It is a long way from the swaying palm trees of Queensland, Australia to the cold, long winter nights of Stockholm, Sweden, but Dee Forker made the leap and loves her new life in the far north of Scandinavia.
The 32-year-old Aussie was born and raised in Rockhampton, an eight-hour drive north from Brisbane and graduated from the University of Queensland with a bachelor’s degree in physiotherapy in 2004.
She worked off and on in Queensland hospitals and private practices, but like many Australians, Forker wanted to explore the world beyond the borders of her country. Her wanderlust took her to Canada, Scotland and South America, where she met her Swedish girlfriend, Erika.
By 2013, her friend had returned to university in Sweden and Forker moved to England to work in physiotherapy.
“It was just a stepping stone because I could not work as a physiotherapist in Sweden,” she said.
She lived in several places in England, working on short-contract assignments and studying for her certification in acupuncture before making her move to join Erika in the trendy south Stockholm suburb of Södermalm in 2013.
Since her parents are Irish, she also carries an Irish passport, which allowed her to easily immigrate to Sweden, another European Union (EU) country.
“I am able to stay in Sweden, utilize Swedish health insurance and move freely throughout Europe,” she said. “You just have to prove that the person you are with has money to support you if you are not working.”
Soon after arriving, Forker decided to start a business. “I opened Conscious Health Studio in nearby Kungsholmen last year,” she told us, “to offer sports and rehabilitation therapy. I am doing work with cheerleaders and a rugby team. I also started Pilates classes and do Western medical acupuncture with a little bit of Chinese acupuncture.”
Starting a new business in Sweden was not that difficult, according to Forker. The Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) allows new businesses to register online. It took a bit longer, though, for her to prove she had no debt in other countries and register the name of her business.
Her new business is doing well, particularly with the large local Australian expat community.
“I have promoted my business a lot through Facebook,” she said. “You can join ‘Aussies in Stockholm’ or ‘Expats in Stockholm’ Facebook groups. That is how I got the rugby team.”
Forker and Erika live just 20 minutes from the center of Stockholm in a small apartment. “Apartments in Stockholm are actually difficult to get,” Forker said. “Erika bought the one we live in about five years ago. A lot of people tend to live in studio apartments because living here is very pricey, so they basically sleep in their living rooms. It was a big shock for me when they said the size of the apartment is one and a half rooms. I thought they meant one and a half bedrooms. Our place is just thirty-seven square meters (about 400 square feet).”
Although hip Södermalm is pricey, it has its rewards. The area is known for its great cafes, bars, restaurants and shopping.
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