A new guest of our column was a student from Egypt — Mohamed Musa. He entered in Syktyvkar State University in early 2018. He is studying Russian now.
— Tell me about your morning. In what time do you wake up and what do you have on breakfast?
— My morning starts at 8 a.m. I prefer scrambled eggs for breakfast because it has a lot of protein and it is a quick dish to prepare. Then I wash my face and go to the University. It is about 15 minutes to go from my dorm to the University, so I slowly get ready and go.
— Are you going to the university alone or with somebody?
— Usually, I go with friends, but sometimes I’m very slow in the morning, and my friends don’t wait for me. Frankly, even some teachers noticed that I should be faster and get rid of laziness (laughs).
— Do you listen to anything on your way to University? Music, podcasts or audiobooks?
— I listen to music, it’s my passion. American, Arabic, Russian — any! With regard to Russian artists, I listen to Timothy, and my favorite performer now is Travis Scott.
— Is it hard to study in Syktyvkar State University?
— Studying is not so bothering and I like it. I even have a favorite subject. It is biology. Thursday is the most difficult day of the week for me: lectures on Russian language, biology and a lot of homework. I am very tired on such days, because it takes a lot of effort to study Russian. I think this language is much more difficult than English, but also more interesting.
— Do you bring lunch with you?
— No, I usually eat at the University, in a cafe. Also, snacks from the machine help not to stay hungry all day.
— What do you do after study?
— On thursday study ends at 4:30 p.m. After class, I go home, take a shower, and start doing my homework. Of course, not always it comes to homework (smiles). I can go to bed and watch TV shows like “13 Reasons Why” and “Breaking Bad”. I have not watched any Russian TV series but I know the film “Legend №17”.
— What do you do on weekends?
— On Saturday night I can go to a cafe with my friends or play football. By the way, football is my hobby. I’ve been playing for 12 years. On Sunday I rest and do my homework.
— What time do you go to bed on weekdays?
— I fall asleep around 0 a.m., sometimes I can go to bed after two o’clock in the morning, it depends on the schedule for the next day. Sometimes my school day starts at 11 a.m., so I have enough time to sleep. That’s about how my days pass in Syktyvkar.
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The best moment in my life… is enrollment in Syktyvkar State University. At the University, I am going to learn Russian fully. Then I will go to Moscow or St. Petersburg to enter the dental Department. I have two brothers and they both work in this field. So I’m going to join them.
The weather in the city… is very cold. In Egypt, the temperature does not go below +15, but at this point it is very unpleasant to be on the street.
I’m a fan… of Cristiano Ronaldo.
I can’t imagine my day without… communication with friends and mobile phone (smiles).
Ekaterina Chernyh, Faculty of Journalism, 1st year
Translation By Nikolay Spichak
Photo by author