A SUSU International Student From Iraq

Abdulrhman Mohammed, a SUSU student from Iraq, is getting his Bachelor’s degree in one of SUSU English-taught programs, Mehatronics and Robotics, at the Institute of Engineering and Technology. He agrees to answer the questions about his life and study in Chelyabinsk.

- What do you like about Chelyabinsk and SUSU?

- Chelyabinsk is a nice city for comfortable living. The people here are from different nationalities and thanks to it you may learn lots of traditions and customs from different cultures. If we talk about SUSU, it gives me the chance to communicate with lots of people and make friends inside the university by taking part in different celebrations and activities. My favourite activity is the Russian Speaking Club organised by the Center for Sociocultural Adaptation for international students. There are many friendly and helpful people and you can learn Russian there and get to know new friends.

- Why did you choose to study in Russia?

- I always wanted to travel to Russia and see this large and beautiful country. One of my respected family members studied at Moscow State University, so I heard a lot of stories from him. Also I wanted to test Russian cold winter as I am from a very hot country and I couldn’t imagine what it means to see white snow and wear a warm jacket and a hat 5 or 6 months a year. One more reason was the fact that traveling to Russia was much easier than to other countries so that also helped me to choose Russia.

- How do you plan to use your education in future?

- I study Mechatronics and Robotics. I hope the subjects I study like Programming, Hydraulic, Electricity and Computer Engineering will help me to find a job in the gaming or robotic field.

- What was your greatest challenge about living in Russia?

- My greatest challenge in Russia was the language because it's hard to explain your thoughts and your problems you are facing. At the moment you start to understand the language and speak a little bit everything becomes much easier. The second thing was not actually a challenge but a surprise. I didn’t expect that summer in Chelyabinsk would be so amazing and hot.

- Do you take part in student life (volunteer center, School of young leaders, sport clubs, dance clubs, choir)? 

- Yes, I do. I play for the SUSU mini football team. It helped me to get lots of acquaintances and play with many teams in different leagues of the city. I am a great sports fan. 

- What would you wish your compatriots who are choosing a university now?

- First I hope that they will be open minded about Russian culture, try to study it and understand it. As for the study, they should attend all the classes and not be lazy (even if it is raining outside or snowing heavily). Try not to be late for classes and make Russian friends as many as possible - it will really help you with your Russian language. If you decide to attend The Russian Speaking Club it will be the easiest way to learn new people and get to know everything about the university activities.