‘I Am Able to Tell My Students Things That I Always Wanted to Tell People in Russia’
Ana Livia Araujo Esteves, from Sao Paulo, Brazil, is a journalist, a third-year doctoral student of International Relations, and visiting lecturer at the HSE School of International Regional Studies. In her interview for the HSE News Service, she speaks about her motivation to carry out research and teach students in Russia, shares some tips for people from Latin America living in Moscow, and talks about why a dog can be a reason to stay in Russia for just a bit longer.
Ana Livia graduated in International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP), got her master’s degree in Russian Foreign Policy from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and has worked as a correspondent at the Russian news agency RIA Novosti since September 2019. Winner of the 2020 All-Russian MediaTek prize on best journalism for oil and gas issues, she has over 300 articles with expert interviews published on the agency’s website Sputnik Brazil.
— Why are you interested in Russia what made you decide to move to Moscow?
— I graduated in international relations, and it's a field that I really love.
When I was studying in Brazil, I wrote a term paper about the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was an issue that entangled the United States, the Soviet Union, and a Latin American country. I'm a Latino, so it was quite interesting for me. But while I was studying that, I became really upset because I could not find a bibliography in Russian about the Russian perspective in my country.
In the library at my university, which is a really good university in Brazil, there were no books telling the Soviet side of the story
I only had access to the American side of the story and a little bit of the Cuban side, but also not so much. When I realised that there was something lacking in my studies, I decided that I needed to go to Russia and maybe even to learn Russian, so that I could discover the Russian side of the story, not only regarding the Cuban Missile Crisis, but also all the other international issues. That’s how the idea of coming here to do my Master's appeared.
Later on, in June 2016, I got a scholarship for a master's degree in Russia from Rossotrudnichestvo (Federal Agency for the CIS, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation) at the House of Russia in Casa da Rocha. In 2017, I came to Russia, into RUDN for a one-year Russian language course. In June 2019, I concluded my master’s programme in Russian Foreign Policy at MGIMO.
That's how I fell in love with Moscow
— Did you find the missing documents about the 1961 crisis?
— I found Russian sources on the Cuban crisis of 1961. I was also able to find new information about how the Russian embassy in Brazil was reacting to the events by then. I included it all in my research paper.
— What made you decide to stay here after you finished your studies?
— I got my Master's degree in September 2019 and wanted to stay in Russia.
I studied so much, it was so intense, that when the master's programme ended, I wanted to see the city, to go to the museums, to take advantage of the fact that I finally spoke and understood Russian, to have some fun
I was not ready to go home. That’s why I took a job as a correspondent at the Sputnik Brazil mass media outlet run by Russian news agency RIA Novosti. Here I could use my Portuguese language skills and write about Russians for the Portuguese speaking public.
Later, I decided to go on with my studies and joined HSE University to do my PhD. Now I am almost finished with my PhD in Russian-Brazilian relations. My goal is to make sure that we have bridges that will make our countries closer or bring all countries together.
— Tell us about your research.
— My research is about Russian-Brazilian relations under the administration of Jair Bolsonaro (2019–2022). In the theoretical part of my research, I compare the Brazilian and the Russian schools of thought in international relations. This is an issue that I plan to work on further. I'm interested in where our countries converge and diverge when it comes to the theory of international relations. There are concepts that we both use, but it is likely that we have different ideas of what they are. It's very important for us to see these differences: we can talk about them and find a common ground.
My academic supervisor is Prof. Olga Volosyuk, Head of the School of International Regional Studies. She has been an incredible mentor for me. She is completely fluent in Spanish and has very good knowledge of Spain. She's one of the people at HSE University that is bringing more Latin American issues to the University.
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She has very good relations with the corps of Latin American diplomats in Moscow, and I now have the opportunity to understand how Russian-Latin American relations are currently developing.
— How is your teaching career developing?
— I have the immense pleasure to be teaching at our university. I am conducting seminars on Latin American international relations including the history of international relations in Latin America at the minor International Relations and Diplomacy of the Ibero-American World. I'm excited about this new period of Russian foreign policy, where there is more focus on Latin America. I hope this will open opportunities for more courses at HSE University and other universities to focus on Brazil and Latin America.
Some of our students are not from international relations. For example, we have linguists who want to understand how Russia and Latin America are dealing with the geopolitical changes that are undergoing in the world. I think it's a very good window into Latin America—that's our objective with this course.
I like teaching: students are engaged, and this is something that came to me as a good surprise. I am able to tell them things that I always wanted to tell people here in Russia. Especially because of my experience during the first years in Russia when I learned a lot. I'm finally able to do that.
The students also teach me a lot about Russia, especially when it comes to comparative issues, comparative policies
I am thinking about prolonging my teaching and becoming a professor one day, maybe here at HSE University. I realise that HSE University can provide a good environment for this kind of project with cooperation between HSE University and Brazil.
— What have you learned over these years in Russia?
— It's something that Russians can take for granted, but it's very impressive for people that come from abroad. All the difficulties that Russia is willing to go through to make sure that it is in an independent state. Sometimes in other countries, they would not have the kind of resilience needed to maintain independence, especially in the economic field. This was something that came to me as very striking in Russia.
The other thing is more in the social area. It’s how Russians value their friendship, which is something different than Brazilians. Brazilians have lots of friends, they're very open, always smiling.
It seems that Russians are more closed. Maybe they have fewer friends, but their level of loyalty is so much higher than anything I have seen anywhere else. Whenever you get sick, whenever you have a problem, your Russian friends are always going to be there for you
It is a value that I really want to carry on in my life, and maybe, this is the most important thing I have learned, the spiritual value on this side of the story.
— You are a news reporter, a researcher, a teacher… How do you juggle so many roles?
— I try to make sure that my journalism materials are related to international relations, Latin America, and the issues that I'm teaching. That way, I make sure that my journalism has academic depth. I also make sure that my teaching has news angle and is up to date. For instance, last week we were focusing on Venezuela at HSE. And in my materials for Sputnik, I also brought up some Venezuelan issues.
— What difficulties do you face as a foreigner living in Moscow?
— It's difficult to be so far away from my country. Brazil is far away geographically, and it’s quite a journey to get there and back. I miss being closer to my family. My family is growing, there are new babies, and sometimes I don't know them that well. That is a big problem.
I miss Brazilian music. Moscow has the best cultural agenda among all the cities I have ever lived in my life. But I really miss Brazilian rhythm, and Brazilian food as well
And the most difficult word in Russian is still the first one you have to learn. It’s zdravstvuite (hello).
— You’ve been traveling across Russia a lot. What are your favourite places?
— I have a particular love for Vladivostok. I have already been there three times. This is my second favourite city in Russia after Moscow.
The first time I went there by Trans-Siberian train, which is a must for a foreigner. Vladivostok was the last stop. I was able to return for a second time for a film festival from Pacific region countries ‘Meridian.’ The city is beautiful: it reminds me a little bit of Rio de Janeiro. The last time I was in Vladivostok, it was for the Eastern Economic Forum.
— What helps you to keep the work-life balance?
— I go swimming and to the gym. That is necessary for me to keep my brain active. And especially in the winter which can be a very hard season.
Maintaining physical and outdoors activity is extremely important for our mental health. This is a tip for my colleagues that come from Latin America. I’m taking vitamin D as well
I also have the pleasure of owning a dog here in Moscow. He's a Border Collie and he came with me to Russia from Brazil. Lars has a lot of fur, and he loves Russian winters: he likes the climate in Russia better than in Brazil. So, he's one of the reasons why we're staying around for a couple more years!
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