Egyptian Student Shares Honest Experience of Life in Russia

Russian universities, including those in Bashkiria, are popular among international students. If for young people from Kazakhstan the way of life is more or less familiar, for those who come from Egypt, India, and China, the local mentality, weather, and especially the language are almost alien. Barely adults, they find themselves in conditions far from familiar and comfortable. At first it«s especially difficult, but over time they fall in love with the culture, the country, and its people, wanting to stay and work here. One such student is Fares, a young man from Egypt. UFA1.RU interviewed him, asking him to be completely honest about his experience.

First, we want to show you Fares« video, which became popular on the internet. In the cinematic footage, one phrase is heard — »I felt like I was in prison here…«

Since the interview was in text format, we preserved the author«s spelling and punctuation so you can appreciate his command of Russian — almost at a native level.

«I Hated Ufa»

— Fares, please tell us what city you«re from and how you came to study here.

— I«m from the city of El Mansoura, in northern Egypt. My decision to study in Russia is largely related to the admissions system. Back home, before university, there»s a high school stage. During this period, graduates must take seven exams in different subjects, and the final score plays a decisive role. To enter the medical faculty, you need to score from 98 to 100 percent. Unfortunately, I didn«t manage to get such a high result.

— We have a fairly similar system to yours. So, did someone tell you about Russia then?

— We accidentally learned that an acquaintance was in a similar situation and went to study in Russia. Then my family suggested I consider this option — and that«s how it all started.

— Did you choose Ufa right away?

— Initially, the plan was to go to Nizhny Novgorod. But at that time, the coronavirus pandemic started, with strict travel restrictions, so everything was quite difficult. Nevertheless, I still made it there and lived in the city for about three months. After that, the question arose of choosing a university to study at the dental faculty. I was really planning to enroll at Lobachevsky University in Nizhny Novgorod, but according to information from the Supreme Council of Universities of Egypt, that university was not accredited at the time, meaning the diploma wouldn«t be recognized in Egypt. I had to urgently look for another option. Some people advised paying attention to Ufa, and in the end, I left Nizhny Novgorod, spending 24 hours on the train. And then a situation happened that was both funny and very unpleasant.

— It«s scary to imagine what that situation was.

— Literally seven hours after I checked into a room in the new dormitory, the Supreme Council of Universities of Egypt published a new decision: Lobachevsky University was included in the list of accredited ones, and Ufa, on the contrary, was removed. It was a real catastrophe. I remember I was ready to pay over a thousand dollars just to go back to Nizhny Novgorod. But it turned out to be impossible. So I stayed to study at BSMU (Bashkir State Medical University).

— So the already difficult adaptation became many times more complicated?

— Imagine the state when you«re studying, understanding that in the end your diploma might have no value, but you keep going because at the moment there»s simply no other way out.

— I don«t know if I should ask then how getting to know the city and university went.

— To be frank, I hated Ufa. But I had to come to terms with the circumstances and focus on studying at least temporarily, or until an opportunity arose to transfer to another university whose diploma is recognized in Egypt. Time passed… And here I still am. And in a few months, I«ll get my diploma.

— In other words, since the diploma isn«t valued in Egypt, it»s like you have no education there?

— Thank God, the laws have changed somewhat. Students who graduated from the university last year said that their diplomas are recognized in Egypt. I«m 90% sure of this, and the remaining 10% is still a mystery.

«The Local Grandmothers Seem Aggressive»

— How did you manage to master Russian at such a good level?

— My experience with Russian wasn«t entirely pleasant either, to be honest. By nature, I»m a rather closed person since childhood. And that«s probably the worst quality if you want to learn a foreign language, because you inevitably have to communicate with people. And that»s exactly what I didn«t do. Because of this, the language learning process dragged on. I felt awkward talking to anyone, I was afraid of making mistakes in speech. At the same time, it must be admitted that Russian itself is difficult. Even now, I still have problems with grammar.

— Did any locals help you learn Russian?

— One circumstance did help me. I met a girl, we became friends. She helped me a lot in learning the language. She was the only person I didn«t find it difficult to talk to. It was she who gave me the feeling that I actually already knew a bit of Russian, and that became the moment that pushed me to start speaking more confidently.

— Since you mentioned a girl, share how your personal life is going here? Girls seem to notice you, judging by social media comments. Maybe there were even funny pick-up lines?

— Regarding this topic — I«m not one of those people who strives for active communication or a lot of acquaintances. I never specifically went in that direction. I didn»t want to meet girls because I didn«t consider them suitable for me. Especially since I had a legitimate insurance policy. No nightclubs, no girls, and no alcohol. It»s a pity I didn«t stick to this rule… Because a girl appeared and made me break it.

— Thank you for being so honest.

— I was asked to answer honestly, so… At first, that girl who helped with Russian was just my friend, and over time I realized I fell in love with her. By the way, it was my first experience of love in life. But as they say, first love is often not long-lasting. Unfortunately, it didn«t work out for us. But even now I»m grateful to her for being the one who pulled me out of my room at the time and helped me start living more openly.

— Thanks again for your honesty. Let«s move on to something positive, like funny incidents that happened to you.

— In the beginning, I had funny situations. Once I was standing at a bus stop waiting for a bus, and I was without a hat. Suddenly some grandmother came up to me and started yelling at me. I had no idea what she was saying — a stranger pointing at my head and loudly complaining. It was very strange and confusing. Only later did I understand that she was unhappy that I was standing in the cold without warm clothes. Then I realized that the local grandmothers, though they seem aggressive, are actually very kind.

— I«ve noticed it myself — you»re people used to warmth, and it«s very cold here. Why do you dress so lightly, really?

— This happened to me in my first winter. I didn«t guess the weather would be so cold. My clothes were suitable for Egyptian winter, so until then I didn»t even have gloves, but now I have everything. Even thick socks.

«I»m Trying to Stay in Russia«

— Lastly — a significant contribution to your own health. By the way, in your video you mentioned working multiple jobs. Tell us more.

— I worked in a grocery store. I stocked shelves. That was my first job here. I worked in other places too, but they weren«t permanent jobs — different every day. I did call center work and worked in a construction store. Then I met someone, wanted to work with him. After an interview, I was accepted and I assembled orders at night, and in the morning I went to university.

— As far as I know, now you«re working in your specialty, right?

— Yes, I«m combining it with my last year at BSMU. I work as a dental assistant in a clinic, very grateful to the head doctor, she helped me and taught me everything.

— It must be hard to combine work at the clinic and studies at BSMU? Exams, classes until evening.

— On the contrary, it helps me a lot in my studies. I mean, I see a lot of what I read about. In my first year at BSMU, I went out to study, and it was dark, came back, and it was still dark.

— Does the program seem difficult or easy to you? For example, compared to what«s in Egypt.

— In Egypt, great importance is placed on the practical side, students start treating real patients already from the fourth year. Here, working with real patients isn«t prohibited, I think. It»s hard to find a patient who agrees to be treated by a student. But I think studying is hard everywhere. After all, we«re studying medicine.

— You couldn«t say it better. Am I correct that you now want to settle in Russia and work, live here?

— I really am trying to stay in Russia. But at the same time, I understand that I still need to return to Egypt to confirm my diploma and complete a practical year. This stage is very important for me because it will give me real clinical experience and help me become a stronger and more professional doctor.

— Good luck with that! Last question for today — what did you like most about Bashkiria?

— In huge letters, I«ll say — NATURE. Unfortunately, I haven»t managed to see all of Bashkiria, but I won«t return to Egypt without traveling around the republic.