Umeå - Your unofficial guide to the city as a home from home

Nydala - © Claire Williams 2010

The story so far!

My name is Claire Williams, I am 31 years old and run a recruitment and a web design company in the UK. They are both small enterprises and I am fortunate enough to be able to work from any location (as long as there is a Wifi connection and a power source for my laptop!)

I fell in love with my partner over the internet and after a few trips to Umeå decided to move over here so we could start a life together. I come from the UK and my family is based around Chester and North Wales.

It was a big decision moving to a country that I had only visited a few times but one I have not regretted for one minute. The city, the people, the shops and scenery are all great...my biggest hurdle two years on is still the language.

I have never been very good at languages and didn't excel at them in school but slowly I am picking things up and I have started at SFI evening school to help me on my way. The people I met there have inspired me to make this site.

After two years I am still scared of the language, I am naturally a very shy person who is scared of looking like a fool so it has been hard to have the confidence to learn. Still, all I can do is keep trying and one day maybe that fear will go away.

For more information and updates about my life here in Umeå please follow my blog.

So what's happening now?

I now live together with my partner in a lovely apartment in Mariehem. We have a one year old dog who keeps us on our toes and gets us out and about into the local area. We are lucky enough to live within walking distance of the beautiful Nydala Lake and I am still blown away by it every time I see it.

Living life in a country that is not originally my own has been challenging for sure but it has also been an experience I would never swap. Umeå can be a lonely city if you let it be but it can also feel like home. So, give it a chance, like me you might just learn to love it. There are sections on this website offering advice and guidance from my personal experience and I hope at least something is of interest or help to you on your journey.