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Persio Gloria is a Preparatory Course student from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He arrived in Russia in early December 2021, and has been living in St Petersburg since then. Earlier in 2021, he had been approved in a selective process conducted by Rossotrudnichestvo and awarded a government scholarship to enter a PhD programme in Russia. After finishing the Preparatory Course, he is going to pursue a PhD in Political Science and Regional Studies at St Petersburg University.
When did you realise that you wanted to learn Russian? Was it somehow connected or will it be connected with your field of study?
Although I've been interested in Russian history and culture since I was a child, I realised that I wanted to learn Russian after I finished high school in Brazil. My first contact with Russian culture was through an old Soviet film Alexander Nevsky (1938) by Sergei Eisenstein. As a child, I loved the medieval theme, the courage of Prince Alexander Nevsky, and the knights and warriors of course.
In my teenage days, I discovered Russian literature and I liked it so much that I even read War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. I remember that it took more than five months for me to read the whole novel, but for me this was a unique experience since it was this book that got me interested in Russian history and its international relations. I can even say that it influenced my choice of doing a bachelor's programme in international relations at the time.
So, when I entered the University, I also decided to study the Russian language. Unfortunately, at that time, I couldn't keep up studying the language, because of work and university studies. But my interest in Russia continued, and I started to study Russian-Brazilian relations through BRICS and global geopolitics. This interest resulted in my undergraduate thesis, which was focused on Russian geopolitics.
I enjoyed my research so much that I decided to apply for a master's programme so that I could continue it. My master's dissertation was devoted to national identity, worldview building, and geopolitics in Russia. The advisory board liked it so much that they invited me to prepare a syllabus and give classes about Russian international politics at my home university. So, Russia is directly connected with my choosing a career in academics. When I finished my master's programme, it made sense to pursue a PhD, and I wanted it to be in Russia. That was not only because my research was focused on the country, but because I had also acquired a genuine interest in the culture, the day-to-day life, and the society. And for full immersion and understanding of what I'm researching, I think that living here, speaking Russian, and making connections with Russians are all essential.
How are your classes organised? Do you feel that they are useful for you?
In the first semester, I had only Russian language classes. But now, in the second semester, the classes are divided into four groups: Russian language, Russian literature, history, and social studies. It has been really interesting to study these subjects and it has been useful for improving my vocabulary.
In your opinion, what arsenal of knowledge and skills do you need to have to become fluent in Russian?
To be honest, I think that patience and dedication are the most important factors in learning any language. In the specific case of Russian, I think that immersion and close contact with native speakers is also really important. For a Portuguese speaker, it's a different and difficult language. There are some phonetic similarities in some words, but the structure and logic are completely different. So, getting immersed and understanding a bit of the culture and how the natives think will help a lot with that.
You have started your second semester, so please share your thoughts about it. What did you choose as your training programme and why?
Well, my training programme is related to the humanities, and I took it based on the PhD programme I have chosen, political science. The second semester has been a thrilling experience, not only because of the new subjects, like literature, history, and social sciences, but also because some of the classes are now held in a hybrid format. So it has been interesting to meet other international students as well. It feels like everyone has an interesting background and it's amazing how our life paths have brought us together in Russia.
From your point of view, can distance learning be as valuable as on-campus learning?
I think that every form of learning is valid, but in the case of a language, on-campus learning has the upper hand. For example, just leaving my house to go to class is a form of practice. I hear people speaking Russian in the streets, and I have to speak it to buy coffee or when I interact with people. So, it's a valuable day-to-day experience. And meeting people and seeing them in person, at least in my case, also makes me more motivated to study.
But I think that online classes are also extremely valuable, especially to cover the space-time problems. For example, I arrived in Russia in December, but I've been having classes since September, when I was in Brazil. The online classes were essential for this and they were also really pleasant and well organised – even the difference in time zones was taken into account.
Do you have any plans to continue your relationship with St Petersburg University?
As I have received a scholarship to pursue a PhD degree here, I intend to continue studying at St Petersburg University. I'm really in love not only with the city of St Petersburg, which is beautiful (even though the weather is a bit harsh for a Brazilian used to warm summers) but also with St Petersburg University itself. Depending on how things go and if the opportunity arises, I might even consider applying for a position here, since my current dream is to become a university professor. But, even if I go back to Brazil, I intend to maintain my relationship with St Petersburg University, to create networks and links between Brazilian and Russian colleagues.
What would you wish to future fresh-year students of the Preparatory Course?
Well, first of all, I would like to congratulate them and wish them all good luck and success. I think that they will experience great things. I would also like to wish them patience and determination to learn the language. I am sure that they will all have many happy and meaningful moments in Russia.