Student Spotlight: Shahriar Rashid Nafi, Bangladesh

Hello Shahriar, please introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello everyone, my name is Shahriar Rashid Nafi from the district of Lakshmipur in Chittagong, Bangladesh. I spent my entire childhood in this town before moving out to Dhaka, the capital city, to prepare for IELTS. Studying in Russia was not my first priority, but somehow it chose me rather than me choosing it.

Sounds unusual! How did that happen?

After finishing high school, I started looking for scholarship opportunities abroad. I received acceptance letters from a few universities in Malaysia and Turkey, but I ended up rejecting them. Then, I got a band score of 7 on my first IELTS attempt and started preparing to apply to a university in Australia. I also got an offer from the University of Technology Sydney. In the meantime, I also got to know a Bangladeshi student in Russia and ended up submitting an application there, too. After a few weeks, I got a call from the Russian House in Dhaka inviting me for an interview. I said to myself, “why not?” and casually headed for the interview. 

And you got selected, I assume? 

There were more twists in the tale. My father was willing to let me study in a foreign country, but my mother was strictly against it. She wanted me to apply to study in Bangladesh. So I had to prepare for and take national entrance exams as well. I got selected in one of them as well and I started attending classes. After 16 days of attending university, I got a call that I had been selected to study at ITMO on a government scholarship and I had a flight in 17 days! 

Oh, wow! That’s such a short notice. How did your family react?

Naturally, my parents were very surprised. My mother was very disheartened, yet she arranged money for me and helped me prepare for my journey to Russia. I spent my time shopping for winter garments and food. Everything was quite hectic those days, but eventually, I was able to come here.

When did you arrive in St. Petersburg?

I came to St. Petersburg last year during the fall.

And where are you living?

I am living in an ITMO dorm on Belorusskaya St. 6. It is a very good dorm – spacious, clean, and comfortable. I have no roommates as of now and I live alone in the block, which is a bonus. I have three very good friends who live in the same dorm. We arrived on the same day and have been friends since. The only downside of this dorm is its location. It is quite far away from the university campuses and public transport is not always so straightforward. We have to change multiple transports to reach ITMO, which is time-consuming.

How did you feel here in the first few days?

It was challenging to adapt to the new environment at first. The language barrier was really challenging and it took time to get used to everything here. I was sick for a few days and was even scammed a couple of times! 

Having said that, Russia is a beautiful country and I was super excited to be here. It was very difficult for me to settle down and focus on my studies in the first few months. I traveled all around the country, sometimes even missing my Foundation Program classes. My teacher got angry with me and one day she scolded me about it. After that, I started attending classes regularly, but learning Russian seemed beyond my capabilities!

How is your Russian now?

It’s still not that great. I have tried so much, but Russian grammar just seems out of my reach. One year is just too little to master a new language that has a completely different script and grammar. I think I need more time to understand and learn Russian well. If I could find some good Russian movies to watch, I would have benefited quite a lot.

Read also: Russian Hollywood: Iconic Russian Movie Studios and Their Best Films

Is your Bachelor’s program in Russian? How are you managing your lectures?

Yes, my program, Computer Systems and Technologies, is taught in Russian and it has been pretty tough for me to keep up with the lectures. Don’t get me wrong, I am highly motivated to study computer technology, but the language is a huge hurdle in my path now. I am trying my best to overcome it and do well.

I am sure with consistent hard work you can do that.

Yeah, I hope so. Thank you so much.

Are you attending lectures regularly now?

Yeah, I am regular to my classes now, but I traveled a lot during the summer holidays. I went to many places around the country: Moscow, Veliky Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Voronezh, Novosibirsk, Kazan, the Republic of Khakassia, and the Urals. 

Wow, you seem to have a wanderlust!

Yes, I love traveling and I love photography. I also am a photojournalist for Pacific Press Agency, where I post my travel pictures and earn a few bucks. It is like a passive income to me. It is very important for international students in Russia to have their own sources of income. I developed a tech project that earns me a small commission. That’s one of the reasons why I am studying computer science. I like technology and software to solve real-world challenges. 

I also own five cafes in Bangladesh called Waffle Boss and Lakshmipur Express Cafe. Managing these cafes gave me a lot of experience in management and business. That led me to find part-time work in St. Petersburg at PeliBox. Despite not being able to work there every day, I am quite wanted and loved by my colleagues and employer. I am also well-paid.

That must be quite an inspiration for our readers. Do you have any more advice you’d like to share?

The first piece of advice would definitely be to learn Russian if you plan to study in Russia. Without the language, it is very tough to do anything peacefully. The second point is about finances. It is not a good idea to study in Russia if you don’t have a government scholarship. Even if you have a scholarship, I would advise you to find a part-time job and work on the weekends. Earning some money from your own hard work is always the best option. And the final advice would be to never give up and try your best. Don’t be careless like me and focus on trying your best.