Love made Wim choose Vara
Love made Wim van Strien move from the Netherlands to Vara in Skaraborg. It’s been two years since he moved here, and he’s had time to learn Swedish and make new friends in the meantime. Wim shares his thoughts about Sweden and moving here.
- Who?
Wim van Strien
- What?
Moved from the Netherlands to Vara for the sake of love
- Where
Vara municipality
Wim comes from the Netherlands but works for an international company, and for a while he worked in Denmark. At the same workplace was a woman from Vara in Skaraborg, Sweden. Love blossomed, and after dividing his time between the Netherlands and Vara for a while, they both felt it was time for a big decision. Wim left the Netherlands and moved to Vara .
“My hometown in the Netherlands wasn’t that big, but because there are so many people in such a small area, it’s all like one big city. It's much, much quieter here. There are fewer people, less traffic and society is less stressed,” says Wim.
It's much, much quieter here. There are fewer people, less traffic and society is less stressed.
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Similar cultures
Because Wim’s significant other is Swedish he immediately made lots of new contacts with other Swedes through her. But finding his own social context was important for him.
“I’m lucky, because I like playing badminton and there’s a club where I can play nearby.”
To learn the language faster, Wim also took a course in Swedish for immigrants, SFI. He finds the language relatively similar to Dutch and he reads Swedish easily. But he’d like to practice more at keeping up when others are talking and finding the right word when he’s talking himself. Attending SFI gave Wim a foundation in the language. Talking with friends is the best practice for gaining confidence in the language.
“But at badminton I mostly learn cuss words,” laughs Wim.
Wim tells us that he finds the Swedish and Dutch societies as pretty much alike in many ways.
“Things are not all that hierarchical at work, and it’s okay for everyone to say what they’re thinking. These things are the same in Sweden and the Netherlands. In certain other countries, I find that it’s the boss who makes most of the decisions."
I don’t miss big cities, I think things are perfect here!
Nature, peace & quiet
But there are still differences between the Netherlands and Sweden. In Sweden, there’s less stress and much more nature. It’s not so far to Gothenburg from Vara, which is convenient as Wim needs to go there on business now and then. But the family seldom goes there in private life.
“I don’t miss big cities, I think things are perfect here! If we want to see something other than Vara’s plains we go to Falköping where there are great hills or to Lidköping and Vänern. Its beautiful there!"
Wim’s tips for anyone thinking about moving to Sweden
1.Attend an SFI course; while everyone speaks good English in Sweden it’s still important to learn the language in the country you live in.
2. Join an association, then you’ll meet others with the same interests and make new friends.
3. Get yourself a Bank ID as soon you as can; you’ll need one to do all kinds of things.
If you’re considering moving to Sweden, Wim suggests you read up on the practicalities of life in Sweden. There’s a lot of useful information on the Internet, and you can get a lot of help by reading about other people’s experiences.
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