She Moved to Be Closer to the People Who Matter
Gerthie Elsen took a big leap, leaving her rural home in Southern Jutland to move into a senior co-housing community in Kolding – and she couldn’t be happier with her new life.
Gerthie feels as though she has finally come home.
After spending 54 years living on a farm just outside Tinglev in Southern Jutland, she has moved to a senior co-housing community in the northern part of Kolding city centre, where she enjoys the most beautiful views of Kolding Fjord.
“When I was a child and a young woman, I lived in Sandager by Flensburg Fjord. From our living room, all we could see was the fjord and Germany on the other side. The view here reminds me of that. In fact, it was the view that made me say yes straight away when I was offered this apartment,” Gerthie explains.
But there was another important reason why Gerthie chose Kolding: being closer to her loved ones. Her daughter and her family live in Kolding.
Fra told til psykoterapi
Gerthie lost her husband, Bertram, a couple of years ago after many years together. Bertram had initially worked as a farmer before becoming a freight forwarder and warehouse manager. Gerthie herself spent 27 years working in the VAT department of the Danish Customs and Tax Administration until her position was made redundant, prompting her to pursue a new career.
“I wanted to become a psychotherapist, so that’s what I studied. But I didn’t really think I could introduce myself as both a customs officer and a psychotherapist, so I also trained as a childcare worker,” Gerthie says with a smile.
She went on to spend 15 years working at a children’s home near Haderslev. Alongside her job, she trained as a church singer and sang regularly at Tinglev Church for 17 years.
Even several years before her husband passed away, Gerthie had joined the church choir at Brændkjær Church in Kolding. She still sings there today, alongside her daughter and two grandchildren.
Both of her sons live in the Copenhagen area, while her daughter lives in Kolding.
“My grandchildren asked me if I wouldn’t like to move to Kolding. They said I could live over at ‘the nursing home’, as they called it, together with all the old people!” Gerthie recalls with a laugh.
“And I didn’t really have much reason to stay in Tinglev, so I signed up with a housing association and was offered the apartment I live in now. My daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren live just 300 metres away, and it’s wonderful being so close to each other. Now my grandchildren can just pop by to say hello. They wouldn’t be able to do that if I still lived in Tinglev,” Gerthie points out.
Moving was hard, but worth it
Gerthie emphasises how difficult it is to find yourself alone after more than 50 years of marriage. Moving herself and her entire life the 50 or so kilometres from Tinglev to Kolding also took a great deal of time and energy. But it has all been worth it.
“I used to live in a 185-square-metre farmhouse, and I also had a studio in the barn that was another 185 square metres. Now I’ve had to fit everything into a 90-square-metre apartment and a small storage room in the basement. So I’ve really had to make some tough decisions about what to bring. For example, there wasn’t room for my piano, but I did bring the piano stool!” she says with a smile.
A wonderful life in new surroundings
Looking back, Gerthie describes the move as quite an undertaking. It took around six months, as she got the keys to her new apartment well before she had to hand over the farm to its new owner. During that time, she made countless trips back and forth, transporting her belongings in her small car.
“I’m not moving again! I’m just happy to have such a wonderful life here. It’s a lovely place, full of kind people and a strong sense of community. I’ve become involved in several activities, including a knitting club, and during the winter we have communal dinners and bingo nights. I believe that when you choose to live in a senior co-housing community like this, you should also make an effort to be part of the community,” Gerthie explains.
Friendly faces at the windows
Gerthie is clearly very happy with her decision to leave Southern Jutland behind. But when she first arrived, she wasn’t quite so sure.
“At first, I thought, ‘What kind of place have I moved to?’ There were ‘living pot plants’ in every window – people sitting there watching what was going on outside! I certainly wasn’t used to that in Southern Jutland. I thought everyone was just being nosy. But it turned out they were simply curious about who I was and wanted to give me a warm welcome.”