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Coffee and Myth-Busting for HSE International Students
On April 17th, 2014, the International Students Office together with AEGEE-Moskva, the European Students’ Forum representatives, gave a party for the HSE international students to get to know one another and Moscow and dismiss a few stereotypes. The location for the evening was Jeffrey’s Coffee on Maroseyka St, founded not coincidentally by the HSE alumni.
The event on the eve of the Easter holidays and upcoming exams was intended not only as a laid-back evening, filled with coffee and engaging conversation to encourage our international students to relax and talk, but also as a gathering with an informative purpose.
Under the watchful gaze of the coffeehouse’s totem – Elk Jeffrey – in the cozy living-room atmosphere representatives from AEGEE-Moskva unraveled a fascinating cultural entertainment program to provoke a discussion on a wide variety of topics, including all things Moscow. They focused on dispelling stereotypes about Russia and the home countries of the international students. In the coffeehouse’s exquisite and comfy living-room, the company which included students from USA, Japan, Korea, Belgium, France and others, enjoyed a mock master class on ‘How to survive in Moscow’, quizzes about Moscow and its history, team-building games and energizers, and watched amusing and bemused presentations and videos about the Russian mentality.
The evening reached its peak with the Myth-busters game. Be it ‘Do all French people eat frogs?’, ‘All Japanese are crazy about animation’ or ‘All Koreans listen to “Gangnam Style”’, the students showed incredible resilience and passion while dispelling myths about their homeland but also managed to bombard each other with questions and funny stories, turning the discussion into a heated but fun experience. The evening was crowned with a themed photo-shoot when students played characters from Russian folklore.
‘Everyone is so nice’, commented one of the Japanese students, pleasantly surprised. Indeed, the coffee party went smoothly in a relaxing and friendly atmosphere, with everyone ready to share their impressions and knowledge as well as to listen eagerly to each other. The fun and educational program provided by AEGEE-Moskva earnt rave comments and lots of happy smiles. For the HSE it was the first cooperation with AEGEE and one of many forthcoming events for international students.