When the world led to Västerås.

Starting over and finding home in a new life. Meet Alia Adam, an accountant who took the leap and moved to Västerås to build the life she had always dreamed of.

It didn’t start with a perfect plan. It started with a feeling. After years spent between Malaysia, Australia and Scotland, Alia began to feel that she wanted something more. Her home in Edinburgh was beautiful, but something felt like it was missing.

Her thoughts kept drifting toward Scandinavia and Sweden stood out. A more active everyday lifestyle left a strong impression. A place where people cycle or walk to work as a natural part of life felt very different from where she had lived before, and it was something she was genuinely drawn to. But without an offer of employment or any real ties to Sweden, moving there felt like a leap of faith driven entirely by good vibes and big dreams.

I didn’t have all the pieces of the puzzle in place, but I felt that Sweden was the place where I could put my puzzle together.

At the age of 33, she packed up her life and took that leap of faith. Born in Malaysia to a British father and a Malaysian mother, Alia grew up between cultures and continents. She later moved to Australia to study accounting before life took her to Scotland. But despite her education and experience, she struggled to find stability. Sweden became not just a new lifestyle but an opportunity to rebuild her life step by step.

She began learning Swedish and studied accounting through vocational education (YH).

I already had the degree but I needed to buy myself time. Time to learn the language, understand the culture and build a sustainable life here.

Finding her place in Västerås

She first moved to Gävle, where a friend was already living. She got a job at a café in Uppsala and eventually ended up in Västerås when the same company needed staff there. What first started as just a job gradually became a city she grew into. Not too big. Not too small. Just right, as she describes it.

Here, she was able to build a life with space for both work and leisure, cycling through the city, having nature close by and still easily taking the train to Stockholm.

People sometimes think smaller cities mean fewer opportunities. For me, it has been the opposite. Västerås has a vibrant international community, thanks in large part to the companies and industries that attract people from all over the world. As an English speaker, it is one of the best places I can imagine living in Sweden.

Once you find your social circle, you are home

At work, she quickly felt welcomed. Colleagues invited her to fika and after-work gatherings.

In Sweden, people genuinely care about each other at work. Really. You spend eight or nine hours together, and then people actually want to spend time together afterwards too. That was completely new to me, but I love it.

At the same time, she quickly realized that life could not be built around work alone. She wanted to create more connections and meet people outside of work as well and little by little, it became clear that this was not just about moving to a new country, but about building a completely new life from the ground up.

Through Facebook groups, social initiatives and activities she became involved in networks where internationals and Swedes meet. Today, she is an admin for the groups Serendipity and Unifemmes, helping organize meetups and activities that create community for people new to the city.

Once you find your social circle, you are home.

Today, she works as an accountant at Riksbyggen in Västerås after first entering through internships and consulting assignments. But work was not the only thing that helped her find her place in Sweden. Another important part of her journey became HSK Gymnastik, where she became involved as a volunteer.

I usually recommend that people who move here get involved in an association, especially if it is difficult to find a job at first. It is a great way to meet people, build networks and gain experience.

Within the association, she was given significant responsibility for finance and administration, allowing her to work in a broader and more independent way than in her junior role at work.

At work, I am a small part of a large organization, but in the association I suddenly became the expert. It has helped me grow both professionally and socially.

Only the beginning

And maybe it is everyday life that has become the strongest sign that she has found her place: an active lifestyle where cycling has become a natural part of her daily routine, just as she first noticed when she moved here.

I wake up, cycle to work with a smile, and still can’t believe this is my life. It is exactly what I dreamed of.

She pauses for a moment.

And it still feels like this is only the beginning.

That is where her story becomes strongest. She dared to move without having all the answers and continued building a life that felt like her own.

There are people who wait for the right moment. And then there are people like Alia Adam. People who create it themselves.