New Year in Russian Way festival for international students took place at INRTU. INRTU students from Asia, Europe and Africa danced, sang songs and recited poems in Russian in their native languages. The event was organized by BS of BRICS on the eve of the winter holidays.

As Svetlana Latysheva, the Head of the Department of Humanities of Baikal School of BRICS, says, more than 100 citizens of China, Italy, Poland, Benin, Algeria, Vietnam, Mongolia and other countries are studying at the preparatory department of the school. They have been studying the Russian language for several months. Some of the trainees graduated in 2021, and some of them are already working. Each of these students is attracted by the opportunity to get a high quality education in the Russian Federation and get acquainted with the culture of the country.

«The program of the festival included 14 performances prepared by the students of the department. The New Year’s festival helped us to show foreigners how interesting and important it is to learn the traditions of each other», — underlined Svetlana Latysheva.

The group of the teacher Zhargalma Mayurova prepared a sketch based on the Repka fairy tale. Roles were performed by students from Arab and African countries. For example, Elongo Ednosh Jamba from the Democratic Republic of Congo played Zuchka. Kebe Sally Este from Cote d’Ivoire unexpectedly appeared as a grandmother, dancing in a traditional Mongolian dress duel. The participants of the performance came to Siberia last fall. The students have language difficulties, but they are already able to hold a conversation. They admit that the concert helped them learn more about the Russians' New Year and Christmas holidays.

Renata Lolo, a Pole, read an excerpt from Eugene Onegin. She has been studying Russian since childhood and considers it her second mother tongue. Nevertheless, about a month ago she came to Irkutsk to immerse herself in the language environment and «to tighten her grammar». Renata has devoted almost 40 years to church service in Europe and believes that the courses at INRTU will help her communicate more fluently with the parishioners of the Irkutsk Catholic Cathedral, where she works.

«I really enjoyed the concert. It reminded me of Christmas, which is celebrated in Poland from December 24 to 25. It is a tradition to celebrate it with the closest to you people. On Christmas Eve, in my country, they serve borsch with uszczek (Polish version of dumplings), kutya (stew with poppy seed), fish, and stuffed cabbage rolls with mushrooms. These dishes are also served at our church," said Renata Lolo.

The audience was also impressed by the performance of Mu Shuo, a Chinese student who sang Siniy Iney (Blue Frost). The concert included songs in Hindi as well as the traditional New Year’s hits.