– I have always had a dream to live in a slightly alternative way. The sun shines into the panes of the bus windows while Karen Elise Haugen talks about her new everyday life. – It’s about living a bit minimalistically. That you don’t need that much. There is something about having the energy to make life a little different – or easier, she smiles. – To fill everyday life with something that matters, not just because you have to do something. Rebuilt the bus She bought the orange bus she has now moved into two years ago. Haugen found it by chance on Finn.no, and spent the first half of the year demolishing everything inside. – When I looked at it, it was fully equipped with a kitchen, bathroom and bed. There was both sugar and ketchup here, says Haugen. – I could have moved right in. But that was not relevant. Haugen began the work of renovating the entire bus from 1967. Haugen has done most of it herself, but she says that a brother and a bonus dad have helped her with “mental arithmetic and sensible thoughts”. Photo: Private – I wanted to create my own. So I spent a lot of time tearing and stripping it down to the bare bones. I have insulated, painted, plastered, built a kitchen and laid floors. To be able to drive around her new home, she had to take the “note”. – I took the theory and drove up this year. So I’m fresh behind the wheel. And it is something completely different to drive this than a normal passenger car. The bus is almost eight metres, she smiles. This video was made by Karen herself from the bus she now lives in. That the Trønder would end up moving in was not obvious from the start. – It was the dream, but I didn’t know if it was going to happen. Step by step – every weekend for two years she stood while at the same time working and earning money. After a lot of work, the bus was finished, and the dream came true. See the transformation here: Quit the job The 31-year-old from Levanger quit both the job and the apartment at the same time. In May, she had her last day of work. – The first trip was taken in July, she says. The goal had been clear for a long time. She was going to a festival in Åndalsnes. Then the cat Zelda also got to test out the new life for the first time. Because she is on the adventure. Karen and the cat Zelda live a happy life along the road. On the Instagram account named “bussenkonrad” they share photos and videos from the day. Photo: Private – I know with myself that I can be impatient, and I was prepared for the fact that I was going to get bored. If you meet some resistance, motivation can drop a little, and I have had periods that have been worse than others. – I am actually surprised and impressed with myself, that I was able to hold out for two years. The family has also been surprised. Not least, mum Gunn Karen Haugen has been skeptical. – I think it’s a bit crazy. It’s completely silly to quit your job and apartment to live in a bus. But she only lives once, and I think she’s tough, she says. To Portugal The 31-year-old himself describes his new life as both nerve-wracking and exciting. – Because it is a big everyday change. Creating new routines in a completely different place is one thing, but it is also much less in addition to the fact that I have completely different tasks; such as keeping the vehicle level. She parks in random areas. But uses apps to see where she can stand, and where it’s free. – I wake up in the morning and think: What is going to happen today? – It is different from day to day. That is very special there. Haugen has worked in a design agency for many years. But now life took a new turn. She envisages taking on assignments as a freelancer in the future. Photo: Tariq Alisubh / news She has several thoughts about the future. – I can’t stay in the bus forever. It would have been very nice to find a small, red living room; whether it is in Sweden, Norway or Portugal. To have a place that is a place to stay, where I can also put the bus. But that’s further down the road. For now, she is enjoying her new everyday life, and now her dream is to get to Portugal in particular. – I was there for ten days last year, and fell in love very much. But we’ll see if it’s possible to get down there with the bus and the cat. – There is a distance to drive down. And things don’t go so fast with this donation here, she laughs. Published 05.09.2024, at 05.57
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Karen Elise Haugen from Levanger quit her job and apartment and moved into a bus – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
