New International Students Arrive at HSE
HSE’s family of international students grew even larger in January when over 50 students arrived to study for the duration of the spring semester. They come from all over the world — Europe, Asia, North America, and even the Caribbean.
After the first week of Orientation, which is regularly offered by International Student Support to all incoming students, and a welcome party from the Buddies, the students not only began their classes and studies but also got involved in a variety of extracurricular activities.
Walking Tours
HSE students continue to help their international peers discover Moscow. In January, HSE student guides arranged walking tours with extensive commentary on the historical and architectural value of central Moscow, the Lubyanka square and Zamoskvorechye. They showed them the city’s most breath-taking viewpoints and introduced them to the Moscow Planetarium. More information on upcoming tours can be found in Events.
Bathing Rites on Epiphany
Students at HSE are tough, and those who come from abroad are no exception! On the Orthodox holiday of the Epiphany, buddies and seasoned international students celebrated with ‘ice-hole diving’ and invited a bunch of the newcomers to join.
Andrey Vernon
Andrey Vernon, first-year student of the Master’s programme in International Business, reports:
‘Around 11 p.m. a bunch of international students and some Russian buddies met at dormitory #5 to experience a truly Russian experience – the Epiphany. We walked over to Ostankinsky Pond. We were quite nervous while waiting in line for about 45 minutes (which seemed like forever) but when it was our turn we cheered each other with “raz, dva, tri” (1,2,3) for the three times each of us had to dunk under the water. It was unforgettable and great fun!’
Dinner Parties
This year HSE buddies came up with a new pastime to integrate international students – dinner parties. Buddies will regularly arrange dinners at home (including dormitories) to introduce international students to Russian hospitality and culture. The hosts and guests do everything together: choose the menu, cook dinner and socialize; the final dinner is a labour of love of both teamwork and students’ shared interests. One dinner party already has taken place, and many more are expected!
Hiking Sunday
On January 31, the HSE Tourist Club and a team of fearless students from South Korea, Germany, Czech Republic, France, Mexico and Italy set out on a hiking trip with buddies in Fryazino, Moscow Region. It was a day well spent; the hiking party walked more than 10 km through the crisp winter forest, enjoyed a sip of real campfire tea, and heard stories about club members’ travels. For many students it was a truly extreme but exciting experience. It was the first time that students from Mexico had seen so much snow in their lives!
Language Tandems
Following a practice that is rather widespread in many universities around the world, HSE buddies have created a Language Tandems network – a club intended to bring together local and international students at HSE to improvelanguage skills, integrate into each other’s cultures and make new friends. Many tandems have already been launched, and students interested in finding their ‘language soulmate’ are encouraged to join.
Fernanda Baez Rodrigues, exchange student, Mexico
‘HSE is a big university, with a lot of spirit in its community. It has a lot of activities and groups for students! I find it really good, because you allow the development of your students! Moscow is a cold city (weather-wise), its people seem a little quiet, serious and occasionally some person may seem rude, but when you need help there are always kind people and even if they don´t speak English they try to help you! They are also really well educated! I think Moscow is a city rich in culture, and Russia is a powerful country, with a lot of development going on!’
See also:
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