After a painful breakup, I dreaded returning to Sweden. Then came a friend’s quiet act of kindness | Imogen West-Knights

Memories of life with my ex-boyfriend followed me around Stockholm. But day by day, it became easier

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I spent the early part of January this year in Sweden. This is not something I would generally recommend doing. The cold isn't the main thing, although it is certainly cold. The problem is the dark. Sweden is a beautiful country, but you wouldn't know it for half the year.

I lived in Stockholm in 2017 and 2018, with my then boyfriend. I moved there with him and for him - he had got on a master's programme in the city and I was trying to be a writer while doing odd jobs, both things I could do in Sweden. I had never lived abroad and wanted to. At first, it was difficult. I had no friends, I missed home, and without colleagues or fellow students to mingle with, I was lonely.

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