Sushma misses India's amazing street food.
It's been just over a year since we moved to Skellefteå, and like most people, we've found that relocating to a new country isn't easy. It pushes us out of our comfort zone as we adapt to a different culture, environment, and community.
After a year here, we're happy to say that the city and its people have welcomed us warmly and helped us integrate into the community.
Recently, my husband and I reflected on what we love most about both our home country and our new life in Sweden. Coming from a city that enjoys sunshine year-round, warm weather tops the list of things we miss about India. The longer days there allowed us to socialize and spend more time outdoors.
Experiencing extreme winter conditions was entirely new for us, and the darkness proved challenging. While Skellefteå's summer was beautiful, its brevity left us yearning for warmth during the rest of the year.
We also miss India's cultural diversity and varied cuisine. Each region has its own language, customs, and unique festival celebrations. This variety extends to food, with countless local and global options, especially in street food. With India's large vegetarian population, it's common to find restaurants serving exclusively vegetarian dishes.
The third element we miss is the convenience of daily life in India, enabled by widespread digital adoption. While mobile payments and food deliveries are common globally, services in India cover nearly every aspect of daily life.
People routinely order groceries, medicines, and necessities through apps, with many delivering within 10 minutes. This convenience extends to home services – from haircuts and manicures to television repairs and wall painting, all bookable through apps.
Turning to our new home, Sweden's pure environment and abundant nature top our list of favourites. Forests cover almost 70% of Sweden, compared to less than 25% in India. This means easy access to nature – anyone can reach a forest, lake, or mountain within 10 minutes' drive. The unique "Allemansrätten" allows everyone to explore nature freely, even on private property. People can gather berries or mushrooms, hike, camp in the mountains, or kayak on lakes.
Sweden's robust social welfare system ranks second among our favorites. While income taxes are significant, they fund social benefits that serve everyone in the country. The state largely covers public healthcare, with minimal individual payments. Families with children receive numerous benefits, from generous parental leave to child allowances.
Skellefteå's wild beauty rocks Sushma's world.
Children's education, including daycare, schooling, meals, and transport, requires only small payment. Strong unions and employment laws ensure job security and unemployment benefits.
Finally, we appreciate Sweden's cultural diversity and equality. While India offers diversity within its borders, Sweden provides a truly global multicultural environment. It creates opportunities to interact with people from various countries and backgrounds. In our community, we have neighbours from different countries speaking different languages.
This harmonious coexistence reflects both the friendliness of Swedish people and laws supporting international business and skilled migration.
After a year's reflection, it's natural to wish for the best of both worlds. Yet each place holds its own unique charm. We feel nothing but gratitude for our experiences in our new home!
This article is a column and the opinions are the writer's own.