When I initially came to ITMO University, I was astonished by the environment that surrounded me. I had never seen such an array of cultures and events. Whether it be football or volleyball, basketball or table tennis, students had plenty of chances to get involved. But there was one thing missing: cricket. For us who come from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Indonesia, and various other countries around the world, cricket is more than simply a sport. Cricket is actually a bridge that helps us connect ourselves to others as we reminisce and feel at home. For us, whether it is the sound of the bat meeting the ball or simply the cheers of others as they watch a six being made, there's an emotion attached to it. That's when I had a spark of an idea. Why not have a Cricket Club at ITMO?
As a student at ITMO, your life is a vibrant, demanding, and exhilarating mix of lecture halls, late-night study sessions, and exploring the cultural heartbeat of Russia’s Northern Capital. But how to maintain a fighting spirit all the time? The answer is very simple — the perfect cup of coffee! And St. Petersburg is a wonderful city to discover coffee culture.
Organizing a cultural event is never only about schedules and planning. It's about people, emotions, memories, and the feeling of belonging that grows quietly in a room full of strangers. On November 15, I experienced this feeling in its most powerful form at the event that I organized myself. CrossCulture — Bangladesh Edition brought together Bengali students from across Russia and it still lives in my mind. Today, I am sharing the story behind the event.
In this blog, I wanted to share with you my recent journey to the World Youth Festival in Nizhny Novgorod, where I was honored to be part of the Leningrad Oblast delegation. Out of many applicants, only 10 participants were selected to represent the region, and I was grateful to be among them (it feels like we are a family now).
My workday usually starts around 10 a.m. I come to the office, grab breakfast at the café on the first floor, usually a sandwich or pancakes, and head to my desk. While my computer is waking up, I make myself a cup of tea in the kitchen. That small morning routine helps me switch into work mode.
When I received my acceptance notification for the World Youth Festival Assembly, I had to read it twice to believe it was real. Out of over 62,000 applications submitted from 175 countries, only 2,000 participants were selected: 1,000 from Russia and 1,000 from abroad. The selection criteria were rigorous: experience in international youth cooperation, participation in Russian and international projects, strong English proficiency, and demonstrated leadership in fields like IT, entrepreneurship, media, and science. Being chosen from such a competitive pool felt like a validation of everything I've worked toward since arriving at ITMO.
St. Petersburg is renowned not just for its architectural beauty and historical depth but also for its peaceful natural setting, especially in summer. For a group of 22 Bangladeshi students studying at different universities across the city, one perfect July weekend offered a chance to leave the classrooms behind for some time and return to nature, friendship, and cultural identity.
We spend a ton of our lives online — checking out VK, binge-watching YouTube, studying on all those online platforms, or just chatting with our buddies. The internet is where we learn, connect, and chill. But have you ever thought about the invisible trail you leave behind every time you hop online? That trail is your digital footprint, and even though it might seem no big deal, it can actually show way more about you than you think. So, I got kinda curious about how much students share online, and I thought I'd check it out. I also chatted with some of my university friends about what they do online, and honestly, what I found out was pretty surprising.
Ever since I became a student at ITMO University, I had been waiting eagerly to visit Yagodnoe, the university's fabled sports and recreation camp. I had enrolled twice before but canceled at the eleventh hour due to a time limitation. This summer, though, I was not going to let the chance pass me by.
As Coordinator of International Relations at the Faculty of Technological Management and Innovations (FTMI) at ITMO University and a current professor at Jilin International Studies University (JISU, China), I recently had the opportunity to participate in the International Forum on Impressions of Northeast China: The Local-Cosmopolitan Dimensions of Northeast China Culture, held in Changchun.
