Leonardo loved Moscow for its high energy. “Moscow is bustling 24/7,” he said. “There are countless opportunities here for anyone. Everyone finds something they like in Moscow.” Leonardo believes that his native São Paulo, the most densely populated metropolis in the Western Hemisphere, cannot compare to Moscow in terms of personal safety. “Moscow is quite safe. I would give it an 8 on a scale of 10 for safety. You see people from very diverse ethnic backgrounds in the Metro. That’s cool.”
The downside of life in Russia – and it’s a big downside, according to Leo – is that “the winter is so cold and so long. This winter is not for the faint-hearted.”
“When we first moved here,” Leo recalls, “Yana (his Russian 
wife) constantly insisted we go out together when it snowed. I refused and begged her to stay home with me. I feared freezing and getting sick.” “Eventually, she taught me how to dress properly for the Russian winter: a warm hat, a warm scarf, and the whole package…”
The weather and the language barrier were the two biggest challenges for Leo in Russia. But he has completely overcome the language barrier. His Russian is quite good for someone with only two years of practice. “I really wanted to be able to communicate in Russian with my wife’s family. In a year or 18 months from now, I think my Russian will be good enough to talk about politics,” Leo boasts.
Leo’s relationship with Russian food is in a phase of adaptation. There are dishes he has developed a taste for, and others that still leave him undecided. “I don’t like meat in gelatin, herring, any salted fish, or pickles,” Leo confesses. “On the other hand, meat dishes, like beef stroganoff, are pretty cool. Shawarma is good; I eat it all the time. In Portugal, they call it kebab. All the world’s cuisines are represented in Moscow, so there’s something good for everyone to eat.”
Like any Brazilian, football runs in Leo’s veins. “In Brazil, I played football with anything that came up: oranges, paper balls, rolled-up socks…” Leo reminisces fondly.
As a child, Leo was a fan of Santos, like his father. Later, most of his friends were from Corinthians, and Leo converted. “My father understood. He never held a grudge,” he said.
Now, Leo plays football for Brazil every Wednesday and Sunday. He has found some fellow countrymen in Moscow who, like him, need to have football in their lives. They now form a national team – the team of Brazilian expatriates in Moscow.
Sometimes, Leo feels that feeling… It’s the kind that Russians call nostalgia. Leo describes his longing as lucid and warm. “I missed the sea and the sandy beaches at first. You see these grumpy people on the street and realize that if it were a little warmer, everyone would be cheerful,” Leo reflects.
Source: www.welcome2018.com and Photo Credits: www.welcome2018.com