From Budapest to Farsund: - Home is a feeling

We had a cosy chat with returnee Maria Abrahamsen, psychologist and influencer under the name @psyktdeg

- "I really wanted to do more travelling after my studies," she says.

She spent the last year of her studies in Budapest. From there, she went on to do an internship, which the students were given the opportunity to complete in their home country. Maria got an internship at ABUP in Farsund and that experience turned out to be crucial.

- After the internship, I submitted my master's thesis, and then a position was suddenly advertised there. I enjoyed both the job and my colleagues, so when the opportunity arose, things really fell into place.

She already had an apartment in Farsund, and with the job offer it felt natural to move home.

- I think a lot of people around me expected it a bit," she says with a smile, "They knew I had both my family and my heart here.

Still, there was one thing she was excited about.

Maria has always enjoyed the pulse of larger cities, the feeling of being part of an anonymous crowd, discovering new places and feeling the energy that exists in urban environments.

- I was a little afraid that I would miss it.

However, a small episode from her student days put things into perspective. She was sitting at the hairdresser's in Budapest when she was asked if she missed Norway.

- I replied that I missed nature, but when the hairdresser replied: "But we have the parks", I just thought: Most people don't really know what Farsund is!

For Maria, nature is about something other than parks. It's the sea, the archipelago, the silence and space around you, right outside your door.

When she moved back home, she also experienced the city in a new way.

– I came home with a new perspective.

She felt a strong commitment to the local community and joined politics to help make Farsund an even better place to live, especially for families with young children.

At the same time, she had to find her place anew. She felt that she had evolved and become a new version of herself.

- I was a little afraid that people would still see me as I was before.

But the experience was different.

- People here show a kind of love. Even though I've done a lot of different things and been quite visible on social media, I don't feel that people look at me strangely. It's quite the opposite.

Many of her friends also moved back home at around the same time, and the network was quickly put back in place. At the same time, she discovered something she hadn't given much thought to before she moved back, and that was the community.

- In a big city, you can be anonymous in a crowd. Here, you're more part of a herd.

She describes it with a small everyday image:

- If you go to a training session sometimes, people almost save space for you. They expect you to come, because you've become one of them. It's actually a really nice feeling.

At the same time, it opened up new opportunities that she hadn't imagined.

Digital developments made it possible for her to start her own business.

- I almost stumbled into it a bit. But suddenly I could work nationally from little Farsund.

Maria has started a family, which has made her even more confident in her choice.

- There's really nowhere else I'd rather have children than here.

Short distances make everyday life easier. Daycare centres, activities, friends and nature are close by, which means more time together as a family.

- Life is a little slower here, which gives us more quality time.

She also feels that the children grow up in a community that resembles an extended family. Neighbourhoods with other families with children, adults who know each other and an environment where people help each other.

- That's how I really feel it should be.

The quality of life is also noticeable in other ways. When friends from Oslo come to visit, they often react in the same way.

- They always say: "Wow, you have so much space - and a sea view!"

Housing costs a fraction of what many people pay in larger cities. At the same time, you avoid queues and traffic stress.

- Simply not queuing every day promotes mental health as queuing reduces stress levels.

For Maria, a good life is not about chasing big career goals. The most important thing is to fill your days with something that feels meaningful.

- My goal is really just to get up and do something meaningful.

She is currently working on a project related to an app called Be Balanced.

Maria is a morning person and likes to get up at five o'clock, an hour before the rest of the family.

- That hour is mine. I listen to music, meditate and do yoga. It's an incredibly good way to start the day.

When she's asked to describe what really matters in life, the answer comes quickly.

- The greatest wealth you can have is time.

And it is precisely time that she finds she has more of in Farsund. Not just because the distances are shorter, but because the pace of life is slower.

- You become more present in the moment.

She also believes that many people misunderstand what it's like to live in a smaller region.

- "Some people say they want to have access to culture and events in the big cities. But it's often the same people who say this who don't actually use it.

In Farsund, she experiences something different.

- When something happens here, people actually turn up.

For those who are considering moving here but are unsure whether it will be too small, she has a simple reflection:

- Although the city is smaller, its soul is much bigger. There's more room for you here.

If she had to describe Farsund in three words, she would choose:
Community. Peace. Love.

And the future?

She visualises it quite clearly.

- We live in a time when many things feel fleeting. I think it's important to have something you dare to connect with - a place you belong to.

For Maria, that place is Farsund.

- It's a secure foundation for me and my family.

Because today, home does not primarily mean a place on the map.

- Home is a feeling.

And she finds that feeling here.