– We simply need a change in life, says Jim Olsen.
Together with his wife Marit Olsen and daughter Majkáre (11), he moves from Øksfjord in Finnmark to Los Cadeirosin Spain.
Boxes are stacked like little towers in the living room at home, and life is packed away bit by bit.
All the memories that are packed away must be stored in the cabin.
Jim, Marit and their daughter Majkáre like to go on trips together. Here they are at Nordkapp.
Photo: Private
Have you ever dreamed of moving abroad?
I’ve dreamed about it, but I know it will never happen
I dream of moving abroad, but I haven’t been able to do it yet
We have it far too well here in Norway to move away
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Life was a duty
What can make a family mess up the life they have?
For the Olsen family, it has built up over time.
– We thought about moving to Spain many years ago, but nothing came of it, says Jim.
As the years passed, they ended up in the famous hamster wheel, where life felt like going from duty to duty.
Marit with the dog Kaisa.
Photo: Private
– Marit was very tired. She has had a lot of strain over time, says Jim.
They felt they had to make a change in their lives to get better.
The old thought about Spain reappeared.
But it’s not just uprooting a family to move abroad for a year. Or?
There were many things that spoke against Spain.
– We have to travel from family and friends. My mother is getting old, as is my wife’s mother. Then there is the house and the cabin and the cars, says Jim.
Jim and Marit with all the kids. All three sons are now adults and have moved away from home.
Photo: private
The couple felt that the candle was burning at both ends, while at the same time they saw that their daughter could benefit from a change in environment.
Marit applied for a year’s leave at work, but she did not get it.
– We decided that we had to do something, says Jim.
When Marit didn’t get leave, she simply quit her job.
The decision was made; they were going to move to Spain for a year.
Packs up everything they own and have
When Marit quit her regular job, she had one day off.
Jim got an agreement with his job where he can have a home office from Spain and commute to Norway.
A plan began to reveal itself to Marit and Jim.
Now the house is being packed up, and everything will be stored in the cabin.
A new home in Spain is in the works, and daughter Majkáre will start at the Norwegian school down there.
The Norwegian school i Los Cadeiros is already well known to the family.
– Our son and daughter-in-law work as teachers at the school down there, says Jim.
Majkáre googles a lot about the new home.
– She is looking forward to moving, and is asking more and more questions, says Jim.
Majkáre with the cat Nunez. Nunez will be reassigned while the family is in Spain.
Majkáre with the dog Kaisa. Kaisa will also be relocated while the family is away.
Now all the formalities are ready, and when will they move daughter finishes school in June.
– This has been the World Cup in logistics, but I think everything will be worth it when we get to Spain, says Jim.
To move from something, or to something?
– It is fantastic to have the opportunity to move to Spain for a year, they will surely have a memorable year, says psychologist Cecilie Grønnevik.
Those who choose to move from their usual life may have many reasons for doing so. But Grønnevik believes it is important to be aware of one thing.
Cecilie Grønnevik, private practicing psychologist specialist for Helse Nord in Alta. She mainly works with people who are at risk of being on sick leave or who have recently become so.
Photo: Private
If you leave from something, or to something?
– Those who leave to something is often those who carry out something they have dreamed of, says Grønnevik.
– Can you succeed in escaping from something?
– Yes absolutely! If you are aware of it.
She believes that people who leave must spend time thinking about what they want to change in their lives.
For example, some have to prioritize differently, and some have to learn to say no more often.
– I have had patients who flee from job to job because they are unable to tell their boss what they need, says Grønnevik.
It is also quickly done to take the stress with the moving load.
If we are aware of why we are moving, and take action, Grønnevik believes that such a year can be a memorable and successful year.
Does not like sun and heat
However, a challenge awaits Jim when he arrives in Spain. The climate is very different from what the family has in Finnmark.
– I don’t feel well in the heat. But for me it’s worth it if Marit and Majkáre have a good year, says Jim.
Marit and Majkáre love the sun and warmth.
Photo: Private
Although he does not like the sun and heat, it is something he is looking forward to.
– We are going to be grandparents for the first time. Grandchildren are the dessert of life, says Jim.
The son and daughter-in-law are expecting a boy any day now.
– Our soon-to-be grandchild has not been born on term, so we are still waiting anxiously by the phone, says Jim.
At the same time as they have to nurture the relationship with the newborn grandchild, they have another important agenda in Spain.
This year should give them a breathing space to decide how life should continue.
For one thing they know. They do not want to continue the life that they have had. Some changes are needed.
– Now we have to come up with something, so that we can have a good time for a few years to come, says Jim.
– Maybe you will inspire others to do the same when you move?
– I do not know. I don’t think we have that much influence on other people’s lives, says Jim.
