In the series “Voices from the North,” I talk to people who live, work, or travel in Scandinavia. Each interview offers a fresh perspective on life in the Far North, from inspiring locals to adventurous travelers and passionate guides. Today: the story of Kaatje Jacob and her family, better known as Swedish Belgians.
Emigrating to Sweden: The Story of Swedish Belgians
In 2020, Kaatje Jacob and Tim Decleir decided to emigrate to Sweden with their three children. What started as a plan to travel the world grew into a permanent move to the north. Today, the family lives in Furudal, a small village in the Dalarna region, surrounded by Swedish nature.
Escaping the Rat Race
Originally, the family wanted to travel the world. A chance to break free from the busy life in Belgium and escape the rat race. But one thought kept nagging: after the trip, they would simply return to that same hectic life. During a road trip through Sweden in 2019, everything fell into place. Eleven months later, the decision became reality: they sold their house in Belgium and began their new life in central Sweden.
A Flying Start
An unexpected tip set everything in motion. A Swedish Erasmus student played in Tim's rugby team. When he heard about their plans, he suggested applying to international schools. Kaatje applied to an Engelska Skolan in Falun and was taken on as a science teacher. She had already been teaching in Belgium. Tim had worked in a psychiatric institution in Belgium, but seven months after the move he joined the same school as a school psychologist.
Life in Furudal
After six months, the family moved from Falun to Furudal, a village of around 400 inhabitants, surrounded by forests and lakes. They first rented a house there, before buying their own home. The village has everything they need: a school, supermarket, bakery, pizzeria and even a gym. Just 400 metres from their home, they also bought a second house which they rent out. Family can stay there when they visit, and for the rest of the year they open it up to other guests. They also have a small farm with alpacas, horses, chickens, rabbits, cats and dogs.
Integrating
Emigrating to Sweden naturally brings its challenges too. Kaatje found the dark month of November particularly tough at first, though they have since got used to it. The children adapted quickly. Their youngest son Pelle was four years old when the family moved. For the first two months at nursery school he barely spoke. He observed, listened and played. Then suddenly progress came quickly and he was speaking fluent Swedish. The other children also picked up the language fast. Today, both Kaatje and Tim work in a Swedish school, which has helped them improve their Swedish too.
An Active Family Life
The children have plenty of hobbies. Eldest daughter Mitte is into horse riding and singing, son Lasse loves dancing and drumming, and youngest Pelle plays ice hockey. Kaatje herself exercises almost every day: cross-country skiing and downhill skiing in winter, running, mountain biking and hiking in summer. Nature is literally on their doorstep. What do Kaatje and her family appreciate most about their new life? The freedom. In Belgium, they were always busy. In Sweden, weekends without plans are perfectly normal. And thanks to the Allemansrätten they can camp wherever they like, deep in the forests.
Lessons from the North
Emigrating to Sweden also means saying goodbye. Fortunately, family and friends do visit regularly. The encounters are less frequent, but more intense. The conversations are deeper, the bond stronger. In Sweden, the family learned to set priorities and make conscious choices. They are now more in touch with their emotions than they were in Belgium. What started as a plan to travel the world grew into a permanent choice: less hectic, and the vast Swedish nature as their daily backdrop.
Follow the adventures of Kaatje & co in Sweden here: @swedish_belgians.
Photos: Swedish Belgians
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