Marina Emelianova
“I came to the Job Search Safari event, and I immediately felt at home, welcomed and supported. The event itself was extremely useful, full of generously shared insider insights for job search. Almost 4 hours - and I wish I could write down every single word or phrase I heard, so helpful and applicable it was. Then I started to attend drop-ins on Thursdays. It is like a meeting with friends to chat over coffee and discuss your struggles and successes on the way of adaptation in Sweden.”
If the life gives you lemons - grow them
I came to Sweden to pursue my big dream - to work with plants and contribute to sustainable agriculture. Sweden is a pioneer country in so many areas, but the most important for me were an ecological mindset, transparent laws, and work towards a sustainable future. Do you know that Sweden is among the best-performing countries in achieving the Paris Convention's goals on reducing net carbon emissions? My dream was and is to contribute to a world where agriculture is a way for plants, animals, and humans to benefit from each other, not upside down as now when the whole planet serves just one biological species Homo Sapiens, who insatiably wants more and more.
Dream comes true
April 2022, I found myself crying in a tiny bathroom in a small apartment in Uzbekistan. It’s not my country, but it welcomed me as many other Russians run from repressions. I am crying because I cannot believe my success - I was accepted for the Master’s programme in Horticultural Science in Sweden and I was granted a scholarship. That feels so big and unreal, that I can’t tell anyone. Especially now. I got to know, that the country, which owns me nothing, accepted me and wanted me to come.
The first days in Sweden
Imagine an excited jumping labrador, a screaming cat in a carrier, 2 tired kids clinging to you, and 8 big and small bags. That’s how I found myself in Malmo C station, after 3 days of travelling to Sweden by plane, bus, and train. I wouldn’t have managed that without the support of my amazing husband, who agreed to change the job and relocate with me.
The first weeks I felt like I was in a movie shooting. Is it all for real? Is it all not just decorations? How do they manage to have so tidy, neat houses and gardens? Everything in the neighborhood was so aligned with each other, so well designed and beautiful, but without visible effort to look good. These questions still drill me. How do you do it, Sweden?
University
I got enrolled in the Horticultural Science Master’s programme at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Alnarp, near Malmö. After 10 years of working in marketing and entrepreneurship and several years of doubts, I found the courage to pursue a dream and study at the university again. SLU is among the best agricultural universities in the world, currently holding the 3rd place in the QS World University Rankings by Subject Agriculture & Forestry. Now I know that this is well-deserved. The learning method, equality, top-notch scientific focus, openness and trust from the teachers, cutting edge equipment, - and this all among blooming nourishing park on the campus.
The Hub
I heard about the International Citizen Hub Lund from a friend and checked the website to find that it is focused on programmes for spouses of newcomers in Sweden. That’s not my story so I didn’t follow them. Later, I got to know that I was wrong and that there were many activities open for everybody. I came to the Job Search Safari event, and I immediately felt at home, welcomed and supported. The event itself was extremely useful, full of generously shared insider insights for job search. Almost 4 hours - and I wish I could write down every single word or phrase I heard, so helpful and applicable it was. Then I started to attend drop-ins on Thursdays. It is like a meeting with friends to chat over coffee and discuss your struggles and successes on the way of adaptation in Sweden.
Future
I chose Sweden by heart because many values and habits of society are the same as mine. I cannot live without forests and nature, summer without berries or mushroom picking is not counted and it is never cold if you have the right clothes. So, it was quite easy to adapt, because many things didn’t need adaptation and because many people were helpful and supportive. Now I think this is my country and recently I found out that some of my ancestors came from the Nordic region. I am learning Swedish and I want to serve the Swedish society in the best way I can in research in agriculture, to pay back for all the warmth and support I have received here.
Feel free to connect with me on Linkedin , especially if you want to learn more about plants around you or if you like these nerdy talks about everything. We can always go hiking or mushroom hunting together.
To the LinkedIn profile of Marina Emelianova
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