Ten minutes to everywhere makes life a breeze for Dr. Ruji-On

When Ruji-On Namnuan and her other half moved to Skövde they didn’t intend to remain. But thanks to a workplace with great colleagues and a town that offered a lot in such a small area, Ruji-On, her partner Kalle and their six-year-old daughter are now enjoying life in Skaraborg.

When Ruji-On, originally from Östersund, was in Gothenburg studying to become a doctor, she met Kalle from Småland. When it was time to complete a residency at a hospital, neither of them wanted to move back home, but they still wanted to get there easily whenever they felt like it. So they chose Skövde and Skaraborg’s Hospital.

“We liked life in Västra Götaland and wanted to stay here. But back then, neither of us imagined we would still be here 12 years later!”

During her residency at the hospital she got to try out working in several different departments, and there was one she took a particular liking to. Today, Ruji-On is a urologist and plans to continue her career in Skövde. 

Convenient location

If you ask Ruji-On why her family loves living in Skövde, you’ll get an immediate unequivocal answer: its convenient location. Because both she and her partner are physicians, they are used to working irregular hours and being on call. That’s when living so close to work is most convenient.

“I boast about how close it is to everything. Work, preschool, school, grocery stores – everything is nearby. We don’t have to waste time getting from here to there. If I’m in a hurry I can get to work in just over five minutes by car. But as I usually bike or walk, it takes a few minutes more. Compared to my friends in Stockholm who spend more than an hour commuting to work, I have a lot of time to do other things thanks to our location.” 

“Anyone who has children knows what it’s like to pick up a tired child who wants their food as soon as you open the door. I think getting day-to-day life to function is tough enough already, I don’t know how we would manage with long commuting times.”

Ruji-On says that in addition to being close to work and the preschool, which makes the family’s day-to-day life easier, they also usually cycle or walk to most leisure activities. Billingehov, which has both indoor and outdoor activities, is within cycling distance of the family home. They also live close to a little beach where the family swims in the summer. When they’re out for a stroll, the daughter is quick to choose the ‘playground route’, a walk that takes them past three different play areas.

“The facilities here are excellent for families with children. Access to nature is fabulous. The forest is just around the corner and there are great play areas. The level of investment in great outdoor surroundings for children is plain to see in so many places. The facilities up on Mount Billingen are also great. There are walking trails, pump tracks, a high-altitude track and places to fish.” 

Skövde suits life with kids

Ruji-On tells us that because of the long days the medical profession entails, and the focus on family a small child demands, there’s not much time left over for personal activities

“Right now, the focus is on work and the family. I like to travel and would love to put meeting friends at the top of my list, but there’s not much of that sort of thing right now. Because the few girls’ weekends that do occur are so very valuable, it’s convenient to have trains to Stockholm and Gothenburg so close.”

In Ruji-On’s eyes, being so close to Sweden’s two biggest cities is a plus. But whenever she and her family have a free Saturday, they usually choose to stay in Skaraborg.

“Skaraborg has loads of great places to see. Cycling alongside the Göta Canal is a good example of a great day out. Or taking a trip to Hjo or Mariestad to enjoy the larger lakes and eat an ice cream. In the summers we enjoy picking our own fruit and veggies in U-pick farms. Living so close to farms and farmers is such a luxury. We pick strawberries, blueberries, corn and tomatoes. Last summer we literally devoured strawberries during the weeks they were ripe for picking nearby!