Farah

I was born in Tunisia, in a small town near the sea. I came to Moscow three years ago to study medicine, and my story is fucked up. So said Farah, a 22-year-old woman with blue curly hair, red lips, big cheeks, and a tiny ring in her neat nose.

What have you done?
I failed my exams, and I was excluded three times. Saying this, she hid her eyes.

In what language do you study?
In Russian, of course.

Так ты говоришь по-русски?
I do know Russian, Farah said, as if it were something ordinary. But I find it easier to communicate in English. Reading your posts, I noticed that you know English, and I was very happy that here in Moscow I could finally speak English with someone. She offered a wide smile.

What caused you to fail the exams?
I don’t know. I was depressed, the exams were very hard, and I never actually loved what I was doing.

Why did you choose to study medicine in Moscow?
My mum decided for me. She wanted me to become a doctor because it is a respectable job in Tunisia. Since she met my father, she had dreamed of being a doctor, so by default she wanted all her six children to fulfill her dream.

I understand. But why Moscow?
My high school grades were not good enough to allow me to study medicine in Tunisia, so my parents offered me the opportunity to study in Moscow. While talking about it, Farah kept smiling. I agreed because I wanted to leave Tunisia.

After this, I fell into thoughts about Farah and her parents. Her story, of a child suffering from the unaccomplished dreams of frustrated parents, sounded familiar to me. One way or another, we all face similar pressure, don’t we?

According to Western liberal opinion, young people like Farah first need time to understand what is going on, to experience different ways of living, to fall in love, to destroy something, maybe later to find the meaning of life, and only then choose a profession.

How do your parents feel about your exclusion from the university?
They don’t know about it. When my mum finds out, she will kill me.

How do you think your mother will react when she sees the tattoo?
She won’t forgive me for it, Farah said with confidence.

Why, then, do you want it?
I like tattoos, and I like your work. I especially like the idea of your project. I couldn’t miss that opportunity.

I went through my notes and circled the keywords from the interview. Having done so, I decided to write a message to Farah’s mother: that the mess of her child was caused by her own ineptitude.