We Came for Two Months. We Never Left.
For our family, it started with a simple question: what would it be like to actually live here?
We are a family of four from Belgium. When we applied for Fjord Cowork, our children were 8 and 11. We both work in communication and design, which meant we could bring our jobs with us and continue working remotely.
For some time, we had already been thinking about leaving Belgium. We missed having a stronger connection with nature, and the busy rhythm of everyday life no longer felt like the environment in which we wanted to see our children grow up. We were looking for more trees, more time outdoors and a different pace of life — but moving to another country without knowing what daily life there would actually be like felt like a very big step.
Fjord Cowork gave us the opportunity to try it first.
The family lived in Geiranger for two months. Now they live in Norddal permanently.
We spent two months living at Hole, Geiranger. Our children attended the local school in Geiranger, while we continued our normal work remotely. That made the experience feel very different from a holiday. We had school mornings, workdays, groceries, all kinds of weather, quiet evenings and all the ordinary routines that tell you much more about a place than a short visit ever could.
At the same time, we got to know many people through the project. We were introduced to locals, joined activities and received a lot of advise. We quickly felt well surrounded and are still incredibly grateful for how warmly people welcomed us.
During those two months, we found a house in Norddal that was available for long-term rent. Suddenly, staying became a real possibility.
Our daughters ice-skating on Eidsvatnet with their new friends.
By the time we moved permanently, it did not feel like starting completely from scratch. We already had people here we considered friends. The children knew the area, understood what school life was like and had already started building their own connections. They also discovered that the language would not be a barrier. They already learned a little Norwegian during our time in Geiranger, and today they communicate easily with their friends and teachers.
They now attend school in Eidsdal, and having had that first experience in Geiranger made the transition to our new life much easier for all of us.
Looking back, Fjord Cowork gave us something that is difficult to get when moving abroad: the opportunity to test everyday life before making the final decision. We could discover whether the landscape, the community, the winter and the practical realities actually suited us as a family.
If I can give one piece of advice, it would be: don’t overthink it. Take small steps.
For us, renting a home for two months was one small decision. Later, signing a lease for a year was another. Those choices felt manageable because we did not have to decide our entire future all at once.
Sometimes it helps to ask a simpler question: where would you like to spend the next year? In the same place you are now, or somewhere new — closer to nature, with new experiences to share as a family?
You do not need to know whether it will be forever. Sometimes you just need to give yourself the chance to find out.