Spouse Days, August 2024.
“Happy wife*, happy life” as the old saying goes (*and husbands and partners, but please allow me a little poetic license). It seems like Welcome House Skellefteå set up Spouse Days with this exact idea in mind.
This two-day event was packed with information to help us spouses settle into and enjoy life in Skellefteå, with presentations from a variety of local organizations and associations.
Things kicked off with Welcome House Skellefteå introducing the event and inviting us to eat the fresh fruit they’d picked from their own gardens. It almost goes without saying that cinnamon buns also made an appearance, but they arrived later in the day.
We were all encouraged to get to know each other, something that was aided brilliantly by the Women Welcome presentation that eased us in with a round of introductions and ice-breakers before the other sessions began.
The event focused on four main themes: adult education, health, leisure and culture, and recruitment and employment opportunities.
Learning Swedish is a hot topic for most newcomers and we were given details of the SFI classes available. We also heard from two study associations (Medborgarskolan and ABF) about courses they offer and also study circles, a funky Swedish concept where three or more people with a similar interest can create a study group.
Left to right, Anna-Klara Granstrand, middle, Emma Tellström and right, Felicia Selin of the Women Welcome Skellefteå group.
We were encouraged to apply for course leader roles for these groups as an extra job, and given the impression that we could really help shape the local adult education scene. We also learned about the developments happening at Campus Skellefteå and the study and vocational support offered by the Center for Guidance.
The local child health care and maternity centers gave plenty of information about services in the area, easing some attendees’ concerns by providing phone numbers for people to use if they don’t yet have BankID.
We also heard about Girl Gone International and Expats and Friends (EFA). There was a friendly, chatty and open vibe to these sessions as they continued the theme of reassurance and empowerment, emphasizing the need for us all to put ourselves out there and be seen, but also reminding us that it’s normal for the settling-in process to take time, especially when we want to work at a level we held in previous countries.
Centre, Razip from Malaysia who has been here for a month.
These comments were met with much nodding and over lunch with a group of women I met at the event, we discussed the difficulties of finding our place and trying to avoid feeling like we’ve put our lives on hold for our spouses.
The leisure office provided us with detailed information about activities and what to expect during the different seasons, which was especially helpful since many of us had never experienced a northern winter before.
There was also much chat about foraging for mushrooms, with the consensus being to not pick the red-and-white ones!
The event culminated in a work-focused mingle with local hiring companies and agencies. In line with the wider developments in the region, many of these companies focus on engineering and IT skills, whereas many attendees have more creative backgrounds, but that didn’t stop people chatting to recruiters and making contacts.
Nyföretagarcentrum was also there to tell attendees about their services to help newcomers set up their own businesses.
Mats and Mikael from Welcome House Skellefteå.
As Anna-Klara from Women Welcome told us when talking about the lack of job opportunities when she finished school in the Skellefteå region more than 20 years ago:
– I left to see the world and when I returned the world was here.
Today, the city is multicultural and offers a world of opportunities, but as spouses we need to be brave, to find our own groove, and to make things happen.
Left with baby, Sofiat Asifa from Nigeria, has been in Skellefteå for one year with right, Abigail Ajiduku, recently moved from Gothenburg.
Anna-Klara Granstrand of the Women Welcome Skellefteå group.
Abigail Ajiduku had arrived in Skellefteå from Gothenburg only five days before the event. She is originally from Nigeria.
Spouse Days, August 2024
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Left with baby, Sofiat Asifa from Nigeria, has been in Skellefteå for one year with right, Abigail Ajiduku, recently moved from Gothenburg.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Johanna Kuisma Löfbom, chief medical officer, Child and Adolescent Clinic, Skellefteå, Region Västerbotten.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Left to right, Anna-Klara Granstrand, middle, Emma Tellström and right, Felicia Selin of the Women Welcome Skellefteå group.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Magdalena Kossakowska moved from Poland to Skellefteå.
Centre, Jude Perera moved to Skellefteå from Kalmar with his wife.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Spouse Days
Dandy Wibowo, from Indonesia arrived in Skellefteå in July 2024. Alhough he was previously in Helsingborg he prefers Skellefteå.
Anna Stults, an American/Swede, has been in Skellefteå for a month.
Abigail Ajiduku had arrived in Skellefteå from Gothenburg only five days before the event. She is originally from Nigeria.
Felicia Selin of the Women Welcome Skellefteå group.
Anna-Klara Granstrand, with left, Felicia Selin and right, Emma Tellström of the Women Welcome Skellefteå group.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Spouse Days, August 2024.
Burcin Genis Ergun is from Turkey and came via the UK. She has been in Skellefteå for two months.
Aytul Akdogan came from Turkey one month ago. She is a fashion designer into sustainability and wants to do a PhD.