Viewpoints of TUMS Students on TUMS International Day 2015

Our reporters managed to have a little chat with some of our students and asked them about their view on internationalization of higher education, life at TUMS and in Iran, and the TUMS International Day.

Maher Darwish, from Syria, stated that during his stay in Iran, he has made lots of Iranian friends in his dormitory, laboratory and elsewhere, since there are too many similarities between his culture and that of Iran. It is due to this reason, he said, that he did not feel like a stranger when he came to Iran for the first time.

Alia Alawi, TUMS student form Bahrain, has been in Iran for a couple of years, half of which she has spent in the city of Ghazvin, learning Persian. She is currently in her second semester. She expressed delight about experiencing so many things from different countries. She claimed that there are so many similarities in our cultures, such as dressing styles, cuisines, and even some games such as Sekoona, known in Persian as Lei-Lei.

Originally from Uganda, Joseph Kimuli Balikuddembe claimed that one of the main differences between Iran and his own country is women’s clothing. According to him, women in his home country dress way more colorfully that Iranians, a trend which might sometimes be seen in the southern parts of Iran. Joseph expressed satisfaction that TUMS has managed to attract students from different parts around the globe as, according to him, this environment promote internationalization at the university.

Ali Al-Hassani, from Sweden, has been in Iran for less than a year. He lives with his wife and small boy and is a TUMS D.D.S. student, same as his wife. He stated that compared with the people of Sweden, Iranians are much warmer and welcoming.

Currently an M.D. student in his second semester, Ali Shbeeb is originally from Lebanon. He so far claims to have had a great experience at TUMS and believes that coming together in the international day has a great impact on all students.

Aaron Munggela Foma, the only TUMS student from Cameroon, stated that a highlighted feature of Iran is its people’s rich culture. He claimed to be greatly affected by the Iranians’ hospitality and considers Iran as a second home.

This year’s TUMS International Day celebration was held on March 1, 2015 at the TUMS National Museum of Medical Sciences History.