“Travelling without borders. Traditions of different countries” event within the framework of the activities of the club of English language lovers ‘Lingua’, working on the basis of the department ‘Foreign Languages’ of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences took place on 23 December at Tula State University.

It was attended by the students of the Institute of International Education from the People's Republic of Bangladesh, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Republic of Zambia, the Republic of Sierra Leone, the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of Uganda, Russian students studying on the programme ‘Translator in the sphere of professional communications’, as well as in groups of advanced language learning.

- The purpose of the event is to promote a friendly climate in our multinational team, - emphasised Olga Filimonova, the one in charge of the work of the Lingua Club, senior lecturer of the Foreign Languages Department. - Certainly, it is useful for the students to communicate with each other, exchange opinions, learn something new and interesting about traditions and culture of different countries.

Everything began with a pleasant moment. Russian students presented the foreign students with Tula gingerbread. The appetising gifts added a special flavor to the event and charged everyone with positivity. 

Karina Ogurtsova, a student of the Institute of Law and Management, acted as a presenter. The girl not only charmed the participants, but also literally awakened their creative impulses.

The working language of the country study meeting was English. And here it is simply impossible not to note that Russian students spoke it very well. The great merit in this, of course, belongs to their teachers, who managed to instil a love for a foreign language to the students studying in a variety of training areas and specialities.

No one was left indifferent by the interactive presentations “Foreign Countries through the Eyes of Russian Students” dedicated to the countries of the foreign citizens invited to the meeting. The students of the Institute of International Education listened with great pleasure to our students telling about the sights, customs, famous events and outstanding people of their countries, asking questions and supplementing the narratives. As a result, the images of these countries were drawn in greater relief, and the countries themselves seemed to become closer, despite the huge distances separating them and us.

- Of course, foreign students are very pleased that Russians show interest in the history and culture of their nations,’ commented Olga Viktorovna Filimonova. - This is a kind of step towards each other.

The presentations of Russian students “Cities of Russia. From Moscow to Kaliningrad” evoked positive emotions. It was as if the students built symbolic bridges between the countries, showing the beauty and identity of both.

The programme of the event was very rich.

After the presentations, all the participants joined the group work “Guess the country by its traditions!”. Then they learnt about Christmas traditions of different countries.

The creative meeting ended with an entertaining game ‘Guess the country by its subject!’.

That's how all the participants made fascinating journeys without borders. And got a lot of the brightest impressions!

Tatyana Krikunkova