Nicola Foleher and her family moved to Skellefteå two years ago.
In December 2020 my family and I stepped off the airplane at Skellefteå airport and on to Swedish soil for the first time in our lives. This also happened to be the day we moved to Skellefteå. Forever!
We moved here in the middle of the pandemic. Life back in the UK had been under lockdown after lockdown. We had spent months trapped in our home; weeks went by where we could not meet up with family and friends; the children could not go to school and shops and restaurants were closed.
I remember landing in Sweden and feeling immediately safe and also liberated. The Covid that we had been living with in the UK had been scary and isolating. We had been separated from those we love, and it had impacted people's mental health hugely.
Here, it was different. Social distancing was still in place and masks recommended, but society continued as best as it could and by comparison, we finally felt a spark of hope that life could become normal again.
My first impression of Skellefteå city itself was how beautifully clean it was. No graffiti, no cigarettes butts or litter on the ground. No vandalism. It felt like the place was cared for and respected. Again, it felt safe, something that we had not felt in our hometown in northern England for a long time. People left their bikes unattended without padlocks; where we came from, they would have been stolen within the hour.
As we wandered around the shops and marveled at the pretty streetlights and festive pre-Christmas atmosphere, our hearts felt so full. Everyone we met was friendly, welcoming and warm. And this attitude extended to the small village of Vebomark, where we bought our home (on the internet!).
The day we moved in, there was a knock at the door, and we were met by four smiling, glowing faces. Our fantastic neighbours, the Vallgrens.
In their arms was a beautiful hamper full of Christmas goodies. Chocolates for our two girls, glögg, candles, pepparkakor and Christmas decorations overflowed from the basket, but more important than the bountiful basket was the kindness they showed. They rallied around us over the next few weeks, introducing us to the other villagers and taking us out on their snowmobiles for mountain hut grills and ice fishing. I will never forget their welcome and how thankful we were and still are for their endless selflessness.
That winter was a real shock to the system! We had snow up to our eyebrows within a few days, and we had no equipment with which to clear it, which led to another neighbor introducing himself, by digging us out of the snow with his trusty tractor.
He turned up swiftly, and without being asked, to help and ensure we were alright. And he wouldn’t accept a single krona. It was our welcome gift, he told us.
We were mesmerized by the beauty of Skellefteå: the homes with beautiful shining stars in the window were like Christmas movie scenes flashing by our windows as we drove down forest-lined roads. And we were astonished by the crystals that formed on our lashes when the temperature hit minus 30! The bright, hot summers spent at the beach, hanging out with friends, have also contributed to our lives here so far being wonderful.
But the first real impression that will stick with me, in my heart, is that the people of this town are so immeasurably special. They have immense kindness to share and will help you without you having to ask. They want you to do well, and they want you to be happy here. And for that I am forever grateful.