Nabi Ndur from Senegal speaks about Russia and meeting new people in the street

Nabi Ndur moved to Russia more than 5 years ago. At first he lived in Oryol, where he learnt Russian, then he got his bachelor’s degree in Ivanovo, and last year he moved to St. Petersburg. Today Nabi is studying marketing in St. Petersburg state university and expects to get a job in advertising.

“I was born in Dakar, the capital and the biggest city of Senegal. I spent 5 semesters in the department of law there, but realized I definitely didn’t want to continue my education in that country. A friend once asked me if I wanted to study in Russia and said universities were excellent there. At that moment I knew nothing about Russia, but decided to take the risk.

In St. Petersburg people are so open and also tactful. They are ready to know you, to learn new things about you and to talk about themselves, but they never speak out too directly or harshly. Another funny peculiarity of theirs is the way they treat their dogs. I feel these animals get very tender and affectionate care here. They seem to be loved a lot more than in other places.

When I came to Russia, I wanted to make new friends, but didn’t speak Russian well and had no idea how people meet here. I would come up to strangers in the street, smile and say, “Hello!” Many of them said “Hello”, too, and some even suggested we take a stroll together.

Moving to Russia helped me better know myself. I always thought I was shy and introverted, but I took the risk, moved, and realized I could actually do everything on my own. Russia taught me that I should never give up.”