'It Was Nice to Understand the Specifics of Russia'

Over 20 international students from Europe – Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Norway – took part in the annual International Summer School on Understanding the Russian Economy in the Context of Crisis that has recently come to an end.

The 3rd International Summer School on Understanding the Russian Economy in the Context of Crisis finished at HSE. The students from various European countries spent the two weeks discussing the problems and prospects for Russia’s economy, learning about Russian culture, taking part in excursions, improving their Russian language skills, and meeting HSE students.

On the closing day of the School, the students from Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, and Portugal prepared presentations about their countries and summarized their two-week visit to Nizhny Novgorod. The atmosphere of the closing ceremony was friendly and positive. The guests shared their emotions from visiting the capital of the Volga Region, mentioned the high level of educational process’ organization, and expressed their gratitude for the intense cultural programme. Each student got a certificate of completing the summer school delivered by Maria Shtefan, Dean of the Faculty of Economics.

Joao Alberto, Lisbon, Portugal

I think this is a very nice summer school. It was nice to understand the specifics of Russia. The approach was not just theoretical, since all teachers gave us examples about what is going on in Russia. I’ve been to Russia, and this is my second time. I’ve been to Moscow and St. Petersburg, but I like Nizhny Novgorod more. It’s calmer and reminds me about my home city of Lisbon.

Philip van Wersch, Tilburg, the Netherlands

It was a very interesting course with a very good balance between lectures and the cultural programme. We spoke about some economic issues and problems, like the inflation and so on. I went to Moscow and St. Petersburg a couple of years ago, and Nizhny Novgorod is a much smaller city, it’s also more inside the country, so nobody speaks any English anymore! It’s unfortunate, but it’s also fun, because that adds to the challenge.

Dimitrios Moschos, Skopelos, Greece

I’m from Greece, but I study in Berlin, Germany now. My studies focus on Russia, and this is why I really wanted to visit the summer school this year. The one in Nizhny Novgorod appeared to be the most competitive one. My expectations were met. I really enjoyed the summer school, both the content and the other activities. It gave us a very good outlook of the Russian economy, but we also got to experience the Russian culture and the Russian surroundings. Nizhny Novgorod is a really beautiful city. It’s my first time in Russia, and it was a really nice experience. For example, the centre of the city is beautiful, and I really enjoyed walking there. And the places we visited around the city are excellent!