I have been in Slovenia for almost two months and I can tell you something about it…
It would be too easy to talk about the beauty of its landscapes, the splendor of its lakes and the wealth of history that its cities enclose.
Even as I write, it is enough to look out the window to see very high mountains with the top still covered in snow…
Actually, Slovenia, as well as any country that welcomes you, is not just geography, but it’s the people who compose it, who surround you, who don’t make you feel lonely even if you are miles away from home…and this is my Slovenia, the place I want to talk to you.
I am used to living in a big city, because I like its noise, the chaos of the night, the chatter of people … here I live at the entrance of a town called Brezovica, where everyone knows each other, they are friendly and the children smile at you. The person of whom you couldn’t do without here is Majda, my landlady: any problem there is she runs to resolve it, if there is any tradition to know she is the right person … especially if you like to eat sweet stuff, Majda is the best company there is.
When you arrive in Ljubljana you can visit Socialna akademija, participating in one of the many workshops that it organizes .. and it’s here that the day gets interesting.
Any question? Any problem? Don’t worry… there are Sabina and Vesna. You can’t imagine how many things you have to look for when you arrive in a new country and how difficult it’s not knowing the language…and in this, I’m an absolute disaster, as indeed just a bit with technology and that’s why there are Andraž and Rok that bear me and run to my rescue every time I make a mess (Rok speaks Italian, so I also use him as my personal translator :P)
Usually in Italy when you have to make a request to talk to the boss. The problem here is that I haven’t yet figured out who he is or how many there are. One thing is certain ˝I’m the real boss˝…but now I should talk to myself?! (I already imagine Matej and Yanko laughing out loud but I’m serious).
Do you think you will arrive in a new place and know the language perfectly? Forget it…that’s why there is Eva that corrects my Slovenian and Marina helps me to practice my English and not only.
Actually, the beauty of these rooms is that you can meet people from anywhere in the world and even if they speak different languages, learn something from them anyway!
This is also the beauty of Slovenia, of Ljubljana: just walk down the street to hear Slovenians, English, Spanish, Italian … and feel a little at home! Because you can remove an Italian from Italy, but not Italy from an Italian!
Angela