: From Reader A: TY!!

Tell us something about yourself and your family

Darko Crncevic / Twitter

I live in Poland with my wife and my kids. We moved here from Malmö, Sweden, for about two years ago. I came to Sweden with my parents and my siblings when I was a small child. We came from Croatia.

I loved growing up in Sweden: It was clean, safe and everyone was nice to us (well, there of course were some idiots – there always are). I grew up with hard working parents and had a great childhood. It was a good time in my life. My parents did start with nothing and slowly built a life for us.

Sweden allowed me to get an education and a career. I currently work as an IT/tech-specialist at a US-based company. I also have some small side projects involving helping people in Sweden to cope with their situation. I moved my parents over to Poland and my wife’s parents will come here in 2019.
You left Sweden to go to Poland, why is that?

Well… it’s obvious for most people I think. Sweden has been in decay for quite some time now. The schools are terrible, simple medical help takes a long time, the violence is increasing on every level and I simply don’t recognise the country I grew up in anymore.

One other reason was that I felt utterly alone in speaking up about what’s going on in Sweden. On a party almost everyone thinks the same but officially you’re pretty much alone. People are afraid to speak up because those that do are branded racists or populists, It’s very disturbing.

Swedes know that something is terribly wrong but no one speaks openly about it.

Swedes KNOW that something is terribly wrong but no one speaks openly about it. The media seems to be on the side of the politicians all the time. The people know that migration has led to more crimes, more rapes, more violence, more gangs but the government and media just wants people to focus on the good things about migration. They told the Swedes that migration would save their elderly and would generate billions for the country… and now it seems it’s the opposite that has happened.

But still… the migration must go on. It’s pure madness. Like today – they have “sold” the idea that Sweden has a normal migration rate but no. It’s still very high and society can’t keep up with housing, schools and jobs. Sweden is – and I think most outside Sweden knows this – REALLY BAD at integration.

In Poland people talk like adults. Even about difficult subjects. This is still surreal to me after my time in Sweden. The discussion is totally different here: people are not afraid to talk. At the same time it’s REALLY weird – living here – and then to listen to, or to read Swedish media and what they say about Poland. It’s so much better here and it kind of feels like envy from the former – oh so glorious – Sweden.

The future of Europe stands here. Central Europe is the future. No one in Sweden talks about this. A “Three Seas initiative” or maybe a Central European Union? I don’t know. But for the first time in a long time I feel like I’m home.
You lived in both countries now, what is the difference between Sweden and Poland?

It’s a lot of things. First the culture and history and this is important. They are proud of their heritage. This is not the fact in Sweden. To be a “proud Swede” is racist.

I didn’t know I needed it this badly to be part of something until I came here. It’s important to celebrate history. This is not encouraged in Sweden. But I now know why it’s so important. I’ll never be a true Pole but I will fight for this country if needed. I know… that sounds kind of strange but this is what I feel. Thank you Poland for making me feel like this.

The skills of the people are another example. I work in a tech industry and there’s a lot of talent and a vision here. Much is changing and it’s full speed ahead. Poland is rising, fast, and to be here to be a part of this is awesome. There are a lot of investments going on and I kind of feel the same way I did in Sweden when the IT-era started when everything was possible. It’s easy to find people here with good skills and grit.

The schools… wow. Our kids were pretty wild in school back in Sweden. A lot of whining about homework and they got away with a lot of crap. Swedish schools are like that. It’s all fuzzy and pink clouds and feelings. In Poland… there was none of that.

Today all kids are doing really well. All grades are up. An interesting thing was that the teacher here in Poland had never had such a hard time with new students before. In Sweden… kids in schools get away with pretty much everything. But they love it now and would never go back to their old school in Sweden.

The real winner is the society. It is safe here, everywhere. No gangs roaming the streets.

Medical and dental: This is amazing in Poland. Fast, efficient and of very high quality. In Sweden we could be at the emergency room for 12 hours with one of our kids. Here… we’ve never waited for more than 15 minutes.

The real winner is the society. It is safe here, everywhere. No gangs roaming the streets. To watch young Poles greet each other on the street is amazing. You can be out until 3 am and then walk home.

That safety was the real thing for me. I hate worrying when my kids are out or when my wife goes to town with her friends. In Sweden I always feared that one phone call that would make me become an animal. I don’t fear anything when it comes to keeping my family safe. Here I can completely turn that part of me off. And I like that. Here… I can just be me. Father, husband… simply… me.

Is there anything you would like to say to native Swedes?

“Stand the f*** up!” Sorry… but that’s what it is about. The time is up and there’s not much time if you want to have a country that you kind of want to live in (it’s now about making the best of what you have – old Sweden is gone). I tried but it was pretty lonely. At the time before we left – most of the people who really talked out loud were pretty fucked up people. Racists and idiots, the ones who did not care and some nationalists with good intentions. Otherwise the standard Swede was absent… asleep, as I call it.