Skiing and making coffee: New Year's holidays for VVSU foreign students

VVSU foreign students shared their impressions of the New Year holidays. For some of them this was the first winter in Russia. What is it like to celebrate the most magical holiday in an unfamiliar country, with it’s own traditions, the winter is colder, and the celebration itself takes place on completely different dates?

Anna Zavalei, a senior lecturer at the Department of Intercultural Communications and Translation Studies, helped students from China adapt and have fun New Year holidays. A large group of them visited Russky Island, where they all started skiing together.

- To the ski track and back we walked 8 kilometers in both directions. Such a health day for us. The weather was good and warm, so we were able to enjoy the trip, to laugh a lot. Of course, there were some falls, but nothing serious,” said Elena Zavalei. – And very soon we will all go to the skating rink together!

Students Li Xixi, Zhao Xueting and Chen Yidan are just beginning to learn Russian, but they try to share their impressions describing the trip: “very good”, “beautiful” and “I liked it”. They celebrated the holiday all together. They went to slide down an ice chute in the central square of Vladivostok. And next year they would like to celebrate the New Year in a Russian family to get acquainted with the traditions and try festive dishes.

And for Sylavong Phimmasone, a 3rd year student at the Institute of International Business, Economics and Management, this is not the first winter in Russia. She, together with other students from Laos, was able to spend her New Year holidays not only interestingly, but also educationally.

The students took part in the Lao Coffee Days in Vladivostok. They dressed in traditional costumes and told visitors about the methods of brewing coffee, picking berries and the special way to drink it.

- Laotian coffee has a special pleasant aroma and taste. At home we drink it with condensed milk. At the event, visitors came up to us and asked how to cook it correctly and how it was collected. I have never tried to collect coffee, but I would like to learn about it the next time I go to Laos,” said Sylavong Phimmasone.

The student celebrated the New Year with her friends. Although in their country the Laotians celebrate this holiday in the spring, in Russia they also try to celebrate it brightly and cheerfully. A large group of students went to a restaurant and then watched the fireworks.