Izabella comes from Sønderjylland, in the South of Denmark, but has been travelling since she was five. After spending years in England, she met her prince charming and decided to move to Texas, in the USA when she turned 19. Hyggjaa, her blog, is about her wanderings, her struggles to find her place and her pursuit of the American dream. Have you ever wondered what life in the USA is all about? Find out through the adventures of a Danish country girl in Texas who spends her time between writing, acting, sailing, and her passion for music and photography.
Tell us briefly about your expat life and where you're originally from.
I'm originally from the farm country of Southern Denmark where nothing really happens. The seasons change and the crops grow; a magical place where fairy tales are born. When I was young, my family moved to England. I was a traveller and expat before I was five years old, and I was bilingual before I was 6. We travelled back and forth to Denmark a few times every year to visit family, but I lived in England for my entire youth. I was desperate to move home to the farm country where my grandparents were and where I could speak Danish every day. However, fate had a very different idea. When I turned 19 – I moved to Cowboy Country. The Lone Star State. Texas. Why? Because of this guy I met; a western form of a prince charming with a rugged smile.
What brought you to where you are now?
A love of discovery, the inability to sit still for 5 minutes and a deep need to find out what will happen next or what could happen. I'll be honest and say I never wanted to leave Denmark, and I remember being very upset that I was so different to everyone else when I tried to move back. However, I realise now that it was never supposed to work. I had to leave to find myself. I was never built to live in the same place for very long, and I often feel like I'm a book with so many pages that need to be written but they simply can't be filled unless I keep going. I'm a little redheaded Viking girl, who plays a cowboy and a pirate as she travels the world. Right now I live in a small New England Town with my wonderful cowboy and our sweet old hound – and I'm ready to move again. I'm a photographer, writer, sailor, and actor. I'm currently studying to become a farrier.
What made you want to start a blog?
I've always wanted to have a blog. From the time I was 17 I've tried my hand at a few, and I could never keep up with them. I can't even keep a diary. I'd write for two days and disappear for a year. However, the blog I have now is different, and I've had it for about a year or two. And I think that's because I found my niche – living & travelling, hardships, the beauty of adventure, but most importantly keeping Denmark alive in my everyday life. So now that I've found my footing – we're off! I wanted to start a blog for the simple reason of having a place that my family could go to see my adventures, as well as having a creative outlet for myself.
Tell us what your blog is about and how our readers can make the most of it
My blog isn't about telling you how easy life is, or how great it is to travel and broaden your mind. It's not about Instagram-ing every moment to get those 20k followers. If you reach one person, that is a change more powerful than credit would give it. The blog is about telling you how hard and lonely it can be sometimes, and how you'll be all right even during the struggle. You'll find a happiness that is richer than you ever would've found if you had stood still your entire life. My blog is my sweet release, my breath and my single connection to the world outside of my mind. I can bleed for hours into a post and send my letters out to the world where strangers from all walks of life, who need a little inspiration laced in truth, can read them. My blog, I hope, will inspire you to live beyond social media restrictions, to stop a moment and breathe in the forest, to listen to crickets, and float in a cold lake in the dying summer. Anywhere in this world. Not just where you are now. It'll help you realise how lucky you are that you can visit your grandma any day of the week, when an expat can go decades without seeing a familiar soul. Ultimately, my blog is bittersweet. I give you the beauty and splendidness of living beautifully, but not without its cruelties – but that is why we live. To find all those moments even if they aren't always perfect.
What are your next projects regarding your expat life
My next project is to travel around New England with my camera as much as I can before we move back out west. To hopefully get closer to the answer of an ever-lasting question: “ Will I ever be able to move back to Denmark? Or is my life always going to be on the road?”
