Institute of Business Management (IoBM), Karachi, Pakistan
Bachelor Program
September-December
2017 - 2018 Academic year
Starting with the very first thing, my life as an exchange student in Moscow has been outstanding so far. There had been a lot of stereotypes about Russians which got eliminated the day we arrived and encountered few people at the airport, and so the list goes on. Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the University representative and a Russian student was appointed for providing assistance.
Life in Russia and in Moscow particularly is very different from that of Pakistan. Things are highly organized and categorized. Rules are followed widely e.g. traffic rules, pedestrian rules etc. Moscow has a very efficient public transport system, especially the Moscow Metro due to which travelling within Moscow is very easy and cheap too. Moscow Metro is considered to be one of the most efficient one in the world. the Moscow metro stations are very beautiful and eye catching. There is a very high language barrier because majority people don’t understand and speak English so we had to use the google translator. My experience with Russian people has been very amazing. People are very simple, kind, respectful and helpful. People do give us "being a foreigner" advantage for instance they let us enter first in the doorways and are always welcome to help us and provide assistance whenever needed. I have always been helped by people in finding grocery and other items in the super market.
There is also a trend of super markets in Moscow. For instance, there are small grocery shops in Pakistan in all the corners of the streets. If we talk about the lifestyle, people live simple yet luxurious life style. One can see very nice and expensive cars like BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Audi, Volkswagen etc. on the roads of Moscow. People generally prefer to use branded and luxurious products in terms of clothing. Nearly all the big brands have outlets in almost all the shopping malls. Speaking about food and eateries, it wasn’t difficult to find Halal meat shops in Moscow. Its very convenient and easy to find out fast food restaurants like McDonalds, KFC, Subway and Burger King. There are also very nice restaurants like Chaikahana chain which is very popular and has its chain in a lot of locations around Moscow.
My experience at the university and at the campus has been really good so far. The campus has really nice well maintained buildings. There are ample facilities within the campus like libraries, medical shops, food courts, football ground, basketball court, ice skating area, gym and swimming pool. As far as classes were concerned, the classrooms are well equipped rooms with nice furniture and projectors. The interior of the buildings is very nice, well decorated and well maintained. Teachers Review: Our teachers were also very nice. There was always two-way communication with the teachers. It was easy to grasp knowledge and understand them.
Speaking about the life at the dorms, the experience has been really good so far. We also came to know other International Students who were from France, Italy, Spain, China, Germany and India. The administration at the dorms is also very nice. The rooms are also very nice, cleaned, and well equipped. My coordinator Ma’am Zemfira Galimullina has been really helpful since the day we got nominated for the exchange program. Since then she has been always available for help and made sure that the entire duration of our stay remains safe, smooth and efficient.»
