Different Places to Wide Open Spaces
Rolling hills, wide open spaces and country roads paint the picture of Thor and Cheryl Bulckens’ life now, after marrying and settling down on five acres just a few miles southeast of Norfolk in 2011. Both agreed that life in northeast Nebraska has been and is wonderful.
“I like Nebraska – there’s more open space, people here are friendly and more neighborly. Life is less expensive here,” Thor said.
Thor, who plans to take the American citizenship test in 2.5 years, hails from Antwerp, Belgium. Shortly after moving to Norfolk, he started Trendsetter Home Improvement in Norfolk. His wife, Cheryl, grew up in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She works as the manager for the Norfolk branch of StaffCo Employment Services.
Originally planning to move from Massachusetts to the southwestern United States, Cheryl came to this area in 2001 to follow a former relationship. Her ten-year-old son, Jamieson, was born a few years later.
“A lot of people where I’m from have pre-conceived notions of how Nebraska looks, but it’s not flat; it’s hilly. This area is kind of like the ‘New England’ of Nebraska. And at first I fought the open spaces…because when you come out here, there are far fewer trees than in New England. I’m a fisherman’s daughter, so I miss the ocean and the fresh seafood, but you just can’t beat the beef,” Cheryl said.
Born in Germany, Thor moved to Belgium at just four years old. He and his mother moved to Barcelona, Spain the next year, but because they did not want to send Thor to boarding school, they moved back to Antwerp when
he was six. That is where he had lived since, until moving to the Norfolk area.
He visited the Norfolk area for the first time 25 years ago. Thor worked as a tour guide for a Belgian travel agency, and one day gave a private tour through Paris, France, to a family from Norfolk. “They enjoyed their time in Paris so much that they invited me to visit them whenever I could. The next year, I decided to go. And then I fell in love with Norfolk, Nebraska. When it was time to go home to Belgium, I cried and decided that someday I was going
to live here,” Thor said. Looking at Cheryl with love sparkling in his eyes, he added, “Maybe God had something to do with that. He put me on my way to meet my lovely wife.”
When he lived in Belgium, Thor owned a construction business. But after years of missing the city he had visited so long before, he decided to sell everything and make the trip to Norfolk, Nebraska.
“After I sold everything, I applied for an E2 visa – an investment visa – and packed my belongings. I left Europe with only two suitcases. I remember the day I arrived in Norfolk: January 13, 2009, the same day President Obama
took office. Shortly after moving, I started my construction business here. I built our house, too,” Thor said.
Just two years later, on January 27, 2011, he met Cheryl. She was eating out with a group of friends. While there, Thor walked in the door – alone. Both smiled as they recounted their story.
“I just knew she was the one. Love at first sight,” Thor said. Thor’s two daughters, Ginny (26) and Oceanne (10), both still live in Belgium. Ginny is a floor manager at the store “Zara” in Ghent. Oceanne lives in Brussels with her mother and can speak French, Flemish, and English.
“We try to go to Belgium to visit whenever we can. And usually it works out so that Oceanne comes here to visit during the summer. Holidays are another big travel time,” Cheryl said.
Thor said that most holidays are relatively the same from America to Europe, except that Europeans do not celebrate Thanksgiving. Just as our Independence Day is July 4th, the national holiday in Belgium is July 21st. Easter is celebrated similarly, complete with egg hunts. He also described how Europeans are more inclined to party, especially over New Year’s. “I miss that,” he sighed.
The main holiday where differences are most easily seen is Christmas. Both Cheryl and Thor noted the emphasis on the spiritual side of the holiday in America.
“I think Christmas in Belgium and Germany is very nice. They have the old-fashioned markets and it’s all very festive – almost idyllic. People hang out on the streets, drinking warm wine (called “gluhwein”). “I feel like Christmas in Europe lasts longer…in terms of the before-and after Christmas celebrations. There’s always activity in the streets or other outdoor activities. In Europe, it’s about tradition, more so than the religious or spiritual side of things,”
Cheryl added.
Thor and Cheryl enjoy a variety of recreational activities with Jamieson and their two dogs, Joey and Jack. Thor coaches soccer at Norfolk Express. He used to play at the semi-pro level when in Europe. They both love to go boating on Lewis and Clark Lake, partly because it makes Cheryl reminiscent of New England. Other activities include hosting people at their house, going to the movie theater, spending time at the waterpark, or skiing during the
winter. A favorite activity is traveling, especially over to Europe.
The Bulckens’ also enjoy events that are specific to the Norfolk area. “OktoberFest” and concerts at the DeVent Center are favorites. Thor said one of his favorite activities is watching “Boomfest” at Skyview Lake on the Fourth of July.
“When I saw that for the first time 25 years ago, I was amazed at how patriotic people are here, with displaying the flag and firework shows. Not a lot of people hang their country’s flag in Europe,” Thor said. Cheryl and Thor are content with how their lives have turned out: happily married and living in a place they can call ‘home.’
“Basically, we’re just living a normal life, living the dream.”
