”The moment we stepped off the plane at Skellefteå airport we exhaled a huge sigh of relief and breathed in a lung full of clean, cold, fresh pine forest air.”
The initial reaction I get from people when I tell them the story of how we came to be in Skellefteå is always the same, a look of disbelief followed by ”Wow, you and your family are so brave. Or crazy!” And I can completely understand the sentiment, so much so that I am not really sure which we are either, I mean to up and move your family from the place you’ve lived all your life to a new country that you have never even visited before is pretty crazy.
Add to that also buying a house on the internet without walking around it, while you are still living in the UK and trying to sell your own property and we are most definitely verging on the ridiculous. Throw into the mix the fact that you don’t talk the language, you do not know anyone in your soon to be homeland and you are doing it in the middle of a global pandemic I think we have got fully paid tickets on the crazy train with first class seats.
But never at any point throughout any of the preparations for our emigration did we feel at all mad or even slightly unhinged. In fact, we felt lucky and excited and full of optimism. We didn’t feel brave either, we truly felt like we were just doing the right thing, and when you feel that way then nothing seems quite as scary. In fact, the moment we stepped off the plane at Skellefteå airport we exhaled a huge sigh of relief and breathed in a lung full of clean, cold, fresh pine forest air.
Since moving here, myself, my husband Jonathan and our two daughters, Isabelle and Lucy, all feel a sense of freedom, quite ironic considering the amount of bureaucracy and the almost cashless society that we now live in. For Jonathan and I it is very evident that the girls have far more opportunities for their futures by moving to such an up-and-coming place that is becoming more exciting and vibrant by the day.
Their schooling is far less stressful here than had they remained in the UK schooling system and they get to experience living a childhood where they can run in the forest, ride their bikes on quiet village roads and swim in beautiful lakes and stunning seas. Living somewhere where we can so easily tune into the nature and seasons around us and live a slower pace of life has had huge benefits to our mental health.
Isabelle, Nicola, Lucy and Jonathan Foleher, Vebomark, with Kya the dog.
It has encouraged and inspired us to try new things. From setting up a creative business and buying a second house to rent as a holiday let to diving into the world of foraging and Jonathan dusting off his snowboard once again.
I think it is the case for all of us that when you grow up in a place and see it day in day out, you stop seeing the wonderful things that make your home so precious. In the UK we started to see things that were making us feel unsafe and uncertain for our children’s future. By moving to Skellefteå we are in constant awe of our surroundings. We feel safe and we feel excited for the future. Maybe we are not so crazy after all?
This text is a column and the views are the author's own.