Learning Russian with Pushkin

The Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin State Institute of the Russian Language was founded in the year of 1966, and is located south of Moscow. It is one of the leading institutions offering programs related to the study of the Russian language.

I lived for a month in the общежитие (obsheshitie) from the Pushkin Institute in Moscow. He had studied the Russian language in Mexico City for 3 years, at the Mexican Center for Cultural and Social Studies (CEMECUS), former Mexico-USSR Friendship House. I heard more than one story about the Pushkin Institute, and decided to try my luck.

*Gaby (Russian art Alma MX) in the bedroom of the общежитие*

Fortunately for Mexicans, Russia is an economically accessible country to study by exchange or in specific programs, in addition to the relationship between the Mexican peso and the ruble.
Depending on the type of course selected (in my case it was a month in regular period), will be the cost of registration, in addition to the cost of the shared room.

The initial procedures were via email, and a higher recommendation to survive the Russian bureaucracy, is to read the instructions well, express your doubts clearly, and be very punctual with the processes.

The challenge begins upon arrival at the Moscow airport, as most taxi drivers will only speak Russian, or if you venture to take the bus to connect with the Metro, you will see the efficiency of Moscow transport (As long as you don't bring a lot of luggage).

*Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin State Institute of Russian Language*

The welcome to the Institute will also be in Russian, through a window where you will fill out the arrival documents, you will receive the key to your room, and sure you will explore a bit of the site while you find your way to the elevators. from the walls, portraits of russian writers will watch you, and in some sections, of other greats of world literature.

After leaving your bags and choosing your bed (if there is more than one free), It will be time to go shopping. The Institute has shared kitchens, laundry rooms and a cafeteria with a varied menu of home-style Russian cuisine, and affordable costs for students.
But nevertheless, essential items are on your own, and there is no better way to review vocabulary than in a store Продукты (Products).

*The Institute cafeteria and a selection from the student buffet*

My days passed between conversations with my two Korean roommates, and the daily classes among countless accents, whose only point in common, were the attempts to correctly articulate the grammatical rules of Russian learned that day.
Classes are 4 days a week of 9 a 2 with a couple of breaks. So there is plenty of time to get to know the city, make friends from all over the world, and immerse yourself in a new culture.

Books and other material are loaned to you free of charge at the Institute's library. Teachers talk more about 2 Languages, but they won't make it easy for you, classes are entirely in russian, at a basic-intermediate level for foreign students. Another challenge will be to participate and work as a team with so many variants of the Russian accent.. It's a great training for the ear, definitely. And there will be no shortage of local jokes in the room.

Our teacher Nadezhda named Mohamed Первый (first) y Mohamed II (second) to our colleagues from Saudi Arabia who did not have middle names to differentiate them. And a teddy bear surprised whoever had to participate, whether he was attentive or not.

Nadezhda (Professor at the Pushkin Institute): It is always good to get acquainted with new people from different countries, especially if they study your native language. Also, if they have the opportunity to come to the institute, even for a short time.

The Pushkin Institute is not only a meeting place for foreign students, it also houses the Faculty of Philology and Linguistics, and train future teachers who decide to continue teaching the language to foreigners.

Why study the Russian language?

The 6 June marks the Day of the Russian Language, that its coincidence with the birth of Alexander Pushkin is no coincidence. According to the Rossotrudnichestvo Agency, there is more of 265 millions of russian speakers in the world.

Beyond the geopolitical conflicts that are inherent in the world we live in, it is worth giving us the opportunity to explore these meeting points thanks to a language like Russian, that involves such a wide culture. With this idea in mind, I asked my classmates: what was the reason you decided to study russian? Here are their responses and a photographic memory of each of the friends I made that fall at the Pushkin Institute..

Abdulala (Arab Emirates): Because I like the Russian language
Claire (France): I will be in Russia for 6 years and I want to be able to interact with the people here. It is also a challenge for me to learn such a difficult language at my more than 50 year old.
Darius (Italy): I just decided to change my life, so i moved to russia, and so far it has gone very well.
Eduardo (Brazil): In 2014 I lived in Prague. There many people speak Russian, so when I came back to Brazil I decided to start studying it.
Hansol: When I was in high school in Korea, and I had to choose my subjects, I chose the Russian language because I heard that there was not so much demand, and gave me more options and perspectives.
Kim (Corea): My husband decided that we make our life in Russia.
Makota (Japan): Russian language is beautiful
Menyan (China): I have studied Russian for two years in China. I wanted to study it in Russia because I wanted to know the language more deeply and learn about the culture.
Rasem (Circasia): I study the language because I am a Russian citizen, but had never lived in the country. I was born abroad and I know other languages like English, arabic and turkish. I moved to Russia and plan to work here.
Sohyun (Corea): I am interested in the Russian language, that's why i study it, besides my father says that this language has potential.
Syin (China): My dream is to become a performer. So I came to Russia for a year to improve my speaking and writing., and to understand more about the country.