{"id":34273,"date":"2024-11-29T07:39:47","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T06:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flyttatillboden.se\/new_in_boden\/anna-maria\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T09:15:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T07:15:14","slug":"anna-maria","status":"publish","type":"new_in_boden","link":"https:\/\/flyttatillboden.se\/en\/new_in_boden\/anna-maria\/","title":{"rendered":"Anna & Maria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Anna and Maria take turns talking and finish each other\u2019s sentences as they excitedly tell the story of the adventure of their lives. Boden! The road here wasn\u2019t straightforward, but once they\u2019d found their way here, they were all the more determined. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

After their 14-week internship at R\u00e5nisg\u00e5rden, which offers western riding within the visitor industry, Anna and Maria were in tears when it was time to pack their bags for the trip home. Right then and there, they decided they would come back to Boden. <\/p>\n\n

\u2013 The agreement we made before we went back to Austria was that next year we\u2019ll come back on holiday, and after two years we\u2019ll come back and stay for a year!<\/p>\n\n

This summer they came back again, looked for work and housing, and finally found a way to continue their lives here\u2014thanks in large part to the Swedish Laestadius family, who did everything they could to help the girls they had welcomed to the farm build a future here.<\/p>\n\n

But let\u2019s rewind to how it all began. Anna and Maria had known each other for several years, but it wasn\u2019t until the programme equivalent to Swedish upper secondary school that they really found each other. Today they are best friends and describe each other as soulmates, with the same interests and values about what matters in life. <\/p>\n\n

\u2013 We studied agriculture and nutrition and wanted to find an internship somewhere up north.<\/p>\n\n

Different options were discussed, and since both of them are interested in horses, that was also a criterion when choosing a place.<\/p>\n\n

\u2013 We also looked at Ireland. But then we found R\u00e5nisg\u00e5rden in Boden, with western riding, they say. <\/p>\n\n

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(Private photo)<\/em><\/p>\n\n

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A WARM WELCOME<\/h3>\n\n

R\u00e5nisg\u00e5rden welcomed them not only as interns, but made them feel like part of the family. The girls lived in a cabin on the farm and helped out with all the chores around the horses and activities. <\/p>\n\n

The weeks flew by, and they describe life in the north as a dream come true. With winter, rural life, the northern lights, the midnight sun, peace and quiet. And horses. <\/p>\n\n

\u2013 What really made us feel at home and want to come back is the nature and the people\u2014especially Roger and the family we stayed with. He really wanted us to find something here in Boden to come back to, and helped us search and view places to live. <\/p>\n\n

They found a cabin in the neighbouring village of Vittj\u00e4rv, with central Boden, work in S\u00e4vast and the horses at R\u00e5nisg\u00e5rden all within a 20-minute drive.<\/p>\n\n

\u2013 Every free minute we\u2019re at the stables, they say with a laugh.<\/p>\n\n

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WORKING IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY<\/h3>\n\n

When they\u2019re not on horseback, they both work at the Peetg\u00e5rden conference venue in S\u00e4vast, which also runs the restaurant at Boden Business Park. That means the girls get to spend time both in a genuine rural setting with smaller groups, and in the buzz that \u201cthe park\u201d offers with popular lunches and events, major international visits, business lunches, gaming companies and game-development students. <\/p>\n\n

Language isn\u2019t a problem, as both the work team and the guests include many nationalities and the restaurant uses English as its main working language. But alongside riding and work, they\u2019re studying to learn Swedish. <\/p>\n\n

\u2013 We study remotely and take lessons twice a week. It\u2019s actually kind of funny that our teacher is a guy working from North Macedonia. But he can even hear from our Swedish pronunciation that we live in northern Sweden, the girls say, and demonstrate a number of sj and ske sounds in the Boden dialect, German and standard Swedish. <\/p>\n\n

The goal is to make the most of everything Boden\u2019s proximity life has to offer\u2014at least until next summer. <\/p>\n\n

Their best tip for others who want to come to Boden is simply to do it.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cOr as our favourite song goes: “Ver\u00e4nderung hei\u00dft Risiko, schiefgehen kann es sowieso! Tu es.\u201c <\/p>\n\n

“Change means risk; it can go wrong anyway! Do it.”<\/p>\n\n

TEXT: ANNA BERGSTR\u00d6M<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":24553,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[],"class_list":["post-34273","new_in_boden","type-new_in_boden","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t