Egypt isn't so far away
On April 12, Lobachevsky University hosted the first Day of Egyptian Culture, which has every chance of becoming a traditional festival. UNN students and lecturers had a unique opportunity to learn more about history, culture and modern trends in the development of this amazing ancient country. International students from Egypt studying at Lobachevsky University and other higher educational institutions of Nizhny Novgorod presented a colourful concert program at the UNN assembly hall. The concert was organised with the help of the UNN International Students Support Office and featured Egyptian national songs and dances and a theatre sketch about ancient pharaohs of Egypt. More than 250 people who attended the Day of Egyptian Culture enjoyed the festive atmosphere that reigned throughout the evening.
According to Dmitry Medvedev, Head of the UNN International Students Support Office, holding the Day of Egyptian Culture at the university was a long-standing idea, and now it has come to fruition. The students organised this event and gave everyone a lot of positive emotions. Maria Vedunova, Director of the UNN Institute of Biology and Biomedicine, addressed the Egyptian students from the stage, thanked them for such a wonderful celebration and said:
"I understand how homesick you feel, how different this country's culture is from yours, how different your life is here. You want to be - even if for a short while - at home, where it is warm, where there is sunshine, where your native language is spoken. But time will pass, maybe 10 years, and when you are grown-up, educated, respectable people, when you sit in your offices in your home country you will miss this very time at the university. You will miss the best time of your life, because being a student is not only about studying, getting new knowledge, acquiring a profession. Being a student is about freedom: inner freedom, freedom of choice, freedom of activity, freedom of will. We are never as free in life as we are when we are students. And you will miss Russia, you will miss the university. Even the things that seem strange and inconvenient to you now will evoke pleasant memories. I really hope that when you return to your home country after graduation, you will always remember your university and the time you spent here - the best time of your life. I congratulate you and very much hope that this festival will become an annual tradition".
"Thank you all very much for today's festival," said Konstantin Kemayev, Head of the UNN International Cooperation Office, at the end of the evening. - "During my work at the university, I have visited many countries, but Egypt was the very first country I went to. That was 20 years ago. Even back then, Egypt amazed me. It is a country with an ancient history, a country of huge metropolises, a hot climate, a gentle sea and warm people. Thank you to all participants: you shared with us your warmth, your energy! Today is a special day for Russia — the anniversary of the first manned flight in outer space. And it is no coincidence that on this very day our students staged this first concert, the Day of Egyptian Culture. I wish them good luck and repeat Gagarin's words: "Off we go!".
