From March 12 to 13, the Samara National Research University hosted an interactive online meeting "Russian Heritage" in English, organized by the Center for International Short-term Educational Programs. The meeting was attended by more than 60 students and teachers from foreign universities from Malaysia, the Philippines, China, India, and Thailand.



"Holding open online meetings about Russian culture and the heritage of Russia allows to broaden horizons, make friends from different parts of the world and, of course, attract foreign students to bachelor's, master's and postgraduate programs at our University. The program of the meeting was prepared in such a way that the audience learned information about the heritage of Russia and tested their knowledge in a playful way. A pleasant bonus for each student was our traditional martenitsa workshop, which is regularly implemented within the framework of international schools," said Olga Esipova, Head of the Employment and Career Office, organizer of international schools at Samara University. 

The online meeting program consisted of three parts. On the first day, the Head of Centre, Ekaterina Blinova, told the audience about the possibilities of studying in English-language master's degree programs, as well as participation in summer and winter schools in full-time and online formats. "The students were surprised to learn what a big university we have and how many different specialists we train here. Such events make our University recognizable on the world educational arena, and we expect that the participants of the meeting will choose educational programs of Samara University for themselves in the future," Ekaterina Blinova noted. Then the Center's employees Lada Uvarova and Maria Klevina, along with international school volunteers Ksenia Garshina and Zhang Jiahao, made a presentation about Russia, where they talked about the natural, cultural and historical heritage of Russia, as well as the peculiarities of the Russian language, the way of life of Russians and the advantages of the Samara region.

The most intriguing part of the program of the first day was an intellectual game (quiz) about the nature, culture and folklore of Russia. As part of the game, the participants answered 35 questions, five winners were identified, who will receive valuable prizes from the organizers by mail! What do Russians call "the first course"? And what is a "kokoshnik"? By participating in the quiz, the participants tested their knowledge and erudition, as well as learned new information about the country. "The Center's team has prepared interesting questions so that participants can explore our beloved country more deeply. The guys really liked both the presentation and the game, which is very pleasant and valuable! Perhaps we will repeat the meeting soon!" – says Lada Uvarova, a specialist at the Center.

The second day of the program was devoted to a workshop on weaving traditional Russian martenitsa dolls from threads. "It is noteworthy that the interactive meeting took place in March, during Shrovetide week, when the inhabitants of Russia celebrate the arrival of spring, and martenitsas symbolize the departure of winter (a doll made of white threads) and the meeting of spring (a doll made of red threads). The participants of this workshop prepared according to the instructions sent in advance, all had threads of the required length and other blanks. As a result, the souvenirs were made quickly, and they came out beautiful in their own way," emphasizes Maria Klevina, a specialist at the Center. Martenitsas became a homemade souvenir from Russia.

At the end of the program, the participants left feedback, where they noted that the program was organized wonderfully and the participants learned a lot about Russia, the quiz and the workshop were very enjoyable.

The winners of the intellectual quiz game:

• 1st place – Kamila Arifin (Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia)
• 2nd place – Dr. Mohd Fadhli Shah Khaidzir (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia)
• 3rd place – Khin Chaw Kalayar (Suranaree University of Technology, Thailand)
• 4th place – Wan Zul Fahmi Bin Wan Mohd Ali (Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia)
• 5th place – Nur Syakira Fareeha Binti Mohd Azhar (Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia)

For reference:

 The interactive online meeting "Russian Heritage" was implemented by the Center for International Short-term Educational Programs of the Institute of Economics and Management with the grant support of the #Fondpotanina25 for the development of the project heritage of the Foundation for the implementation of the English-language master's degree program – High Technology Business Management. In total, 200 applications were received from students and staff of foreign universities from 9 countries to participate in the meeting.

Text: Gleb Uvarov, student of Group 6301-090301D; Lada Uvarova, officer of the Centre for International Short-Term Educational Programs