【May 3/4】Interview to new SUJ students (Exchange Student Edition)

Name: Alfiia Shukhova

Home-Country: Russia

Program: Exchange student (SUJ), Moscow State University, Institute of Asian and African Studies

Keith: Hello! Many people might wonder who you are, could you introduce yourself?

Alfiia: Sure! Hello, my name is Alfiia Shukhova, I'm from Russia, and a student from Moscow State University, Institute of Asian and African Studies. My major is in Japanese Economy, and currently I am an exchange student at Soka University. About my hobbies, I'm a big fan of the arts. Actually, when I was in middle school, I used to go to an arts school and spend a lot of time drawing. Somehow it pushed me to learn more about the Japanese culture as they try to put the focus on the aesthetics of things and I also was a big fan of manga. I thought it would be great to be able to read it in Japanese directly.

Keith: Exactly, you can see more in detail what the author was trying to transmit. Moving on to the next question, what was your image of Soka University before your enrollment?

Alfiia: To be honest, I didn't know too much about Soka University before applying to the exchange student program. I found out about it from my teachers who shared about different universities I could apply for. At that time, I was googling every university, and I found out that Soka University provided scholarships for international students. I thought it would be helpful once I was there. Despite there is not much information, I read a Wikipedia article about this university and at first I was kind of suspicious as it was written that there was a kind of connection with a Buddhist organization. But once I dug deep into it and discovered that the current ambassador of Russia to Japan who was a student of my same faculty, was also an exchange student of Soka University. I could feel that connection with him and then I thought it might not be that bad, that it would be quite cool!

Keith: Wow, we may say that the ambassador might be your senpai (senior in Japanese)! You can ask him to treat you with a meal as it is in the Japanese culture!

Alfiia: Exactly, I'll try to make a call to the embassy to ask for that(laughs). In the end, my suspicious opinion about the university completely changed after the entrance ceremony. Despite that, I would have loved to be there, fortunately it was streamed on YouTube and I saw how many people were so proud to be there and I could feel their passion for studying at Soka University.

Keith: I am glad to hear that! So related to the topic, how did your vision of Soka University changed after your enrollment?

Alfiia: I really like studying here and it's a bit sad not being able to be in japan as I would like to take more classes! Unfortunately due to the time difference those classes in the morning in Japan might be really soon here in Russia and I feel like my brain won't be working during those hours (laughs). Right now I'm taking 6 classes of Japanese (some level E3 and E4) and other 2 classes in English related to business and marketing. I can see how professors show their passion when teaching, especially how they are trying to help us in these challenging times where we cannot meet each other. Also I think that the university website (PLAS) is a really helpful and useful system with all the homework, class material… Despite many other universities around the globe are struggling or are not fully prepared for online classes, I think Soka University is taking good measures.

Keith: I agree with you! Most of the classes have been well and fast adapted to online format. By the way, this is the last question, but is there anything you would like to ask your seniors? If there is any question, please let us know.

Alfiia: It was a tough one thinking about it. It is true that I had the great opportunity to meet one of the exchange students and ask her a lot of questions, but speaking more globally is there anything that you think is a must-do for a student at Soka University?

Keith: What a good question! Let’s ask all the students what they think about it! Thank you so much for your time.

Alfiia: Thank you for this opportunity!