“I decided to study what really interests me, and in my case it was philology”
Amaël Renard is a second-year student of “Philology” course, who travelled from Germany to Nizhny Novgorod and got into HSE. After graduating from thirteen years of school, Amael took a break in his education, visiting seventeen countries during that time, and then enrolled in our bachelor's program with little knowledge of Russian. Amael's path was not easy, but now he is successfully juggling philology, working as a tutor, playing sports, and traveling. Amael told us about his experience of university admission and adaptation in a completely new environment.
What brought you to a decision to study in Russia, especially in Nizhny Novgorod campus of HSE?
- So, I originally planned to embark on Kompartivistiks and Slavic studies, and then in spring last year I was travelling in Russia, so I decided it would be a more interesting experience to study in Russia, and philology is kind of both at the same time. About Nizhny Novgorod, I was in the city and I really liked it so I applied here. But to be honest it was also because it didn't work out with the paperwork in the other cities where I applied.
You weren’t very advanced in Russian when you first got here, but were very well-spoken in German, French and English. How hard was it to cross that language barrier, if it was a thing? How does it feel to communicate with people using four languages?
- Well, it definitely was a thing. And at first it was pretty hard, because I didn’t practice Russian for 2 years – I will forever remember the first seminar on Monday at 8 am in the morning with Bannikov - Latin teacher; I didn't understand anything. And now it’s gotten better and I understand most of what people say, but sometimes it can be frustrating, of course, to not be able to completely express the things you want to say. And about languages I got a little confused at one point, because when I was talking with my father in French on the phone I would remember a word in Russian, but not in French. But overall it was OK, I guess.
How did your family react to your decision?
- My family reacted pretty well, probably because my father also had experience of moving to another country for studying back at the time. Plus, after I travelled for almost two years they were kind of used to me being away so everything is fine now.
What countries have you visited in these two years?
- There are seventeen of them: Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China, South Korea, Japan, Russia.
Why did you choose philology in particular? What book made you love reading? Who had the impact on you regarding your book taste?
- I decided to study what really interests me, and in my case it was philology. Initially, I thought that I would not be interested in linguistic disciplines, but it turned out to be completely different. I like how literary studies are combined with linguistics in our program, it doesn't let you get bored. My love of reading began with novels like “Eragon” by Christopher Paolini and “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss – I used to read a lot of fiction. But I think the biggest influences were Haruki Murakami and Hermann Hesse.
What are you fond of besides reading? Do you have other extra interests or activities? We heard you were into hiking?
- Yeah, actually I am into hiking, we usually go to the mountains at least once a year with the family, but I like climbing even more, so we usually spend vacations somewhere where you can climb. I love listening to music and travelling, unfortunately right now the second option isn't really possible, but even small trips are always a pleasure. Also I attended clubs in HSE, for example I used to go to “Bla bla club” (English Speaking Club), but now I don't have time for it anymore, it was a great experience though. I guess living in the dorm is already enough student life to some extent.
How hard is it to manage so many things while also studying?
- To be honest I feel it would be easier if I was organised a bit better, but right now I sometimes get confused by all the different stuff we have and my work, so I just forget some things. Actually it’s a lot of pleasure and excitement to have so many good people and knowledge around you, so managing is not that big of a problem.
What are you looking forward to doing this year? What plans do you want to bring to life studying-wise or hobbies-wise?
- I guess I would like to travel within Russia if possible, and see my family on Christmas – I hope it will be possible to take the exams earlier to do that.
How are you feeling after the first year in HSE, what have you earned by being in the new place and atmosphere in general?
- Well it took some time to get used to the new environment, but I got to know really interesting things at University, also disciplines where I initially thought would be boring. Now that I've found some good friends in Nizny Novgorod I guess it's nice to be able to do nice stuff on your days off.
By: Alisa Kurnikova, Anastasia Ryzhkova