Cameroonian Builds New Life in Yaroslavl

Denis Constant is 27 years old, and he has spent almost four of those years living in Russia — specifically in Yaroslavl. The young man from Cameroon came here in 2022 to study. He saw no future in his hometown.

He arrived in Russia without any knowledge of the language, and today he speaks Russian almost without an accent. Read about how Denis«s life has unfolded in this interview.

Why He Decided to Move

When Denis turned 16, he first began thinking about his future. The situation in his home country — Cameroon — frightened him, and he saw no opportunity for personal growth there.

— I was very afraid of staying there. Thoughts of moving appeared, and there were many reasons. Hard work is not valued there. There is almost no hope for young people; monopolies dominate. Some people are successful, while the rest have nothing. If you work hard, you either get paid very little or nothing at all, the African man said.

Jobs are scarce in Cameroon. According to the foreigner, labor is barely paid. For example, a hairdresser there might earn only 7,000 rubles (about $90) a month.

Leaving his family was sad, and he did have doubts.

— I thought many times: what if I make the wrong choice, what if I make a mistake? Maybe I will lose everything because of my dream. To go somewhere where I know nothing: not the language, not the culture, where I have no friends. It was very scary. The first month I suffered; it was hard. You don«t understand anyone, and no one understands you. But it only told me that if I want to change something, I need to learn the language and learn the culture.

Now Denis is studying programming at a polytechnic university in Yaroslavl. His uncle, who had also come to study in St. Petersburg at one point, helped him enroll. It was his uncle who explained the basics of Russian daily life to him and helped with paperwork.

Denis met his first friends at university. According to him, it wasn«t difficult.

In the future, Denis plans to work in Russia in his field. However, there are some nuances regarding citizenship: he has not yet received Russian citizenship.

— In Russia, foreigners are not allowed to access IT information. They keep that data and knowledge within the country so that other states don«t know. Confidentiality is important. I can»t work there yet, not even as an intern, Denis explained.

Challenges of Living in Russia

Often, when foreigners are asked what surprised them about Russia, the first thing they mention is learning the language. Denis is no exception.

— It«s very difficult and, to be honest, boring. Learning Russian is repetition, repetition, repetition. You think that after a hundred repetitions you already know everything, but that»s not the case. Then I realized that over time the brain gets used to it and will remember, the African man said.

The Russian mentality also surprised the foreigner. Denis admitted that he had come to the country thinking Russians might be offensive.

He has already tried everything from Russian national cuisine. Denis liked two dishes most of all: dressed herring (shuba salad) and pancakes. He hasn«t tried vodka because he avoids alcohol.

By the way, the Russian cold didn«t frighten Denis, who comes from the south. According to him, back home in Cameroon it was never particularly hot — that»s a misconception.

— In Russia, summers are very hot, and on top of that there«s humidity. In summer it»s hard for me to breathe here. In winter I«m more comfortable here, the African man explained.

After four years in Russia, Denis already calls himself Russian. Back in his first year in the country, he decided that he would stay here forever and would only visit Cameroon as a guest.

— I am already Russian. I don«t resemble my people except for my skin color. Who I am now and who I was when I first arrived here are two different people.

He Started a Family with a Russian Woman

Denis met his future fiancée, Ulyana, quite by chance in 2024.

— I was sitting at home when I got a notification on my phone that someone wanted to add me as a friend. It«s very rare for me to message people who add me. But that day I just thought: »Well, let«s talk.» Then I invited her for a walk along the embankment. And it wasn«t some complicated beginning — just two understanding people meeting, Denis shared with a 76.RU correspondent.

In December 2025, Denis became a father. The couple had a daughter, and they named the little girl Isabella-Leyla. The young people have not yet entered into a legal marriage, but they live together.

— We have problems with documents. My country doesn«t allow marrying a foreigner without permission. You need to collect documents and signatures, then send them to Cameroon. All of this takes a very long time. We are still waiting, the young man explained.

According to Denis, raising a child isn«t difficult. The birth of his daughter gave him strength and brought a lot of new experience.

— When you have a child, you can«t be selfish. You start thinking differently about this person»s life, about how you will help them develop.

He Sings on Stage

Besides his aspirations to become a programmer, Denis has a hobby — singing and performing on stage. As he tells it, he never studied vocals before coming to Russia, though he always loved to sing for himself. Now the young man studies at a pop vocal studio and plans to develop further in that direction.

— While I«m not working as a programmer, I earn extra money at restaurants or ceremonies. I perform and get paid. Since I»m a foreigner, it attracts a lot of attention, especially from young people. They see that I look like a rapper, similar to their foreign idols. They want to experience emotions, so I often do rap and sing popular English or Russian songs, Denis said.

In 2025, at Youth Day in Yaroslavl, Denis was asked to sing Shaman«s song »I Am Russian« on stage. The foreigner agreed because he had memorized it when he first arrived in Russia. However, not everyone liked such a performance.

— A video spread online of a dark-skinned man singing that he is Russian. For me, it was the first time in Russia that I received so much negativity; it really affected me. At first I felt bad, but then I thought: I«m doing what I love, showing what»s inside me, and there is only love there.

Denis has no plans to leave Russia. He has one more year left to finish university, and after that — life will show.

Earlier we published an interview with two foreign students from Côte d«Ivoire. The young men came to Yaroslavl from a hot country for the sake of their dream.

In our series «Life of Foreigners in Russia», we publish stories of people who have moved far from home.