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The story of a Costa Rican who decided to study in Russia, instead of the USA

Коста-Рика
© Форпост Северо-Запад

Diego Monterrey came to St. Petersburg to receive a higher education from the Republic of Costa Rica. He is shocked by what is happening on the world stage today, because he was born in the only neutral state in the whole Americas that decided to abolish its own army. What prospects does he see for Russian education and why is he not going to return to his homeland during this tough time?

Despite the current agenda, Russian higher education is still in wide demand on the international market and remains one of the strategic areas of cooperation with a large number of partners. According to the latest data alone, there are plans to soon open branches of Moscow and St. Petersburg universities in Egypt and Uzbekistan. Moreover, by 2023, our country will increase the quota for foreign students to 30 thousand places. For comparison, in 2021, 18 thousand foreigners were able to study in Russian universities for free; and in 2022, that number will be elevated to 23 thousand.

Of course, a number of changes occurred in the composition of the applicant countries for quotas, but, as before, Russian higher education is particularly interested in students from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The most applications from non-CIS countries come from China, Vietnam, Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Nigeria. For some of them, the number of places was increased. So, next academic year there will be 43% more places for citizens of Belarus and 52% more for citizens of Syria (there are already 2,400 applications for 759 places allocated for Damascus).

Latin American countries are also interested in increasing their share of quotas.

Коста-Рика
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"After high school I decided to get an engineering education abroad and started considering offers from universities located in various parts of the world: Russia, the United States, Ireland, Germany, and Argentina. But Russia was the only option willing to provide training on a free basis. Despite our relationship with the Americans, the fees for their universities were incredibly high. No one wants to study for five years and then take 20 years to pay off an education loan. It's not worth it. In addition, U.S. policy over the past 10 to 15 years has been cold towards latin people, which has affected their ability to study and find employment there," says Diego Monterrey, a student at St. Petersburg Mining University.

He took part in the "Rossotrudnichestvo" competition, where around 200 people applied for 12 places. This organization, subordinated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, traditionally selects the most talented young people among foreign nationals to study in Russia.

"I was interested in mechanical engineering, because I want to tie my fate to the automobile industry. Although Costa Rica is known for its coffee and banana exports, agriculture accounts for no more than 9% of the country's GDP, while industry accounts for 30%. The leading role in it belongs to engineering, electronics and metalworking"

He also recognized to have a little bit of exposure, since he was young, to the Russian culture:

"My stepfather studied in Russia, and I remember a phrase he once said: "If Moscow is the head of Russia, then St. Petersburg, with no doubt, is its heart". So having passed the casting, I decided to go to the city on the Neva. I made my choice in favor of the Mining University on the recommendation of the Russian Ambassador to Costa Rica Yuri Bejanyan, who said that the infrastructure of this university was the best in the city"- recalls Diego.

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During his first year of life, the young man got to know the mentality and culture of his new country. According to him, Russians differ greatly from Latin Americans in their straightforwardness and restraint, which can be mistaken for rudeness and callousness.

"I came from a small country of only five million people. And there, every time you meet a stranger in a store, an elevator or a cab, it is customary to say hello with a smile and ask about the business and the mood. This is not common here. Not everything is positive, though: for us Latin Americans, it is truly difficult to say "no": so we replace it with "probably," "we'll see," and "I'll try" in order not to turn out compromises. Russians are extremely honest, and I am very impressed with that. If they don't want something, or can't do it, they won't cheat. Also, if you're friends with them, they will always come to the rescue. Meanwhile, some latin americans might say "maybe"... It was in Russia that I found a great deal of my best friends," says the young man.

This spring, some foreign students left St. Petersburg because of the events unfolding in Ukraine. According to Diego, some were deported by the consulates of their countries. Most were forced to take academic leave and return to their homeland, faced with the problem of not being able to make money transfers from their parents. The Costa Rican also faced a financial issue.

"It is very meaningful for me to study in Russia. I found truly talented teachers and amazing peers here, and, along with a team, I am running the English Club at my university. Long story short, I found stability and absolutely wouldn't want to abandon all of this. So I started to look for opportunities to stay. Until recently, according to the law, foreign students could work only if they received a special permit from the migration service. It was not quite easy to get it, and many were employed unofficially. However, since 2020, the employment procedure was simplified, and now it is possible to work legally without any additional documents. Along with my studies, I got a job at the Center of Competence in Mining Education under the auspices of UNESCO at my alma mater, and this way I solved the money issue."

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The young man tells us that it took him a while to understand what was happening in Donbass and what caused it. His home country has the official status of a neutral state, but unlike Switzerland, which maintains "armed neutrality" (deterring aggression with a very substantial army, but prohibiting itself from foreign deployment), the whole country was demilitarized back in 1948. Incredibly, it has completely abandoned the army, and the only armed structure that remains is the police. In the event of any armed precedent, they can always resort to diplomacy or appeal to the Organization of American States (the counterpart of the UN on the continent).

"However, in more than 70 years we have never needed their military support. Plus, the finances freed up by the disbandment of the army have been used by the government for education and medicine. Today, the quality of life in the country is one of the highest in South and Central America, even though during the colonial era it was the poorest Spanish colony. Nowadays, Costa Rica is considered one of the most democratic, non-corrupt and wealthy in the region. Much of our security is based on the fact that the state has a small area and is not that important on the world stage because it does not possess strategic resources that could lead to conflicts. Therefore, our well-being depends on having access to raw materials located in other countries" Diego concludes.

According to the young man, because of the disorganized public transportation system, most of the population uses private cars and motorcycles.

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"Since the end of February 2021, gasoline prices have risen by 40% and are now up to 110 rubles per liter when translated into Russian currency. Since naturally, all food, clothing and other goods are delivered by trucks, this is reflected in their cost. If oil becomes more expensive, everything else becomes more expensive", Monterrey says.

That is why it is hard to read without skepticism statements of some politicians about the necessity of universal refusal from hydrocarbons and switching to alternative sources of energy. At least in Latin America this will not happen any time soon.

In the future, Diego wants to obtain a master's degree in another country, in the EU or Australia, but does not rule out that he will later settle down in St. Petersburg. Today, in addition to mechanical engineering, Costa Ricans in Northern Venice study medicine, political science and economics, software engineering and nanotechnology.

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