William from Africa: ‘The Russian language is already flowing in my veins!’
Why Russian?
“It feels like a God-given lot,” William claims. The Russian language burst into his life by accident: as a third-year university student in his native Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, William spent his evenings watching TV shows.
“One day, I came across a Russian TV show called 'Khrustalny', I still remember the title. I didn't understand the language, but the plot gripped me and I continued watching. And that became my first contact with the language of Pushkin.”
Then, the World Wide Web pulled up other Russian-language content for William and, once he finished watching the crime drama, he watched a Russian animated film.
“My brothers asked me why I was watching something I couldn’t even understand. But, I was so impressed that I decided to discover this new culture.”
William was particularly interested in the Russian alphabet. Its difference from the familiar Latin aroused the young philologist's interest, so he decided to start studying Russian on his own. “Over time, Russian culture and history, as well as the richness of Russian literature fascinated me more and more.”
How an African student ended up in Moscow
“Not long before my graduation, I began to consider enrolling in a master's program in Russia, which only spurred my zeal. I even shared my plans with my family, but my mom was totally against it. She was not ready to let her 20-year-old son go to an unfamiliar country,” he recalls.
But, everything worked itself out. Coming out of class one day, William saw an advertisement seeking candidates to study in Russia. In addition to a set of documents, he had to pass a test on his knowledge of the basics of the Russian language and Russian culture. Only four candidates were selected and William was second on the list.
The difficulties encountered
“Today, the Russian language is already flowing in my veins and I speak it fluently,” William says smiling. And his words are not in any doubt. After all, since his arrival in Russia on a cold, fall morning, he has graduated with an excellent grade in the preparatory course of Russian. And then, he enrolled in the philology department of the Pushkin State Institute of Russian Language in Moscow. He also became a finalist in a teaching skills competition for Russian and foreign students. Now, he teaches Russian online for free to almost 120 students of different nationalities, both in Russia and abroad. But, this was not always the case, of course.
Due to circumstances, William arrived in Russia after the studying course had already begun. And he was disappointed to realize that the other students were far ahead of him.
Moreover, the Russian alphabet turned out to be much more complicated than he had originally thought. And he had to work hard and study a lot to catch up.
When asked what the most difficult part of learning the language was, William gives a categorical, but quite expected answer: cases and their declension!
Communicating in Russian & with Russians
William is sure that, in the classroom, you only master the program, but, to speak the language well, you need to practice it, to embed yourselves in the Russian-speaking environment.
“At MPGU [Moscow Pedagogical State University], where I studied at the preparatory faculty, I was the only African integrated into the Russian environment. Speaking Russian was simply necessary! Sometimes, I made a huge number of mistakes, but my friends comforted me by saying that I shouldn't be embarrassed about it, because I was at the very beginning of my journey.”
Today, he bravely uses Russian both in his studies and in his everyday life. Moreover, Russian has become his lingua franca for communicating with representatives of other nations.
“There are foreigners studying with me at the institute: Chinese, Vietnamese, Congolese and many others. Thanks to communication with them – in Russian, of course – I learned a lot about their culture,” William emphasizes.
What is the goal of learning Russian?
William, who was once captivated by Russian culture and literature, now wants to help his compatriots, who, in the future, might also decide to make such a journey. After all, he explains, the Central African Republic currently lacks not only a Russian language department, but also language schools, whereas, in neighboring Republic of Congo or, for example, in Mali, there are no problems with this.
“Given the good relations with Russia, I would like to establish a Russian language faculty in the CAR so that people could complete the first stage of education in our home country.”
He would also like to do his part to promote Russian culture on the African continent and, at the same time, open up the culture of the African people to Russia and Europe.
Advice for those who are thinking of learning Russian & studying in Russia
“Mastering a new language is never easy. You have to resist the fear of making mistakes, show perseverance and then everything will definitely work out. Russia is an excellent host country, with one of the best education systems in the world. If you dare to take such a step, you will not regret it!”
‘Gateway to Russia’ is grateful to the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute for its help in preparing this interview.
In order to get free education at leading Russian universities, foreigners can fill out a questionnaire and submit an application at education-in-russia.com.
You can study at the Pushkin Institute for free in the Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate programs. Read more about how to enroll at the Pushkin Institute at pushkin.institute.
Moreover, the Pushkin Institute offers additional programs for those who want to learn Russian and for professional development of teachers. In particular, the institute holds an annual Summer School for foreign citizens. Detailed information is available here: clck.ru/3DmTTq.
For questions about candidate selection in your country, please contact Rossotrudnichestvo's representative offices or diplomatic missions of the Russian Federation.