Anja was born in 1966 in The Hague. In the final years before moving to Norway, she lived in Zuid-Beijerland in the Rotterdam area and worked as a manager’s secretary. She came to Norway in 2010 with her husband and three children. They had gone on holiday to Norway and Sweden several times before. They had a dream of finding somewhere to live in Norway. In late 2009, they felt they had to make a decision about their dream: move now or forget about it.

They moved to Norway to get away from everyday stress in the Netherlands. Anja fell in love with the Norwegian countryside, a quiet life and kind people - the Norwegian lifestyle. She is glad people are not so jealous and prestige-minded in Norway as she finds they are in the Netherlands. In her opinion, Dutch people are too materialistic. She did not like this and did not want her children to grow up in such a value system. In Skåbu, where the family now lives, life is completely different and much simpler.

For the first two years, her husband had still remote work in his private IT company in the Netherlands while he lived in Skåbu. Anja did not work at that time; it was much more important for her to give the children a secure home and support in the early years in Norway.

Anja believes that immigrants must first show Norwegians that they are willing to become part of the local community. This is difficult but it is the right way to gain acceptance, build a new social network and make new friends. For those who have children, this is easier because of contact with the parents of other schoolchildren. Anja does not feel like an immigrant in Skåbu. She is now working in the flower shop in Vinstra. That is the kind of job she had for a period in the Netherlands and that she enjoys. She will definitely not return to the Netherlands. Her home is in Norway now.