The "5 Days — 5 Impressions: Winter Holidays for a Reset" camp, a project by the Institute of Medical Education (IME), brought together 13 future medical professionals from various countries. The participants fully immersed themselves in Russian culture and learned more about the living, practical aspects of the Russian language.

Each day the students met in the "PereSEchenie" co-working space. They discussed the weather and traditions, held movie screenings, filmed short video projects about winter in the big city, practiced avoiding switching to English, and worked hard to overcome the language barrier. Upon successfully completing their project work, the camp participants were awarded certificates.

But life at the campus wasn't the only focus! Sechenov students took a walk around the VDNKh Park, visiting the "Smart City" exhibition. At the Museum of Russian Icons, they learned how icon painters created their masterpieces in centuries past. They were also absolutely delighted by a tubing session!

"Love for the Russian language and culture, and the desire to study them, is one of the key elements of a successful medical career. In the future, IME graduates can become initiators and participants in international biomedical startups, and they will come here for internships and scientific conferences to improve their skills and exchange experience," noted Tatyana Tatarinova, Director of the Institute of Medical Education.

Yuvaraj Singh, a 2nd-year student at the IME who came to Russia from India to study General Medicine at Sechenov University, shared his impressions: "What I remember most is the Museum of Russian Icons, where they told us how icons were created and showed us objects that are several hundred years old. During the camp, I learned many new words related to winter, weather, sports, and traditions. Now I understand spoken language better, I use Russian more confidently in everyday situations, and I'm less afraid of making mistakes."