What does a Chilean-born literary scholar who dreamt of Russia during the Cold War bring to a cutting-edge interdisciplinary programme Texts, Languages, and Digital Tools? One of the possible answers is a uniquely global, deeply human, and refreshingly humorous perspective. Ricardo Monsalve joined HSE University in 2024 after receiving his Ph.D. from one of the most famous universities in the U.S.A. He is not only a professor of literature and Latin American art but also a novelist whose recent work imagines a future where the humanities have gone extinct. The interview focuses not only on Professor Monsalve's academic career, but also his personal impressions of the bachelor’s programme, its students, and life in Russia in general.