"Now I want to see the whole country!" Foreign students visit the National Centre RUSSIA

Kamchatka's volcanoes, surfing in the cold ocean, snowboarding on snow-covered slopes and Lake Baikal — the "Journey Across Russia" exposition does more than introduce visitors to the country: it inspires real adventures and long-distance travel. Foreign students at MGIMO shared their impressions after visiting the National Centre RUSSIA at the initiative of the "Unity of the Peoples of Russia" Student Project Office.

Justin Soroku from Slovakia was particularly interested in the exposition's interactive features. The opportunity not only to look at the exhibits, but also to interact with them helped him experience the atmosphere of different parts of Russia.

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

"This entire space is wonderful. I really like the interactive features and technology — they are genuinely impressive. I do not think there is anything like this in Slovakia. I would like us to have a place like this too," said Justin.

Kamchatka was the student's greatest discovery. After seeing how volcanoes and the ocean coexist in one region, Justin became eager to try surfing there despite the cold water: "Even if it is minus 20 outside, I think it would be very interesting!"

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

For Roman Kim from Uzbekistan, discovering Russia's regions became an incentive to travel more actively. He has already visited Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Novosibirsk, but his wish list grew considerably after visiting the exposition. It now includes Lake Baikal and Russian ski resorts.

"It is wonderful here. I particularly liked the interactive features — for example, you can listen to birds. After the exposition, my friends and I were talking about taking up snowboarding and seeing everything Russia has to offer. Of course, I would like to see Lake Baikal. In general, I want to explore the whole of Russia and see everything," said Roman.

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

Levan Shanidze, who came from Georgia, also praised the exposition's informal and interactive format. According to him, this approach makes discovering the regions feel entirely different from a traditional museum visit.

"I liked the interactive format: there is so much you can touch, see and experience. It does not have the formality found in most similar places. Although I have visited Russia several times, there was still a great deal I did not know about the country. Here, I gained a much broader view of it," noted Levan.

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

For Zou Jun, visiting the exposition provided an opportunity to rediscover the Russian Far East. The student from China admitted that his previous ideas about the region had been entirely different.

"The Russian Far East turned out to be completely different from how I had imagined it. I saw modern cities, high-quality goods and distinctive infrastructure. This changed my perception of the region," noted Zou Jun.

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

Discovering Russia through an exposition featuring many of the country's regions at once was particularly symbolic for him: "When I studied at university in China, my lecturers often talked about how large Russia is. Now I have come to Moscow for the first time and can see here just how diverse it is. If I have the opportunity, I would like to travel throughout Russia and see its different regions."

For the foreign students, the "Journey Across Russia" exposition became a starting point for new travel routes. Each of them formed their own image of the country, but they all share one desire: to continue discovering Russia beyond the exposition space.