Slovenia – Epilogue

For six weeks in Slovenia I taught, but what did I learn? After a week of recovering from travel and reorienting myself to life in the United States let me ponder this fascinating country.

In an odd sort of way, Missouri and Slovenia share a status with the rest of the world. Missouri is a “fly-over state,” largely ignored by the news media focused on the two coasts and our fellow citizens who, frankly, find us a bit boring.

Slovenia has a 1,000 year history of being walked over, ridden over and flown over by almost every great power in Europe. It is a quick passageway from the Aegean to Central Europe that by tradition even Jason and the Argonauts used. Few Americans could point to it on a map.

But though it is hard to tell a Missourian from an Iowan, Slovenians stand alone. No matter who tramped through or ruled over them, the residents of this small country have maintained their own distinct language and culture for a millennium.

Let me put that in Missouri context. At 7,827 square miles and with 2 million people, Slovenia is a bit smaller than the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area (8,458 square miles, 2.6 million people). Imagine that although the Spanish, French, Germans, Confederates and Yankees have had their day in St. Louis, folks there still spoke the Cahokian tribal language.

Language aside, it is the less definable distinctness of Slovenians that most fascinated me about their country. Except for the tiny cups of coffee, most Americans would find it easy to live in Slovenia. Almost everyone speaks English, you recognize the brand names on the grocery shelf and you can even get barbecue in downtown Ljubljana.

But you always know that something is different:

· Slovenians have a much different attitude toward life. While Americans seem largely driven by money, Slovenians seldom fantasize about becoming a billionaire. As my host Marko Milosavljević explained, Slovenians choose an “as is” culture rather than an “upward and onward” culture. The goal of most Slovenians, many told me, is to live comfortably and enjoy their country’s spectacular beauty. That probably accounts for the aura of calmness that visitors soon pick up on.

· They pay somewhat higher taxes, but use them to amplify that lifestyle. Healthcare is provided, college is free. The education system is considered one of the best in the EU. The roads are well maintained and parks are everywhere. And the whole country is remarkably clean.

· Laid back, but certainly not lazy. Slovenians are big-time joggers, ride bikes everywhere and never saw a hill they didn’t want to climb. I didn’t see nearly as many overweight people as I see on any U.S. street corner.

· We may have Starbuck’s, but Slovenia has a true coffee culture. Any work break, meeting of friendsor simply time to get your head straight means a stop at any of the multitude of coffee bars always within an easy walk. Coffee there is not a huge and expensive mug of Joe, but some variation on a shot of expresso served in a tiny cup. For about a euro (a bit over $1), you can sip your expresso and often munch a bonus cookie while you ponder that pleasant lifestyle.

· No tipping. Wait staff get a fair wage and diners pay the price on the menu.

· Slovenians use TV to become multi-lingual. While English lessons start in elementary school, Slovenians swear by their other source of education. With such a small population, Slovenian television must count on programming from other countries. However, those shows in English, Serbian, Italian, etc. are never dubbed. Viewers hear the American cops on CSI banter in English – but see the translation on subtitles. Hearing native speakers night after night reinforces the English lessons from school.

· Books are everywhere. Despite having fewer readers than most American cities, Ljubljana is chock-a-block with bookstores offering titles in Slovenian. The government subsidizes the book industry to make sure Slovenians always have a printed source of their ancient language.

· Slovenian food is a fusion of the surrounding Slavic, Austrian and Italian cultures – heavy dumplings but also al dente pasta, hearty lager but Tuscan-style wine. And they seem to like culinary surprises. Our favorite was pizza with brie cheese, black caviar and red salmon roe.

· Distance is relative. From the capital Ljubljana, you can drive anywhere in Slovenia in about two hours. But that’s not just two hours between towns, it’s to different environments. One side is towering Alps, another rolling wine country, a third the bright beaches of the Adriatic -- with castles are on all sides. And with the European Union’s open borders, another country is just a tank of gas away.

The tourism folks have adopted a catchy logo for this pleasant land: sLOVEnia. I like it. What’s not to love?