FEATURE STORIES

Agnes feeling blessed in her new Hometown

When she arrived in Skellefteå on a rainy August day eight years ago, it all seemed like a crazy idea. But just one month later, Agnieszka Boeske from Poland knew she had found home.

- "Then I said for the first time in my life: I have found home. I will die in Skellefteå," she says.

Agnieszka, or Agnes as she is often called, was born in the Polish town of Chodziez, a few hours' drive from the capital Warsaw. As a student, she chose to study Balkan Studies, with a focus on languages and anthropology.

- "I learned Macedonian and Albanian and lived in Skopje, Kosovo and Albania. I fell in love with the whole region. The cultural diversity there gave me a deep understanding of different societies," she says.

When her studies were over and her first job was waiting for her back in Poland, she felt something was missing.

- "I realized that neither Poland nor the Balkans was my home. When you study anthropology, you start to see your own culture as one among many. I started to wonder if I would ever really feel at home anywhere," she says.

A new chapter

Almost ten years ago, Agnes and her husband Konrad decided to leave Poland. Political developments in the country, including restrictions on media freedom, were increasingly worrying and they longed for a new chapter in their lives.

Konrad applied to one of the world's most prestigious wood technology programs at Campus Skellefteå. Admission was limited to five students a year.

- I thought it would never happen, so I didn't even google where Skellefteå was. But one day the news came: he had been accepted. That's when we realized that life would change completely.

But the first impression was anything but welcoming.

- It was raining, the center was empty and the university was closed. I remember we arrived at Kanalgatan and there was no one outside. I thought: what kind of ghost town is this? But already after a month I felt a strong sense of security. Something I had never felt before.

The way into society

Coming to Sweden without knowing the language was a challenge. Agnes started studying Swedish at SFI and first worked as a cleaning lady and waitress.

- "I deliberately chose to look for jobs that were close to people and gave me an opportunity to practice basic phrases," she says.

Eventually, she applied for - and got - a job as a project manager at Skellefteå municipality. A job she describes as her dream job.

- "When I got the chance, I told my boss: I will work with this as long as I can. There is nothing better for me than to give back to the city that has given me security!

"Nature is close, but so are culture, industry and opportunities. Skellefteå is a small town, but you lose nothing. That's the luxury of living here."

Animal friends

Today Agnes and her husband live in a self-designed house in the Penningskrinet area, by the sea on the road to Ursviken. In many ways, it is a fairly ordinary house with red walls. But it is also quite unusual - for example, there is a special room for the couple's two pigs! Both Agnes and Konrad are big animal lovers.

- "The pigs are our pets. Many people are surprised, but they are just like dogs - playful and social. I often show them off on Instagram, and sometimes people get in touch and say they've stopped eating pork after seeing our animals play. It's the best moment of the month for me," she says.

Together with the pigs, goats, nine cats and two dogs, she describes life in Penningskrinet as living on a small farm.

- "We don't travel very much, but are happiest here at home. Taking care of animals has become our lifestyle, and it gives us enormous joy.

Winter is happiness

Despite dark winters and cold, which often scare others away, Agnes has found her favorite season in winter.

- "Many people ask why we chose darkness and cold. But for me, winter is happiness. Nature is close, but so are culture, industry and opportunities. Skellefteå is a small town, but you lose nothing. That's the luxury of living here," she says.

She has seen Skellefteå grow and partly change during the 8 years she has lived here.

- Skellefteå has always had a balance between the small community and the big opportunities. There is industry and different opportunities to work. Sometimes I wonder: How did Skellefteå manage to make everything work so well? That you can work in the profession you want and live in the forest? I love that about Skellefteå. And I love that Skellefteå is quite small.

Everything that makes me happy is here

When friends tell her how great Poland is to travel to, Agnes shrugs.

- "It's easy to build a picture of a country when you go there as a tourist. But if you really want to understand, you have to move there and live there for a long time.

She herself is no longer in doubt about where she belongs.

- "I've lived in Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania and Poland, but I've never felt so at home as in Skellefteå. It has everything that makes me happy - people who care, time for reflection and nature around the corner. I want to live here for the rest of my life," she says.

Text: Olov Antonsson

Photo: Tilda Olofsgård