An African from the Congo moved to live in Voronezh: foreigners in Russia | NHS

I have learned responsibility. Gained the courage to start a business. I have a travel agency in Africa, among the clients are Spaniards, Estonians, Canadians who want to see the mainland. I manage remotely. I want to buy a big piece of land and build a hotel in the Congo.

Stephen also has a Russian business dream: to open a bakery. But this is later, so that there is something to do in old age. Because he wants to stay here forever.

– If you compare the Congo and Russia, then here I have found stability. I have a comfortable life. If I didn’t like it, I would have left a long time ago. But I don’t want to go to another country, because everything I have now is thanks to Russia, I owe everything to your country. I want to call it ours – I feel like I was adopted, this is my adopted country.

Mom and sister were already visiting Stephen. Notice how happy he is. There was also a girlfriend from France – she fell in love with the country that she saw through his eyes.

— She knows Canada and America, traveled a lot in Europe. But she said: Paris is ugly, but Russia is beautiful! In general, I invite a lot of people, I want to show them how good it is here. We travel around the country on trains – Voronezh, Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Tomsk, Novosibirsk, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Belgorod. Rest on the sea in Sochi. We go to museums a lot. I also love cycling and fishing – I tell you, I’m almost Russian!