesting. Also academic grading system is different. In Russia educational progress is mostly measured on a five-point grading scale — 5 is the highest, 2 is the lowest. In Thailand the highest grade is 4 and the lowest is 1.

In your opinion, what are the most important and useful skills you acquire while studying at the Preparatory Courses?

While studying at the Preparatory Courses, I acquired following skills which is really important and useful for me: self-motivation, problem solving and time management. While living abroad, you’re the only one responsible for yourself. I’m so grateful to be here. Now my goal is to pass an exam and get the certificate TORFL (The Test of Russian as a Foreign Language). I believed that what I learn from this course will be an important part in achieving my goals.

What was the most interesting thing you learned about Russian culture?

I really admire Russian culture. But I would say the most interesting is developing a reading habit. It’s a fact that reading is a lifestyle of Russian people, whether young or elder people. There are bookstores everywhere and it’s a common thing to see readers anywhere. I am really impressed when I see people reading books on public transport (especially in the metro). Reading habits reflects Russian character, culture and society. It’s absolutely essential and good habit that I’ll follow.

While living here what do you miss the most and what will you miss when you come back to your home country.

While living in Russia I miss Thai food the most, although there are good Thai restaurants here. The food culture of Thailand and Russia is very different, for example, in Thailand you can buy food anytime and anywhere. On the other hand, if I go back to Thailand, what I will miss about Russia is public transportation which is convenient and have reasonable price.

What would you wish for those who only plan to enroll in SPbU’s Preparatory Courses?

Do not hesitate to apply for SPbU’s Preparatory Courses! You won’t be disappointed to enroll here for sure. Although the Russian language seems difficult but at least if you try to learn it with an open mind, you will find that it is interesting and not as difficult as you think. I’m wishing you a good luck and success.