Student of MEPhI from Turkey Yavuz Balkaya told us about his student life in Russia and future plans.

“I am a 5th-year student at the Institute of Nuclear Physics and Engineering. I came here to study because of an interstate agreement. After graduation, I will return to my homeland and work at the Akkuyu NPP.

Before coming here, I studied at a university in Turkey. I wanted to have a go studying in other countries. I dreamed about short-time programs; the opportunity to get high-quality education in Russia attracted me.

Not everyone dares to become a nuclear engineer. At home, this profession becomes very promising. MEPhI is a leading university in the field, so I made the decision quickly. In Turkey, I got a diploma as a mechanical engineer; at MEPhI, I am studying design, operation, engineering of nuclear power plants.

I have been living in Russia for seven years. I learned Russian from scratch. At the preparatory department, we had 4-5 pairs six days a week in Russian. It was tough in the beginning. All my friends have unforgettable moments.

One day I went to the shop to buy coffee three-in-one, but I did not know how it is in Russian. I walked around the whole shop and decided to ask the shop assistant to show me where the coffee was. He showed, but that was not what I wanted. I began to gesture with my hands "coffee", "milk", "together" that they are connected. The friends started laughing aloud. It was a good thing teller figured it out. I will remember this 3-in-1 coffee forever.

In Obninsk, the teachers speak English, and for the first time, they taught the lessons in it. After two months, they started to teach in Russian. When it was difficult to understand the topic, I had to switch to English. All classes are now exclusively in Russian. In addition to the preparatory faculty, we also learned the technical language in the 1st and 2nd years.

In Moscow, there is a convenient urban space — everything is available. I did not get lost in the city. I use mobile applications, turn on geolocation, and the route built up immediately.

I am grateful to the teachers. They know their subjects, they explain everything and work very hard to convey information, provide all the necessary materials, and they are very patient. They provide useful laboratory works that let us acquire the skills of using the equipment that we will deal with at places of work. The people here are very friendly. For an easy-going person, everything is easy.”