Russia and Thailand: what is common between these allegedly so different countries? Meanwhile, historical relations of the two states are much firmer than it is usually believed. One of the princes of Thailand, raised by Nicholas II, the Emperor of Russia, himself, grew up and studied in St Petersburg. Music for the Royal anthem of Thailand was arranged by the Russian composer Pyotr Schurovsky. And the Guards of Siam had been wearing the uniform of Rissian Leib Hussars until the 1970s.
Nowadays, in addition to trade and economic relations, interstate cooperation has been extended to such areas as higher education. There is a growing interest in learning Russian in Thailand as well as towards studying in Russian universities. The most commonly chosen study fields are engineering, natural sciences, and digital technologies.
Unlike African or Chinese students, Thai youth have not yet become frequent visitors to Russian educational institutions. There are only a few hundred of them in the whole of Russia. Most Thai students come to the country under the quota system, which is administered by Rossotrudnichestvo. The latter is an organisation responsible for promoting Russian education services abroad and distributing quotas to international students. If an applicant is approved, they have the right to study for free in a Russian state university of their choice.
But why do Thai youngsters choose Russia as a study destination? What difficulties do they encounter here? And what do they do upon completing their studies? Tanakorn Savatdichay, a graduate of the St. Mining University, provided a response to these questions.
"I was born in Chanthaburi - the jewellery hub of Thailand and the major wholesale gemstone market of Asia. The Chanthaburi Province is home to deposits of rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, altogether providing over 70% of all gems extracted within the country. Precious and semi-precious stones are sold everywhere - starting from the beaches and ending with jewellery factories and boutiques. Deposits have, however, became depleted with time, which is why our Government decided to focus instead on mineral processing. As a result, my home country is now one of the world's leaders in the stone-cutting industry. We are importing minerals from, for example, Burma, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and some African countries. Many people from various professional backgrounds are employed in this sector. Lapidary workers, designers, and of course, gemologists - the most respected specialists in the industry - are among them. Gemologists are engaged in scientific and research activities. They study characteristics of different minerals, how they are formed, factors that determine their value. Stones were my true passion, and geology and mineralogy were the areas of particular interest to me. But aside from that, I wanted to see the world, meet people from other cultures. Therefore once I graduated from high school, I started looking into international study opportunities," says Tanakorn.
The boy entered the Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok, but did not stop browsing universities abroad. Two months later, he saw an advert on the Russian Embassy's website informing of the competition for the scholarship at one of the Russian universities. Tanakorn decided to participate and submitted an application. Out of several hundred contenders, only 18 were chosen that year - two received quotas for Bachelor's degree studies, and sixteen more proceeded with Master's degree programmes.
"My parents were totally against my leaving. Their perception of the country was completely stereotypical - they had seen movies portraying Russians as cruel and angry people who never smile. They thought that Russia is nothing more than a harsh climate and mafia. And they were worried I was too young to handle the forthcoming changes. But then I looked at the photos of St. Petersburg on the Internet and said to myself: 'Nothing bad may happen to you in such a beautiful city!' As I received a study quota, I stated my interest in geology and was advised to choose the Mining University. It is the first higher technical university in Russia. Yet at the same time, it is an advanced academic and research centre. My father had worked as an oil engineer for Schlumberger Limited for over 30 years. He was delighted I would be receiving high-quality mining engineering education. Thereupon my family's attitude towards my plans started changing gradually," recalls Tanakorn.
The young man says he was the only person of Thai origin in the university. Still, he had no issues with adapting to the new realities. He got used to Russian food in a couple of weeks, and three months afterwards could already speak some Russian. Moreover, the Mining University's graduate was particularly impressed by the fact that his classmates and teachers were willingly helping him with learning the language.
"My opinion of Russians changed entirely. It turned out they are kind-hearted people with a great sense of humour. The quality of education, housing facilities, and the university's infrastructure surprised me in a good way, too. Three campuses are located nearby, thus allowing to spread out faculties evenly between them. This way, the university does not get overloaded with students even in the first half of the day, when most classes take place. If there is a need to study on their own or carry out research work, students may enter the university's labs at any time. In addition to education buildings, gyms, swimming pools, cafés, nicely furnished, equipped with security system dormitories, and, indeed, the stunning Mining Museum are at disposal. All of this is targeted at delivering an environment enabling the learning processes to go smoothly, with a strict educational system being behind it. See, I spent six years in Russia, but I did not have time for pretty much anything but studies. At the New Year's Eve, for instance, I was usually preparing for exams," says Tanakorn.
The Thailand-born earned a Specialist's degree in Geophysical Methods of Prospecting and Exploration of Mineral Deposits. The programme's graduates gain numerous skills, including those in the estimation of mineral reserves, computer-based deposit modelling, and the ability to run lab tests on minerals, rocks formations, and ores.
"Applied skills in geology allowed me to better understand what gemstones are. I learnt about processes leading to the formation of gems within rock structures, how to perform analysis of minerals, and what modern techniques to use to enhance them. I went on numerous field trips as part of academic and practical training. I have been to Crimea, Leningrad Oblast, even back to Thailand where I visited potash deposits of ASEAN Potash Chaiyaphum Public Company. I also underwent a month-long internship at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand. My role at the Ministry was to help update the laws on the use of the country's mineral resources base," notes Tanakorn.
Upon return to the home country, the graduate decided to apply for work to PTT Public Company Limited, the country's largest oil and gas company. He did not, however, succeed. The coronavirus pandemic forced both public and sector enterprises in Thailand to temporarily stop hiring new employees. PTT's Press Office earlier stated that the corporation's third-quarter profits fell by 30% due to declining commodity prices and decreasing sales of petroleum products.
"Field-specific knowledge is important, of course, but university life also taught me to think critically. I can make my own decisions and adapt to the ever-changing environment. The coronavirus outbreak has had a great impact on me. I realised that even the most stable company in the country could become unstable in the future. So I decided to launch a business in the gem industry. To do this, I had to upgrade my knowledge of mineralogy. I took a 6-month course in the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences, upon completion of which I was awarded an appropriate certificate. Having done so, I attained the right to identify minerals in a lab environment without involving contractors. Besides, technical gemmology is also about growing gemstones, which is, as of now, quite a promising sector," admits Tanakorn.
Sometime in the future he, now a young specialist, sees himself as a jewellery producer performing a full cycle of works on stones - from purchasing or synthesising them to designing jewellery.
"There are lots of stories I have to tell about my student days in Russia. For instance, I was rather anxious on my first day in St. Petersburg when the sun had not set by 9 pm. I had also never been down at metro before I arrived in St. Petersburg. I could not even imagine escalators could go that long and deep. No less astonishing was the situation when my laptop was stolen in a supermarket, and just five days after that, upon catching a thief, the police returned it back to me. Some curious situations happened, too. I was once at the hospital, diagnosed with gastritis, and the doctor greeted me with saying: 'Wow, Thais! You have delicious whisky there; I tried it in Pattaya'. To say I was not bemused by these situations is to say nothing.
Most of my memories nonetheless relate to the time spent at university. The Professor in Mineralogy, Crystallography and Petrography is the hero of one of my stories. He is a stern person, a teacher all students were afraid of. The reason is that many could not get through his exams and were thence subject to expulsion. Once he held a class and approached our group with a mineral in his hand; he asked us to identify it. Everyone said it was 'pink quartz'. I was the last one to touch the stone and the only one to answer 'spodumene'. And suddenly the professor shouted that I nailed it. As for me, I was impressed by seeing how such a harsh person could pay a compliment to his student. I still remember some of the advice he gave. As such, he suggested we should take minerals for friends since it makes it easier to memorise them and therefore work with them later on. This story is, in fact, only one of many. Over the years spent in Russia, it had become my second home. I am missing my Russian friends a lot - even the nickname 'Tana Popcorn' they gave me," laughs Tanakorn.
This November, an online educational exhibition was held in Bangkok. Its aim is to popularise Russian education abroad, and some of the leading universities of the country took part in the event.
"The educational fairs like this help modern youth to look into the future, see the opportunities Russia offers," says Irina Novikova, Head of the Russian Centre for Compatriots in Thailand
Currently, 298,000 students from 170 countries are studying in Russian universities. There are 205 study fields to choose from in 766 universities spread all over the country - from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok.
