Studenți Internaționali

Testimonial, Doha Idris, Sudan

Studenții internaționali reprezintă o componentă deosebit de importantă în strategia de internaționalizare a universităților.

Universităţile înţeleg că acomodarea într-o ţară nouă poate fi mai dificilă la început, aşa că studenţii care vor să urmeze cursurile acestora, sunt sprijiniți pe toate planurile pentru a se obişnui cât mai repede cu noua lor viaţă. Una dintre primele provocări pe care trebuie să le depăşească tinerii care vin la studii in România, este cea a adaptării. De aceea, universităţile au dezvoltat multe modalităţi de a-i ajuta pe aceştia şi de-ai sprijini în procesul de integrare. Pe parcursul articolelor viitoare, vom surpinde testimoniale ale studenților internaționali din cadrul universității noastre, care au fost de acord să vorbească despre modul în care au făcut alegerea de a studia la UTCN și cum se simt în comunitatea Clujului academic.

Hello! My name is Doha Idris. I’m from Sudan and I came to Romania two years ago to do my master’s studies at UTCN in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering.

How do you describe yourself?

I like to do things with passion, and this is my personality. I’m passionate about my work, studies, and practically everything I want to do. This passion led me to challenge myself daily and learn new skills that helped me improve.

Did you always know you wanted to study abroad? How?

Yes, I always knew I would travel aboard to study. There are two reasons for my desire to travel aboard. The first is that I have dreamt of travelling and exploring the world since I was a child. I wanted to travel to study or live in another country but didn’t have any specific place in mind. The second was the influence of my family. My dad and all my uncles had studied for their higher education in foreign countries.

Is the educational system different from the one in your country?

Yes, the education system in Romania differs a lot from the one in my country. The period for each period of study is different. For example, I studied 8 years in elementary, 3 years in high school and 5 years to obtain my bachelor’s degree. While here, you have to study for 4 years at the university.

What advice do you have for students who want to immerse in a new language?

Learning a new language can be crucial, but it needs patience; sometimes, it can get hard. You don’t have to worry about that, it’s just the process. I think that to learn a new language, the best thing to do is to engage in conversation with native speakers. |It can be scary at first, but you will get used to it. Also, another thing that I did was listen to podcasts and watch films in Romanian.

What new traditional Romanian dishes did you try so far?

For food lovers, Romania is the best country to visit. Romanian cuisine is very rich – maybe it’s not fancy, but it’s interesting – not spicy nor too complicated. I had tried „sarmale” – stuffed cabbage rolls with vegetables and eggplant salad. This one had the same taste as the eggplant dish in my country.

How did you get involved in the community?

Since I came to Romania, I have been thinking of a way to get involved in the community, so I started to search for local events to get to know the people. I began to do my shopping in the local markets, not at the malls, and in that way, I got to see the community and how the people interact.

Describe your favourite day at The Technical University of Cluj-Napoca?

My favourite day at UTCN was the first day. I remember it even now. When I came here, I had to learn the language, so my first day was at the Faculty of Letters.

I had spent just 2 days in Romania before my studies started, so I was really curious and anxious about the moment I would meet the teacher and how they would treat me. So, when I went there, I met the dean of the faculty. She was the first person I met. When she asked me which country I was from, and I told her it was Sudan, she started a conversation and asked for details – „Are you from Port-Sudan or Khartoum?”. It was pleasant that she knew some parts of my country, and I was impressed. This released all my worries, and although many things happened after that first encounter, I will always remember what happened that first day.

Any word for those planning to study at the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca?

Studying abroad is a significant decision you will make and could change your life. Knowing this, a lot of worries can come to your mind. Still, you must remember that at the UTCN many people can help you – teachers, the IRO and even other international students. I’m not saying you won’t deal with problems at all, but with the help of all those people, everything can be solved.

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