Physiotherapist Miranda moved to enjoy a less stressful life

Miranda Roffel is from the Netherlands, but a few years ago she and her husband Hamed grew tired of the stressful pace of life in that country. Like many of their compatriots, they began wondering how life would look in another country. When they took a look at different countries, Sweden caught their eye. 

Miranda and Hamed began reading up on Sweden and since they had a buddy who’d already moved there, they paid him a visit to experience the country firsthand.

“We had a good feeling about Sweden. We’d already had some thoughts about moving here during our visit, but nothing was definite. We continued to read up on things and attended a major immigration fair to gather information.”

The couple planned a new trip, but when the Covid pandemic hit, they stayed in the Netherlands. When their second child was born the feeling that it was now or never grew stronger.

“We did a lot of thinking back and forth, and in the end we understood that if things were to happen it was a case of ‘just do it’. So we did!”

Sold up and bought an RV

No sooner said than done. Miranda and Hamed quit their jobs, sold their house, bought an RV and headed off to Sweden.

“Sweden is a big country! How would we know where to live without taking a good look? We were in no hurry and felt we should experience the country before making up our minds.”

Miranda, who is a qualified physiotherapist, and Hamed who is a chef, had been told there was a shortage of both their skills in Sweden at the fair they had visited. This meant the couple felt no pressure to find a job.

Arrived in August, had jobs by October

On their way up through Sweden the couple stayed in Gullspång. Miranda had made contact via the Internet with another physiotherapist from the Netherlands who worked in the municipality.

“I asked if I could pay her a visit when we traveled through the country with the RV and she replied yes. She showed me around and told me how they worked. I had a good feeling about things.”

And her feelings were affirmed – Miranda soon received an offer of a job interview at the same workplace. Things moved pretty quickly after that.

“We began our journey in August and I had my interview in September. I knew some Swedish but needed to learn more in order to begin work. Region Västra Götaland has special language courses for people about to begin work in healthcare, and I began a course at the end of October. By January I could speak Swedish well enough to begin working half time while continuing to study the language.”

Hamed also found work quickly as a chef in a restaurant on Torsö in Lake Vänern. He has since switched career paths and works today in the Swedish Prison and Probation Service in Mariestad.

A view across Lake Vänern

Today, the family lives in Otterbäcken in Gullspång’s municipality. They have a view across Lake Vänern from the kitchen window, and the forest is just behind their house.

“It’s a wonderful area! It’s peaceful, but there are also a few neighbors nearby, so the children get to play with friends. It’s livelier in the summer when the small boats come to the harbor and the campsite is up and running. It’s all so charming!” 

“It’s quiet here, but still close to everything we need. There’s a store, a preschool, a school and leisure activities nearby. It’s half an hour to Mariestad, a bigger town. Best of all, the lake is just a two-minute walk away with its bathing area and ice cream in the summer, and ice skating and bandy in the winter. In the other direction is the forest. We really live closer to nature than we’d ever dreamed!”

Did things turn out as they’d hoped?

Selling up and moving to a new country was a big step for Miranda and Hamed. Did everything go as the family hoped?

“The people around us were a bit wary of our children, that they wouldn’t learn the language, but they did so really quickly! Today they speak three languages fluently, our native languages and Swedish!”

Miranda tells us how happy they are with their children’s preschool and that the induction process took just a few days. But there’s one big difference between preschool in Sweden and the Netherlands.

“In Sweden, children may only be at preschool when the parents are at work. That was something new for us! Because we’ve moved, we lack a social network with people who could babysit for us. That was a bit difficult. But we don’t regret moving; here’s where we want to be!”