In love with life

Advent Mudimba

I grew up in central-northern Namibia in a small town called Otjiwarongo, known for its tall trees and as the gateway to the far north of the country.

Last November I enrolled at the Saratov State Medical University in Saratov, Russia. I am currently a first-year medical student.

What attracted me to the medical field is the fact that I have a great passion for helping people. People usually call me a “people’s person”, because I love helping others.

The medical field is where I feel I would be able to do this to the best of my ability, as I also have a great love for medicine.

I can’t say that I was 100% sure that I would get into medical school, because of the fear of thinking I was not good enough. But by God’s grace, and after facing a few challenges, I made it into medical school.

The process of applying and getting into a university here was not easy. However, I did not really face any challenges when I applied, except the long waiting period. Otherwise it was a smooth ride for me.

At the beginning of my admission at Saratov State Medical University, I did a foundation course. During this course we were taught Russian and basic subjects in the medical field, such as biology, physics and chemistry, etc.

After we completed the course we wrote exams. It was a challenging experience, having to learn the language, but I made it at the end of the day.

I love my university so much, because it puts the education of the students first.

We have amazing lecturers who don’t only care about our studies, but also about our well-being, and they understand that we are far from home. I love the fact that the university has many African students, which makes it easier to study here, with people that I can relate to.

My biggest surprise was that people in Russia can’t speak English at all; only our lecturers can speak English, otherwise the community only speaks Russian. They do everything in their native language. We had to learn Russian for us to be able to communicate with them.

My advice to students who want to study abroad is that they should prepare themselves mentally and physically, because it’s quite an experience being away from home.

Some days will be very difficult, but you will manage all the same.

Learn to make friends, because you will need people. You can’t do everything by yourself, you need people.

After graduation, I’m planning on working for about two years, before specialising in the paediatrics field. I love Saratov, mostly because I have made friends that I can call family, friends who were there for me when I needed someone to talk to.

Saratov has so many beautiful destinations that I love, such as the Volga and the Saratov bridge. If ever you visit Saratov, I would recommend these destinations.

Did you know?

The Saratov State Medical University was founded in 1909 with 93 students and only men were allowed to study there at that time.

Facts about Advent

He is fun. He loves music. He plays keyboard and bass guitar. He loves hanging out with friends. He loves God.