International Students Testimonials

Nguyen Thi Le, Vietnam

National Research Tomsk State University

Life in Russia has knocked the indolence out of me

The first pancake is as usual a blob, especially for a novice. At first, the new life in a foreign country wasn’t a piece of cake: it was so difficult that I was really close to giving up and returning home. Everything I saw was so strange and foreign to me at that time. But is it possible to surrender in the face of difficulties? No way! It wasn’t in my nature.

I decided to walk more; I became more interested in Tomsk and its architecture because every day I learned more about it. During my walks, I met many people and made friends with them. Tomsk inhabitants are very friendly and kind. When you have some problems they are always ready to help. Together we walk, go to cinema or theater, to the ice rink and compare notes with each other.

Tomsk is the oldest educational, scientific, and innovative centre in Siberia. There are 9 big HEIs here. Tomsk's climate differs from the one I witnessed in Vietnam. I’d never thought that there were some other types of climate besides a rainy and dry season. And I was astonished that they differentiate so much.

Winter is usually long and cold, and it starts sometimes already in October and it snows up to May. Sometimes in winter the temperature falls down to 40 degrees below zero. And summer is brief: sometimes it rains, sometimes it is dry, it can be hot or chilly. Autumn also varies: warm, cold or chilly, rainy or dry… September and October are very beautiful. Russians call this time the "Golden Autumn." Leaves are yellow, red, orange, and gold. But the late autumn is very cold and rainy. It even snows from time to time.

It’s complicated to describe the usual weather in Tomsk. The climate is very moody. At first, I really suffered from it – it made me sit at home and I even didn’t want to leave the house. I felt as though I was in a prison. Before Tomsk, I was a couch potato and unprepared for real life, but I did my best to get acquainted with my new style of life. And finally I’ve realised that life isn’t that boring and hard.

Life here is like a long journey without bus stops. I travel a lot, see a lot of people, overcome difficulties, and discover the world. Now I know that Tomsk is an inseparable part of me and from now on will live in my soul. And I want to thank Tomsk for all my new friends.