- 25.09.2026 14:10
Tula is My Home
On September 25, the Department of General Theoretical Disciplines and Russian as a Foreign Language at the Institute of International Education (Tula State University) held the 7th "Tula: History and Modernity" quiz in a hybrid format. This event has become a cherished tradition for international students studying at educational institutions in Russia and abroad.
The quiz commemorated several significant dates for Tula: the 880th anniversary of the city's founding, the 85th anniversary of the Tula Defensive Operation, and the 50th anniversary of Tula being awarded the honorary title of "Hero City."
The in-person venue for the quiz was the Tula Regional Youth Center; Tula State University signed a cooperation agreement with the center in May of this year and is already successfully collaborating on various intercultural initiatives.
In addition to the in-person venue, the quiz was also conducted remotely.
This year, 74 international students from universities in Tula, Belgorod, Volgograd, Lipetsk, Novomoskovsk, and Brest participated. Participants from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, and South America were given one hour to complete a series of tasks varying in difficulty.
Faculty members from the department developed 35 unique questions covering significant events in the history of Tula and the surrounding region, their heroic past, local landmarks, and famous Tula brands. The questions included both closed-ended types—requiring the selection of one correct answer from three or four options—and open-ended ones, where international students were asked to provide a detailed response. Examples included questions such as "What is the name of Tula’s football team?" or "What is the name of the world-famous Tula craftsman who, according to legend, managed to shoe a steel flea?"
The annual Russian-language quiz for international students, "Tula: History and Modernity," offers a chance to reflect on Tula’s heroic past and its equally heroic present, to appreciate its development as the capital of a promising region and a magnet for young people, and to fall in love all over again with this vibrant cultural and historical gem that leaves no one indifferent.
Throughout the quiz, the international students from Tula State University were accompanied by their "Buddies"—Russian student mentors from the university’s primary trade union organization for students and postgraduates.
"It was a bit challenging, but very interesting!" remarked Yahi Gyal Gapani, a first-year student from Nigeria. "Tula will be my home for the next few years, and I am certain that our love will be mutual."
