Ugandan student finds home, job, and grandma in Novosibirsk

When Naiwa Nassolo first set foot on Siberian soil, she thought the sun never shines here. She didn«t know how to say »Hello!«, didn»t understand a word, got lost in the metro, and couldn«t buy groceries in the store. Today, the Ugandan native confidently speaks Russian, studies to become a surgeon, works as a model, teaches English, and is eager to try everything new. In an interview with NGS, she told how she fell in love with Russia, made friends, and started a new exotic life in snowy Siberia.

«Very cold! Sometimes I wear two jackets»

The decision to move to Russia was not exactly spontaneous for African Naiwa Nassolo — she simply trusted fate. Even before finishing school, the girl clearly knew that she wanted to leave Uganda and see the world. There were two options: Russia and Poland. Naiwa applied to universities, and the first response came from Russia.

«Until I knew for sure that I was accepted, I didn»t tell my family; my mom would have started talking me out of it. I told her I was leaving when I already had a plane ticket. She cried, but supported me,« recalled Naiwa.

Every day the girl is in touch with her loved ones: she tells them about how she has settled in the new place. Mom, Naiwa laughs, is in shock every day, especially from the amount of snow and low temperature.

The migrant herself was surprised by something else: she was struck by the silence and gloominess of people.

«In Uganda, we always smile, but here that»s not the case. I thought, maybe I did something wrong? But then I realized that it«s just a different culture,» shared Naiwa.

In her city, the streets are noisy, but in Siberia — it«s quiet: no one shouts, swears, communicates in raised tones, sings, or dances.

«We love to dance very much, we dance every day. And we sing, I love singing very much. I can»t sing well, but I sing anyway,« smiled the girl.

Siberian frosts are new to Naiwa: she moved to Siberia two years ago, but flew back for the winter period. Only this year she «had the luck» to feel the full power of the Russian winter.

«Very cold! I wear several layers of clothing, I always have bags with things with me, sometimes I»m in two jackets and two hats,« emotionally admitted the African, lamenting about glasses broken from the cold: the temple froze, cracked, and fell off.

Despite the cold, Naiwa tries to love the Siberian winter and recently learned to ice skate. The new activity pleased her: the ice rink became a mandatory item in her entertainment program.

«By the way, in summer in Novosibirsk it can be hotter than in Uganda, I felt that. At first I was upset by the lack of sun, and then...» — Naiwa said laughing.

«Hello — what does that mean?»

At first, Naiwa didn«t understand the language at all, she walked around with a translator.

«Hello — what does that even mean? I didn»t even know how to buy food in the supermarket, couldn«t ask for help. On the bus, I didn»t understand whether the conductor was asking for cash or a card,« admitted the girl.

Lectures at the university are also in Russian. Naiwa urgently started learning the language, studying seven hours every day. Stubbornness and a thirst for communication led to the fact that in about a year, the African became quite fluent in Russian and understood speech.

«A very difficult language, English is easier. I still confuse cases, declensions, sometimes — gender,» she noted.

Naiwa Nassolo is a first-year student at NSMU and dreams of becoming a surgeon: to treat people, save lives, and help her relatives in Uganda. In her free time from studies, she teaches English online and works as a model; she has been passionate about modeling since her teenage years. At home, in Uganda, she also participated in photoshoots, but her mother insisted that her daughter leave this activity and focus on her studies.

«Now I can both study and work, I manage. Russian girls, my colleagues, are so beautiful, the most beautiful in the world. And very creative!» — assures Naiwa.

Naiwa models for clothing and cosmetics brands, but admits that she especially loves photoshoots for restaurants: the cuisine in Siberia suited her taste. Particularly, she says, she likes pelmeni (but with spicy sauce) and borscht (but with chicken). For Russian friends, she sometimes cooks dishes from her native cuisine: for example, roleks.

«Something like shawarma, a popular Ugandan street food dish. A vegetable omelet made of eggs, onions, tomatoes, and cabbage, wrapped in chapati, that is, flatbread,» explained Naiwa.

«Now she is my grandma»

The African has already gotten used to Siberian life, built her little world: studies, work, meetings with friends, entertainment. Naiwa loves watching horror movies, going to establishments and trying new food, and also adores sleepovers — with classmates they gather together, cook food, chat, watch movies. But the most touching touch in her Siberian life is, perhaps, the accidental grandma.

«We met on the street. We got acquainted, chatted. Now she is my grandma, and I am her granddaughter. I come to visit her, we do something together, cook, love baking pancakes,» told the girl.

The girl has traveled to several countries, been to France, Germany, Turkey, Kenya, and America, but says that it is in Russia that she feels safe.

«In New York, if you fall, people just walk past. But here, even if people don»t smile, they will still help me up if I fall,« she explained.

Naiwa doesn«t make distant plans. Ahead are five years of study, so for the next five years she will live here.

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