Many people think there is no way they could leave their families and live on the other side of the world. For two Allen Community College students, it is the way. THE TRANSITION has been difficult for Pavel and Ivan.
Ivan Taskin and Pavel Kuropatkin are Russian citizens living “in a different world.” They moved to Iola in August to receive their associate’s degrees in computer science from ACC. Their story may seem unbelievable to some Americans, but to many around the world it is reality.
Both Taskin and Kuropatkin are certified medical doctors in Russia. Ivan is a cardiologist and Pavel an obstetrician. For a doctor in Russia, the lifestyle is different from that of an American doctor, Kuropatkin said.
“Doctors in Russia are paid a very low salary,” he said, “Computer science is paid much higher there.”
That reasoning is where the Russians’ story begins. The students, both 26, have known each other since middle school. They both lived in Moscow, where they attended the Russian State Medical University. From that point, the two best friends began to plan a future that would combine computer science and medical technology.
While Pavel struggled through the pronunciation of “silicon,” it was clear that Silicon Valley, and the entire U.S., is known in Russia as the pinnacle of computer science and technological research.
“Computer science in the U.S. is the best in the world,” Pavel said.
Pavel and Ivan knew they had a chance for success by combining their experience in the medical world and furthering their education in technology.
The technology in the medical realm in Russia is not as advanced as many other parts of the world, Ivan said. He and Pavel could be the first to develop software systems for documents in Russian hospitals.
“Hospitals in our country have only paper type of clinical records,” Ivan said. “So that is why we want to create and integrate software.”
Ivan also said many hospitals in Russia do not have the capabilities for prosthetics or artificial limbs, and they could be the first Russians to make their mark in that field.
The two of them studied English in Russia for one year, before moving to the United States. Pavel said they made the decision to start at a community college so they could improve their English before moving to a four-year university after they receive their associate’s degree.
Pavel said he was not shocked so much by the change in countries, as he was by the change in city environments.
“Moscow and New York City are very similar,” Pavel said. “Moscow and Iola are very much different.”
They have been adjusting to small town life. Both can legally drive a car now — something they didn’t do all of the time in Moscow. Ivan said the traffic in their home city was horrendous. He said his slowest traveling record in Moscow traffic was “30 kilometers in five hours.”
When asked about their families, Ivan and Pavel’s expressions changed — showing how much they miss their loved ones. Ivan has been married for five years now, and his wife still lives in Russia.
“It was very hard to leave our families, but education is our future,” Ivan said. “Sometimes the decision is not too easy.”
Pavel said he feels the need to “prove to himself” for when he returns to Moscow one day. He said both of them call their families via Skype at least twice a day.
In the meantime, they said they are becoming accustomed to entertaining themselves in a very different environment.
“We spend a lot of our free time in the computer lab,” Pavel said. “Our main entertainment is fast food, bowling and the (Sterling) Cinema Six.”
While Pavel said Iola can be “like living on Mars,” he said the people have helped him and Ivan adjust to all of these changes.
Anna Catterson, computer science instructor at ACC, said having the two Russians in her programs has added a whole new dynamic.
“They have brought a wealth of new knowledge,” Catterson said. “It has been interesting to have different cultures in the computer lab.”
She said she took the students to Pittsburg State to see their engineering program, and Ivan and Pavel were impressed.
“U.S. universities have a good combination of theory and practice,” Pavel said. “The universities in Russia only practice theory at first.”
He said students are prepared to practice in their field by the time they graduate, and that is important for the goals they are working to accomplish.
Until that point, Ivan and Pavel will be working in the computer science lab at ACC to broaden their computer and English-speaking skills. They have not yet decided which university they will attend once they finish their associate’s degree.
They will be traveling back to Moscow for the winter break to see their families, and will return to ACC for the spring semester to continue their studies.
Russian doctors honing tech skills
