On January 22, the Institute of Russian Language and Culture of Lomonosov Moscow State University hosted the finals of the 13th Online Friendship Festival “Dear friends, our union is wonderful!”. It was dedicated to the 225th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin. International students from 70 universities of 63 countries of the world studying Russian sent 841 applications to participate in the event.
Voronezh State University was represented by Dayanch Khandzhikov from Turkmenistan, a first year student of the Faculty of Philology. Dayanch performed a romance on the Pushkin’s poem “I Remember a Wonderful Moment...” and became the winner of the festival.
“It was my dream to study Russian in Russia. Now it has come true. I have been living and studying in Voronezh for two years now. It is a beautiful city, so I invite everyone to visit it,” said Dayanch during the online broadcast of the festival, welcoming the organisers and participants.
Dayanch Khandzhykov admitted that Russian is difficult to learn, but he is working very hard and hopes that he will be able to master it.
“I not only study it in class, but also try to participate in different contests and events. So, when my lecturer suggested that I take part in this competition, I immediately agreed. The stars aligned, so to say. I love singing, I love Pushkin’s poetry, and I love the Russian language. And the romance “I Remember a Wonderful Moment" helped me to express these feelings,” shared Dayanch.
