Although it’s very common for some teachers to travel internationally, it’s a bit rare for one to already be from another country. There is no doubt that deciding to change your life so suddenly could be difficult, especially when making the tough decision to move across the world, away from your entire family. 
History teacher Sara Schroeder, has taken several brave leaps throughout her life, exploring new places to live and settling on her final destination, St. Louis. Though she was born and raised in Sweden, she spent a year studying abroad in Manchester, England, then moved to Ohio with her now husband, and finally moved to Missouri, where they decided to stay and raise a family.
Schroeder was somewhat skeptical at first about the move to Manchester, but it ended up taking her to places she never expected, and bringing her to meet people she might have never met otherwise, including her husband.
“My friend convinced me to apply [to the exchange program] and I was a bit nervous about applying, but we ended up getting it, and then somehow ended up going,” Schroeder said. “I have to say I was a little hesitant, but it ended up being the best thing I’ve ever done. We lived in a dorm in England with girls from Japan and Malaysia, and it was just so cool to meet all of these people from different cultures. During that exchange year I met a guy from Ohio, we dated and had a long-distance relationship, then I decided that I wanted to see what was going to happen. So I came over to America, did my grad school here, and then kind of converted my Swedish teaching degree to an American teaching degree.”
After having a very supportive and inspiring teacher in eighth grade, Schroeder decided that she wanted to be a history teacher. Considering her husband’s job led to their relocation from Cincinnati to St. Louis, she now had to find another school to set her heart on. And once she found EHS, it was love at first sight.
“I was looking for a job and I applied everywhere, this was one of the spots that I got to interview at,” Schroeder said. “I remember when I walked into the building for the first time I just felt at home, it felt really right. It reminded me a lot of the school I had taught at in Cincinnati, it was kind of like the same suburbs but also outer suburbs. I felt like it had the same vibe as that school, so that’s why I felt at home immediately when I walked in here, and I’ve loved it ever since.”
Even though Sweden has many traits that Missouri could never compare to, St. Louis has a few unique features of its own.
“I like the rivers that we have here,” Schroeder said. “My family likes to go camping and kayaking, and you can do that in Sweden too, but that’s something that I really like here. I feel like the food is really fun here, you can eat all kinds of food and not just Swedish food. In Sweden you can of course eat food from everyone else, but I feel like here there are more diverse food options.”
Even though it took a lot of courage for her to determine whether or not she should pack up her life and go, Schroeder wouldn’t trade the incredible experiences she’s ma
de for anything.
“If I could go back in time I would still do it, I don’t regret anything. Of course I miss my family, it’s not easy to move away from your family. At the same time, in a weird way it kind of brought my family closer,” Schroeder said. “I had the choice whether I should stay in Sweden or go to America and even my parents kind of encouraged me: ‘if you don’t go, you’re gonna regret not trying, cause you can always come back.’ Then I did go, and I never came back.”
Even though Schroeder has pictured herself living in Northern Michigan before, she’s very happy with her current situation in Missouri.
“I like St. Louis, I think it’s a great place to raise a family,” Schroeder said. “We made a decision to stay here, and we’ve been here now for over 20 years. I definitely like it here, and I don’t know where else I would live.”
