Who Knew Snow Could Be So Colourful!

Aditi Koomar and Shreyak Tare are exchange students from Indian Institute of Management Raipur, a partner university of HSE-Nizhny Novgorod. They are pursuing a Master's degree in Management with a major in Marketing and Human Resource. They have come from Kerala, a southern Indian state, to Nizhny Novgorod for three months to study Brand Management and Marketing of Innovations at the Faculty of Management. Sara Olmi of International Students’ Club has talked to Aditi and Shreyak about their impressions and exchange experience.

'Travelling abroad for the first time during winter to a country known for its bone-chilling cold - does call for some strong nerves. But once the seven of us got here and looked beyond the sub-zero temperatures and snow cover, we discovered Russia’s magnificent and variegated colours — ones that have given us memories for a lifetime. But what truly touched us was how loving, accepting, and helpful the people of this country were, which helped not only to bridge the language barrier, but also made us feel at home.

The International Office at the Higher School of Economics, Nizhniy Novgorod made us feel welcome and played the most significant role in making our stay here comfortable. In terms of the curriculum, we opted for the Brand Management and Product Management courses. The modules were interesting, the classes were full of fun and learning, the professors were helpful, and we also got the opportunity to help out the Undergraduate students wing in their International Communication course.

Speaking of the extra-curriculars: the excursions, Kapustniks, and most importantly, the friends we made here — in local students as well as international students — would be the highlight of our trip. We are sure what we learned here would help us really grow in our careers. If we talk about Russia, we were blown away by the multitude of attractions that it offers: the rich history, museums, churches, sculptures, frozen lakes and rivers, and also the magnificent Aurora Borealis. There is so much to visit, but given our time constraints, we were able to visit cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Sochi, Murmansk and Irkutsk. The football stadiums built for the FIFA 2018 World Cup and also the Winter Olympics Park and ski resorts in Sochi are a treat. As we leave, all of us have just one thing in mind: to come back here for the FIFA 2018 World Cup.

Once we go back home, we will definitely miss these colours from under the snow that we have had the privilege to have unearthed.'