Chapter 3 Arriving at Alma Mater_1

Because of the cold weather, the dormitory building here has a double door structure.

That is, outside the main door, there's another entrance made of glass.

The outermost layer is a thick green canvas curtain, which effectively blocks out the cold air from outside.

Lift the curtain, pass through the glass door, and arrive at the main door of the dormitory.

A typical Soviet-style door with raw wooden frames, bulky doorknobs, and double-layered rectangular thick glass embedded in it.

The door handle and frame are somewhat greasy and shiny, an indication of long usage, and a slight patina...

Just stepping into the lobby, there was a rush of warmth that hits your face.

Some students wearing glasses find their lenses instantly fogged up, blurring their vision completely.

Also, due to climate reasons, Moscow experiences snow for seven or eight months out of the year.

Usually, it starts snowing in October every year, and continues until April of the following year.

And that's not all, sometimes in May, June, or even July, there would sporadically be some snowflakes!

The climate is so cold that temperatures can drop to minus thirty degrees, making heating paramount.

Here, the indoors and outdoors are entirely two different worlds.

When Wang Ye and the others got off the car, even though they were wrapped in thick down jackets, thermal clothing and thick woolen pants, they were instantly frozen to the core, shivering involuntarily...

Upon entering the dormitory lobby, however, it was like stepping into summer!

You could even see some students passing through the lobby in short sleeves and shorts...

The heating was sufficient, indoor temperatures hit above twenty-five degrees, and wearing shorts wasn't abnormal at all.

Wang Ye also knew that in the rooms, the temperature would rise even higher, sometimes up to around thirty degrees, making it impossible to cover yourself with anything during the night...

"Wow, it's so hot! I'm sweating already." Liu Xiaojie by his side unzipped his down jacket and took off his glasses. He lifted the hem of his thermal shirt, wiped the lenses, and put his glasses back on.

Wang Ye chuckled, didn't say anything, but also unzipped his down jacket.

Within that brief moment, he started to sweat slightly.

Teacher Wu, the group leader, went to handle procedures at the dormitory management office, leaving them waiting in the lobby.

Glancing around at the environment, even though so many years had passed, faint memories lingered. After all, he had lived here for over half a year.

This building, number six, was entirely occupied by preparatory students.

Chinese university students might not be familiar with the concept of "preparatory year," but for foreign students studying here, they all must complete one year of preparatory classes and pass the preparatory exam before officially commencing their university studies.

Wang Ye and his group had all come to study at university right after graduating from high school, and hence also had to complete the preparatory year.

They all went abroad through an agency and began processing paperwork in June or July of the previous year. However, the agency was rather sluggish, causing unnecessary delay.

The plan was to commence preparatory studies in September of the previous year, but it was now delayed to the present, wasting half a year.

But the agency had communicated with the school; they would be put in an "accelerated class," where they needed only to complete six months of preparatory studies before moving on to university.

Of course, the prerequisite remained to pass the preparatory graduation examination.

Before coming here, Wang Ye and his group attended a Russian language training class provided by the agency, helping them kick-start their studies.

The preparatory course primarily focused on learning Russian, as once they entered university, they would attend classes alongside Russian students. If their language proficiency wasn't up to par, they wouldn't understand the lectures.

As for whether one could truly become proficient within a year, everyone waxed skeptical.

In the first and second year, core subjects would be a bit of a struggle, the main focus was still language learning.

Only the hardest working students studying abroad could pass the language proficiency test by their third and fourth years.

As for the majority of students not that diligent, they might graduate without being able to communicate effectively with Russians on a daily basis.

The demographics of foreign student bodies comprising mainly high school graduates were quite diverse, with both good apples and bad.

Some came sincerely for studies, while others simply bummed around - it all depended on individual choices.

Compared to students studying in other countries, those studying in Russia were relatively better, because those who came here were mostly from families that were somewhat affluent, but not overtly wealthy.

The worst-case scenario was they didn't take their studies seriously and just wasted their days playing on the computer. As for the prodigal lifestyle, their families couldn't actually afford it...

Within the foreign student community, there's an accepted notion that the "worst of the worst studying abroad" category comprised students studying in New Zealand followed by Australia...

Students that usually go to these two places don't go for the sake of studies, but for immigration and visa purposes.

Moreover, the costs of studying in these two places are high. Without substantial financial backing, families wouldn't dare send their children there.

The elite of the foreign student community are those studying in the United States, whether it be high school graduates going to university or university graduates pursuing doctorates.

Studying in the states implies that either your family is extremely wealthy, or your personal academic performance is highly commendable...

.........

The dormitory lobby is quite spacious. There's a small shop in the corner selling food, drinks, and daily necessities, while the rest of the space is empty.

The ground is covered with wooden flooring. It's not the kind of high-end "oak floor" or "mahogany floor" popular in China. Moscow is rich in wood resources, hence many buildings have wooden floors.

The flooring here is rather special, with palm-length rectangular wooden panels densely spread on the ground.

The wooden floor is rather aged and loose, causing a creaking sound when walked on.

"Brother Ye, the environment here is pretty good. I wonder which dormitory they'll assign me to. It'd be great if we're assigned to the same one." Liu Xiaojie said.

Both Liu Xiaojie and Wang Ye are from the same hometown and had taken Russian language training together before coming here.

Liu Xiaojie was the same age as Wang Ye, eighteen years old, but he was half a head shorter.

He was a rather honest and down-to-earth person and got along well with Wang Ye.

"I don't think that's likely. Didn't the teacher on the bus just say that they'll try to spread us out to help us adapt to the environment faster?" Wang Ye said, smiling.

Indeed, if you want to adapt quickly to a new environment, it's better not to stick to familiar faces.

If Chinese foreign students continue to live and study with other Chinese students upon their arrival here, their language proficiency would indeed improve slower as they would mostly communicate in Mandarin, limiting their opportunities to practice Russian.

But if they live with foreigners, even if they're not Russians, everyone will try to communicate in Russian.

This forces you to improve your language skills as quickly as possible.

In this regard, the agency did bear some responsibility in ensuring the welfare of students.