Itoua Esther Rebecca is a second-year medical student and is originally fr om Congo. Our student reads a lot and studies hard. Find out more in an interview with Yaroslava Pangayeva.

- Tell us about yourself plz. Where are you from?

- I am from Congo, one of the largest countries in Africa in terms of area and population. Congo has many natural reserves, many of which are protected by UNESCO. I didn’t know about Saransk at all before. I tried twice to enter a university in the Congo to study medicine, but it didn’t work out.

My dad studied in Russia during the USSR, he loves Russia and suggested studying there. I am a student under the scholarship provided by the Russian government. I enrolled in preparatory course, learned Russian and I am now studying at the medical institute of MRSU.

- What are your interests?

- I like to read books on medicine because I want to become a professional doctor. I love children, I come from a large family. Actually, I wanted to enroll in pediatrics, but I was invited to study general medicine. I’ll go through this stage first, then we’ll see how it turns out. Now we are doing medical practice: we help nurses, doctors, and provide moral support to patients. Everything I dreamed about as a child!

— What difficulties did you face in Mordovia?

- It was difficult for me to learn Russian, because my native language is French. I arrived to study in Mordovia quite late. I had to learn everything quickly. But, thank God, I had a teacher who speaks French and English very well. At first it was difficult to read the necessary literature in another language. When I was in my first year, I lost a lot of time on translation. But now I already understand many words. It was also difficult to get used to the Russian cold. I’m from Central Africa, we don’t have winter at all. Congo is a tropical country, while Russia has a diverse climate. The cold and snow surprised me, but here you can get used to everything.

-What advice would you give to other international students?

- I wish you never to lose enthusiasm, just be yourself and follow your instinct'. People are very helpful here and so, you will definitely find your own way. Stay positive in everything, don’t be afraid to ask about unfamiliar things, and everything will work out!

The article was published in the «Voice of Mordovian University» newspaper (No. 4 — April 24, 2024).