How to learn Russian from scratch and become a Moscow rugby champion: the story of a MAI student from Ecuador

Jose Antonio Sisalima Montero was born in Ecuador. He has been living in Russia for six years already. Jose learned Russian from scratch and received bachelor's degree at MAI Institute No. 1 “Aviation Technology”. Now he is studying in the first year of the master's degree at Institute No. 2 “Aviation, rocket engines and power plants”, defends the honor of the university in rugby, develops drones and dreams of heading his own company that is creating UAVs.

– I have always dreamt of studying abroad, and Russia seemed very attractive to me. As for MAI, this is one of the leading universities in the aerospace industry, and I was eager to enroll here, - says Jose. – I study in Russian, and in my first year, it was difficult to communicate with professors and other students in ordinary everyday situations. But since the second year, I began to feel progress and now I am proud that I was able to master the language from scratch and get a bachelor's degree.

In addition to studying, the 23-year-old Ecuadorian has time for his hobbies. He got into rugby. The athletic talent turned out to be so bright that he was almost immediately recruited from the team of foreign students to the university team. As a member of the MAI team, Jose became the winner of the University Cup-2021, XXXIV and XXXVI Moscow Student Sports Games.

– My first official rugby game was in winter. I was thrown into the snow, and more snow was poured all over. Of course, it was very cold! But adrenaline warmed me: everything was new in this sport, – the Ecuadorian shares. – There are other similar traditions in Russia. Most of all, I was surprised by bathing in ice water, the Epiphany dip. Such a thing would never have occurred to a foreigner, but here it is normal and even popular. Last year I joined those who did that too, and I even liked it: I think I'll even repeat it again.

Now Jose, in cooperation with private companies, is developing unmanned aerial vehicles, and in the future plans to open his own company to create UAVs.

– I understand that in order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to gain experience, therefore, after getting my master's degree, I would like to work at the “United Aircraft Corporation” or Roscosmos. I am ready for hard work and constant self-improvement. I am sure that the knowledge and experience I have gained, together with my hard work and dedication, will help me build a successful career, – Jose believes.