我从俄罗斯来到重庆学习。之前，我曾在下诺夫哥罗德语言大学以优异的成绩完成了本科课程。在俄罗斯时，我学习了中国的语言、文化、历史和政治。尽管我曾认识一些中国交换生，但对中国生活方式的了解仍然很模糊。然而，我感觉到这里学习会是一个巨大的机会，因此，我来到了这里。
我的一生中，目标总是在不断变化。在中学时，我对成为一名医生感兴趣。在高中时，我勤奋地学习法律。在本科开始时，我曾想过成为一名翻译。现在，我正朝着成为一名高级企业管理者的方向努力。我认为这是很自然的，毕竟我们都是人。然而，这也让我处于一个有些尴尬的境地。我在没有任何特定背景的情况下，接受了MBA的挑战——我的大多数同学都比我年长且更有经验。起初，我感到焦虑，甚至怀疑自己是否选错了这条道路，但这并没有阻止我。多亏了我在这里结交的新朋友的帮助以及教授们的敬业精神，我感觉自己在精神和技能上都在成长。当然，学习压力很大，工作量也不容小觑，但我从未觉得自己的时间被浪费了。在大学里度过的每一分钟，以及在校园之外的时间，都成为了我职业生涯的垫脚石。
当然，生活不仅仅是学习。我是一个美食爱好者，因此在这里重新发现带有重庆风味的川菜非常有趣。说实话，在来中国之前，我一直认为自己很能吃辣，但很快我发现俄罗斯人和中国人对辣的理解有很大的不同。当然，现在我已经比以前更能适应辣的食物了，但我永远记得第一次吃当地小面的情景。那是一次谦卑的教训。我也自己做饭，我擅长做俄罗斯菜肴，同时我也是泛亚洲美食的爱好者。
观光是另一种我热衷的活动。我将永远尊敬那些给我上了一堂登山课的中国老年女士们。她们轻松地克服了让我气喘吁吁、躺在地上喘气的高度，这真是太神奇了。尽管充满挑战，但那是一次奇妙的经历。景色令人叹为观止，而登上又一个山峰后的成就感也非常好。
在经济与工商管理学院，我遇到了许多很棒的人。来自世界各地的同学都非常友好，和他们在一起很有趣。我了解了很多关于他们的文化和世界观，甚至还学到了一些他们国家的商业实践。我明白了，尽管我们来自不同的背景，但本质上我们都很相似。我们一起克服困难，在完成教授布置的项目作业时互相依靠。重庆大学的工作人员非常乐于助人，总是准备好在学习过程中支持你。我们参加过多次集体出游，甚至还在重庆的中国农业银行总部参加过一次研讨会。很明显，如果没有老师和行政人员的帮助，这一切都不可能实现。为此，我非常感激。我将永远感激这所机构给予我的机会。
回首过去，年轻的我是一个完全不同的人。现在，我变得更加经验丰富、知识渊博且自力更生。我相信，这种感觉是应该珍惜的，因为只有不断自我提升，才会让你觉得你所做的一切都是值得的。努力工作，不要精疲力尽，让你的未来为自己感到骄傲。我知道我们都会做到的。
Nikolaev Denis, a 2023 Master’s Student in Business Administration at Chongqing University’s School of Economics and Business Administration, came to study here from Russia. Freshman student, finished an undergraduate program in the Linguistic University of Nizhny Novgorod with honors. Back in Russia, I studied Chinese language, culture, history and politics. I’ve only had a vague understanding of Chinese lifestyle, despite having acquainted myself with some Chinese exchange students. Nevertheless, I felt like studying here would be a huge opportunity, and thus, here I am.
My whole life, I’ve been changing my goals on the fly. In middle school, I was interested in becoming a doctor. In high school, I was diligently studying law. In the beginning of my bachelor’s, I was thinking about becoming an interpreter. Now, I’m working towards becoming a top-level corporate manager. I think it’s only natural, as we’re all only human, after all. However, this left me in kind of a weird spot. I took on the challenge that MBA is without any particular background behind me – most of my classmates are older and more experienced than me. At first, I felt anxious and even had thoughts about being wrong at choosing this particular path – but this didn’t deter me. Thanks to the help of my new friends I’ve made here and professors’professionalism, I feel like I’m growing both mentally and skill-wise. Of course, it is very stressful and the workload is unforgiving, but it never occurred to me that I’m wasting my time in vain. Every minute spent in the university and outside its grounds has been a stepping stone for my professional journey.
Of course, life here is not only about studying. I'm a big food connoisseur, so it was very fun to rediscover Sichuanese cuisine with a Chongqing twist here. Honestly, before coming to China, I’ve always considered myself quite spice-tolerant, however, soon I found out that Russian and Chinese thoughts on spiciness wary quite a bit. Of course, by now I’m more accustomed to spicy foods than before, but I'll always remember the first time I've eaten local小面. That was a lesson in humility. I also cook myself, I'm quite good at cooking Russian dishes and I'm also a fan of Pan-Asian cuisine.
Sightseeing is another activity I indulged in. I'll forever respect senior Chinese ladies who showed me a masterclass at climbing mountains. It was amazing how they easily overcame the heights that left me lying on the ground and gasping for air. Despite the challenge, it was an amazing experience. The views were breathtaking, and the sense of accomplishment that followed climbing yet another peak was great.
In School of Economics and Business Administration, I've met many wonderful people. My classmates from all around the world are wonderfully friendly and fun to be around. I've learned a lot about their cultures and worldviews, and even picked up some hints about business practices in their home countries. I've understood that even though all of us come from diverse backgrounds, at the core, we are quite similar. We overcame difficulties together and relied on each other while dealing with project work given to us by our professors. The CQU staff is very helpful and always ready to support you in your studying process. We’ve been on more than one group outing and even had a seminar in the central office of Agricultural Bank of China in Chongqing. It’s obvious that nothing like this would be possible if not for the help from our teachers and administration. For that, I’m very thankful.
I'll forever be grateful for the opportunity given to me by this institution. When I look back, at my younger self, I was a totally different person. Now, I'm much more experienced, knowledgeable and self-reliant. I believe that this is a feeling that one should cherish, as only constant self-improvement will make you feel like whatever you are doing is worth its time. Work hard, don’t burn out and make your future self proud. I know all of us will.
