I am a student at the Preparatory Department of Siberian Federal University, and I am going to apply for a law program in future. Studying the Russian language is not an easy task, we have classes every day for several hours. The hardest thing for me is the cases. But our lecturers and other students help us a lot. I study in a strong group, and everybody is very friendly, we are like a family. I think that if you have come to Russia, then you need to learn Russian. Practice is the most important thing here, so talk more. I do so. I spend my free time meeting and talking to people. This was the first time when I celebrated the New Year in Russia and it was fun, the best holiday in my life. And what is more, I like walking enjoying the splendors of places here. I often have a walk in the hills and admire the beauty of Siberian nature. I like the natural reserve Stolby and the river Mana most of all. I can not describe all the beauty of Siberia and my university, you need to experience it yourself. That is why I invite everyone to come here and see.

I’m Carlos and I’m 21. Right now I’m a student of Russian as a foreign language department in Siberian Federal University. I’ve lived in Krasnoyarsk for 4 month and I can say that it’s awesome. Downtown is a gorgeous place with impressive city squares. The architecture is magnificent, especially when it comes to culturally significant buildings such as theatres and concert halls. There are many monuments in the city; I believe that people treat their country’s history and culture with a great respect. The nature is also amazing. The biota of the region is quite curious. I haven’t had a chance to visit natural reserve Stolbi yet but I’ve heard many good things about the place. However, I went skiing in Bobrovi Log and in my opinion it’s an excellent ski resort with reasonable prices. The Yenisey River impresses by its vastness and power. In winter I visited Tatishev Island and it’s beauty is undoubted; the trees were covered in snow and it felt like I was in a magic land. There are cafes all over the city and one can find the one that suits him/her. It’s not hard to adapt in Russia especially if you have a good company. I’ve already met the people, they are very interesting people both in the university and outside of it.

They tell in our country that people find themselves in the same boat if they have been striving for this in past lives for hundreds of years. Therefore, it seems to me that I was destined to get to Siberian Federal University! I remember when many years ago I learnt that Siberia was the land of great frost. These words rocked my mind, and I made a tourist trip on the Siberian railway. Years passed, and no matter how changeable life was, my way again led me to this snow-white land. In China, a long study is figuratively called ten years spent at a desk near a cold window. It has never occurred to me to come for an internship in Siberia before. But the reality is a series of random coincidences and surprises. When the time to choose a graduate school came, the word "Siberia" emerged once again from the depths of my mind. So I found Siberian Federal University and sent my doctoral research plan to its School of Architecture, where, perhaps, a desk at the cold window waited for me indeed.
The opportunity of researching according to my conceived plan was a paramount issue in obtaining a doctoral degree for me. The School became interested in my plan, so I chose to study at Siberian Federal University without further ado. The admission process was successful. I was required to submit a research plan, a master's thesis and previously published research articles (this was the main part of the procedure). I can not say that researching and studying were hard for me, but still, this path was long and thorny. Fortunately, the SibFU staff did their best to help me. For example, the university provided me with courses related to the research methodology. Most of the time I spent at the computer, building models of urban projects and analyzing data, and my supervisor occasionally gave valuable pieces of advice on the subtleties of analysis and modelling. We have developed friendly and good student-lecturer relations.
 As for everyday life in Siberia, I cannot describe the sensations that you experience walking along a street in -30 degrees in the midst of a snowstorm. But if you come here to study, it means that ties that bind connect your fate with the frosty winter. By the way, as for that “desk at the window”, my threats turned out to be vain, it is always warm and comfortable inside. And another thing: even if there is really cold outside, people do not tend to be cold at all. Most of them are extremely friendly. Besides, the local long winters forced me to reconsider my attitude towards the bustle that is always absorbing us and to start appreciating the wonderful summer days and every moment of life even more.

When I was 20 I wanted to turn over a new leaf, move to another country, get education abroad and learn more about a different culture. I chose Russia and Siberia wishing to come to Krasnoyarsk and enrol at Siberian Federal University. Foreigners normally associate Russia with cold and bears. Yes, it is cold here, but the nature is absolutely beautiful! I believe this country should be a major travel destination. I was interested in Russian history and culture from the very beginning, but I think I’ve come to love the country because of its good people. Before arriving in Krasnoyarsk, I studied Russian culture and traditions and did research of my own to find out more about the Russian nation. They do look serious but that’s normal, you can hardly find ever-smiling people here in such weather. I found myself in amicable environment, with teachers, fellow students and passers-by always trying to help. I found fine friends here. As it happens, training in my field of study is not provided in English, so I’m doing a Russian-taught programme. I have no problems with the language barrier: teachers are articulate understanding that I’m the only foreigner in our group. Russian is a beautiful and difficult language and this is a vast country, so you have to learn to speak Russian since you decided to come here.