Joseph Jacob on finding love at the University
The hero of this new episode of our Second Home project is Joseph Jacob, a fourth-year student at the Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology from India, who found not only knowledge but also true love at the university.
Why Russia?
Choosing a future profession and a country of study is a very important step. For our student, the main criteria were the quality of knowledge and accessibility of education.
“I chose Russia to study because I had heard about popular universities where you can study medicine. Ultimately, I decided to enroll in KFU because it’s an older university with its own history and traditions. Another reason was that I wanted to live in a colder place compared to India,” he said.
“Mom, it’s cold here!”
“My first message to my parents was about how cold it was here. Then I started sending them photos and showing them different places in Moscow and Kazan. Some of them seemed incredibly impressive. Of course, when the temperature drops below 35 degrees, the cold really hits home. But overall, I like winters, so with warm clothes you can get used to them. But the fact that it gets dark around 3 p.m. in the winter is still hard for me to get used to,” the student shared.
Spiced Borscht
“Borscht is one of the Russian dishes I eat quite often, and over time, it has become my favorite. I haven’t tried it in many places, but I’ve noticed that the taste can vary. I like the borscht my girlfriend makes the best, especially when I eat it with garlic bread or just garlic,” Joseph Jacob noted.
He also has no plans to give up his native dishes.
“I usually bring back different spices and ingredients from home every few months. So I have almost everything I need for Indian cuisine. But I haven’t yet found anything in Russian supermarkets that fully replaces the taste of home-cooked food,” he said.
The Rich History of KFU and the Russian Language
Studying at Kazan University is a touch of history. Vladimir Lenin, Leo Tolstoy, and Nikolai Lobachevsky studied here. For our interviewee, the university is a place of power and inspiration.
“At first, I had trouble pronouncing the word ‘zdravstvuyte.’ It took quite a while to learn to pronounce it correctly. But after practice, I can even pronounce words like ‘puteshestvovat’ with ease,” the foreigner said.
Cultural Exchange
According to the student, India and Russia are much closer than they appear on the map. Bollywood served as the connecting link.
“I was a little surprised that almost everyone I met in Russia knew at least a little about Bollywood or actors, like Shah Rukh Khan. Every year, I bring home chak-chak and pakhlava from Kazan, as well as various Russian chocolates. Sometimes I take souvenirs to please my family,” Joseph shared.
Love in Russia
Love is a separate chapter in our his life. A young man from India and a young woman from Russia met on campus. Their acquaintance through friends blossomed into something more.
“I met my girlfriend in my third year of college. She studies at a different institute at the university. We started talking and quickly realized we had a good rapport and shared similar interests, so we began spending more time together. Over time, we continued to meet and get to know each other better, and now we’ve been together for almost two years,” recounted Joseph.
During this time, the couple has traveled around Russia.
Future Plans
“In the future, I see myself as a medical professional and simultaneously an entrepreneur in Russia. It’s very important for me to develop in my chosen medical field,” he concluded.