‘Russia Is a Land of Openness and Possibility’
Lorenzo Trufolo graduated from Bologna University and is studying in the HSE International Preparatory Year ahead of his master’s studies in international trade at HSE University. In his interview, he talks about his studies in Russia, participation in academic conferences and competitions, and the challenges of living in Moscow.
The Choice of University
I am 23 years old. I come from Abruzzo, a region located along the Apennines in Southern Italy. My hometown is Atri, an old Roman town in the province of Teramo.
My decision to study at HSE can be traced back to my participation in HSE Summer Schools, namely in two online courses held by Prof. Vladimir Zuev in the field of international trade. My feedback after this experience was very good, because the courses were extremely interesting and full of details.
I had never had such an astonishing educational experience, which is why I later decided to ‘trust’ HSE for the future, putting it at the centre of my next educational career
Moreover, having focused my bachelor’s degree on Russian studies during my previous experience at Bologna University, moving to Russia was certainly an influential factor in this crucial decision for the future.
After the Prep Year, I am planning to enrol in the master’s programme ‘International Trade Policy’ supervised by Prof. Vladimir Zuev. I dream of specialising in the field of international trade and corporate management in agriculture, a desire which I have had since the Next Generation Prize—a scholarship awarded by the Italy-USA Foundation in Italy to enrol in the ‘Leadership in IR and in Made in Italy’ MBA programme.
I am sure that HSE is going to provide unique opportunities and crucial knowledge for my professional future and career
International Academic Events in Tomsk and Izhevsk
In April 2023, I participated in the 2023 Tomsk Scientific Conference remotely from Moscow. The theme of my paper was ‘The Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union: Competition in Eurasia through Regional Integration’. The reason behind this choice of topic was very simple: my ambition was to demonstrate how, in the current state of affairs, international relations are determined by crucial factors such as the growth of economic interdependence and the increasing degree of political and juridical integration between nation states. I wanted to publicly demonstrate that this sort of ‘leitmotiv’ also applies to western Eurasia, where the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union are the most evident example of successful regional integration, even if mutually interacting as pivotal and colliding, conflictual blocks.
The HSE Summer School held by Professor Vladimir Zuev in 2021 in the field of ‘Challenges to Russia-EU Economic Links’ really inspired me to write this scientific report
I wrote this essay at the conclusion of the International Summer School he held, receiving very good feedback from Professor Zuev. This year, my Prep Year Professor Anastasia Ivanenko has given me crucial help to make sure this report meets the grammatical standard of the international conference. I am very satisfied with the final result.
In April and May, I participated in another major academic event: the International Olympiad in Russian Language for foreign students from non-former-USSR countries. It was held in an online format by Izhevsk University. I came second in this competition and I’m grateful to Alexandra Nazarchuk, Director of the Prep Year programme, and Natalia Nikitskaya, Russian language teacher, for helping me to reach this position.
Learning Russian
Learning Russian in the Prep Year has been crucial. I owe a lot to all my professors, who with all their passion and kindness have taught me this complicated, yet fascinating and unique language
My current level is quite satisfactory—an overall intermediate between B1 and B2. I want to improve even more in the coming years so as to feel no limits and make the most of all the opportunities I encounter.
Russia Beyond the Stereotypes
Studying and living in Russia is amazing. In general, I have to admit that I feel and live better here than in Italy, despite the fact that the process of adaptation was not so easy at the beginning. The main challenging factors were not related to the climate—as you might expect for an Italian living in Russia—but rather to stress and the high intensity of the rhythm of everyday life. This was (and to be honest, sometimes still is) difficult to acknowledge, due to the fact that my hometown and Bologna are as big as a single neighbourhood in Moscow. This is a typical feature of the Italian landscape.
In Russia there are far more amazing opportunities than in Italy, especially for young people
Russia is different from how it is represented in Europe; it is a land of openness and possibility. That is why I love being here; I feel the possibility to build my future with my hands and on my own.
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