LLU – higher education with Christmas feeling
“I am satisfied with my decision to study in Latvia University of Agriculture (LLU). I am used to Latvia, to its people and weather. Although everything is different, even every small part of things is different if you come from other part of the world but it is all my experience. And it is good experience,” says Rakesh Reddy Mudireddy who will graduate his master studies in “Food Science” in January. He wanted to improve his experience in food sector in Europe before going back to India and doing business there. He already has this experience and something much more – he got not only professional skills and knowledge but also acquired great friends and first time in his life celebrated Christmas.
Research in google leads to the studies in LLU
Rakesh completed his bachelor in 2015 in a good, well known university in India but he wanted to continue his studies in Europe to widen his experience in food sector. He selected universities who offer the study programmes in food science for masters and where he likes the provided study courses. “I liked few study courses in Germany and France but I missed admission. I didn’t want to waste my time for one more year and suddenly I googled information about LLU and got positive response from here,” he remembers. Before he didn’t know anything about Latvia. “I made kind of research for 3 or 4 days after I saw LLU in a google. I checked the information about country, university and study courses – what else university offers without food science. However, I understood I cannot blindly believe to google. So, I tried to get proper response from the people who are already studying in Latvia,” Rakesh is telling.
In Latvia it is easy to become a supermodel in a supermarket
Indians who were studying in Latvia wrote to Rakesh that Latvia is a peaceful country in European Union and with very low population. He got to know that the education system is totally different comparing with India. But he wasn’t afraid of that because he was confident that Europe is a good place for getting the experience in food sector. “Also, I got to know that expenditures are more or less equal to the bigger cities in India. I was used to this range of expenditures. Also, I got information about food here – which products I can get in the market. People said that everything is good. You can get rise, only spices you have to take with you,” he is saying. After such investigation nothing didn’t surprise him in reality. And he took into account advice from other Indian students and brought spices from India and now everything tastes like in India!
Only students from Riga probably didn’t know much about life in Jelgava. “When I came here Latvians were asking: “What are you doing here?” Sometimes people were very surprised, probably of my skin colour. But I am ok with it! In Riga supermarket somebody asked me to take photo with them,” Rakesh is laughing.
“Sveiki. Viss kārtībā. Uzredzēšanos.”
During his studies in Latvia Rakesh got opportunity to go to Czech Republic, Prague for exchange programme. “The experience I got there was very good, the teachers were professional. However, the dormitory wasn’t so good as in Jelgava,” he is saying. Also, he got practical experiences during his study time. During vacations he worked in one of the biggest milk processing companies in Latvia – Latvijas Piens. “I was working for three months in packaging sector. A lot of people tried to interact with me and were very surprised that I come from India,” he is laughing. But by asking of difficulties he is facing in Latvia, Rakesh is saying: “The only difficulty is language. If I want to go for shop and buy some product that I haven’t bought before then first of all I check it in internet. However, it makes me to learn Latvian or Russian,” says Rakesh. He knows several words in Latvian and Russian and can start conversation immediately by saying: “Sveiki. Viss kārtībā. Uzredzēšanos.”
Christmas miracles happen at LLU
After living here for more than one-year Rakesh has very good impressions about Latvia. He is satisfied with the public transport, dormitory and even with climate of Latvia. “I like cold countries and I like snow. In the summer the weather is ok, it is not very warm. Sometimes it is irritating because in the morning it is sunny, in the afternoon – raining and in the night – snowing,” he is telling. But most of all he likes people in Latvia. “Latvians are very kind and helpful, especially teachers in my faculty. If I ask some address I don’t know, they take me sometimes to that place, especially if they are going to the same direction,” he is telling his experience.
This year was special for him also because of the people he has met here. “I had never celebrated Christmas in India. But this year I got an emergency call or kind of surprising call from Agris from International Cooperation Centre who was asking me to cook Indian dinner. Later we came to know that it is a surprise for Christmas. I really enjoyed his family surprise! Finally, that evening gave me one of the most memorable moments in my life and it was my first Christmas celebration,” says Rakesh.