Turks come to Belarus to study Russian for $2 thousand

About 30 Turkish citizens have arrived at Slutsk technical manufacturing industry college to study the Russian language. Most of them work in the field of tourism and in the hotel business. They need the language to communicate with Russian-speaking tourists better because the Turkish Mediterranean and Aegean coasts are very popular with them. "That’s a private initiative of a Turkish company organizing Russian languages courses, they want to improve their Russian to communicate with Russian-speaking tourists better”, - said a college teacher to Euroradio. The Sahinbay company started organizing language tours to Belarus because its deputy director was from Minsk. However, this is not the main reason why they come here to study Russian instead of going to Moscow. A representative of the company Alyaksandr Radkevich explains: "Belarus is considered to be a more peaceful country and Turks are safer here than in Moscow or Kiev. Many Russians spend vacations in Turkey so the majority of those who have come to study Russian work in the field of tourism. The better command of Russian they have, the higher their income is”. Surely, the cost of the course plays an important role in their choice of a country, says Radkevich: "There is a great influx of Turks wishing to study Russian now. They only know about Moscow when they come but when they are told about Moscow prices they say they cannot afford them. So we ask them if they would like to go to Belarus where the prices are lower – and it is more acceptable for them”. A three-month course costs about 2 thousand dollars in Belarus including meals, a visa, accommodation in the hostel and return tickets. The same course would cost twice or thrice more in Moscow. Turks study in Minsk, Mahilyou, Hrodna, Baranavichy. Slutsk has recently expressed a desire to accept foreigners too. Alyaksandr Radkevіch: "We have started a gradual advertising campaign informing them about Slutsk where they can also study the language. The season is over and they have no work to do. They have made their money this season and now they have to invest in themselves. They are doing it now”. Turks are unwilling to study at higher educational institutions if they offer bad living conditions. There is a new hostel in Slutsk with an almost European-style remodeling. They even cook food especially for them. Alyaksandr Radkevich continues: "They cook food especially for them and it resembles Turkish food more or less. They have agreed about it. They are satisfied with everything”. 2 more groups of foreigners are expected to study Russian in Slutsk. Some of them are also interested in studying the cuisine. College employee: "We have a very good laboratory and multifunctional high-quality equipment to cook food without adding fat while preserving vitamins and useful substances”. According to Alyaksandr Radkevich, the number of Turkish citizens arriving in Belarus to study will keep increasing. Some of them have arrived here for the second time – for a practical course. Photo by: sahinbay.com