Slovenia – Cultural Observations
Eric Swenson
As a small, beautiful and picturesque country, Slovenia makes for a great tourist destination. The country offers practically everything a tourist would want to see: mountains, lakes, forests, caves, hills, plains, rivers and the sea; not to mention beautiful cities and many natural parks. You can ski the Julian Alps in the morning and kick back on the coast of the Adriatic Sea in the afternoon. Not bad for a country that is half the size of Switzerland.
Having been to this country but only once, I can’t help but notice the impact that the Slovene people have had on me. The country offers much more than ski slopes and hiking trails, it offers a welcoming, accepting culture that I haven’t seen in any other country. From the second I stepped off the train in Ljubljana, I felt as though I was returning to some old friends that I hadn’t seen in weeks. It was something I had never felt.
The streets were flooded with observers that seemed unreservedly intrigued that a group of Americans were taking interest in a country that has been mistaken for Slovakia by President Bush. And despite the immediate differences in the city, we couldn’t ignore the towering McDonald’s signs and the posters of American boy bands. This would begin many of the cultural observations we made while in Slovenia.
I spent much of my time talking to the Slovenes about politics; I learned a great deal about the opinions of the union and breakup of Yugoslavia. And though it was a lot to take in, I feel like I really got a good sense of their history. I may not be able to remember everything they said verbatim, but I definitely could recall the sense of pride they had in their history.
In addition to discussing world issues and politics I also spent a great deal learning about their popular culture. We discussed things like music, movies, television and artists. The Slovenes we met, in general, had enormous pride about local musicians and movies that were produced solely in Slovenia. In fact, many of the students we talked to longed for more Slovene ingenuity.
Slovenia is slowly becoming more commercialized and it seems the younger generations are slipping into the American pop-culture trap. But, despite the rainfall of American culture, they continued to hang on to the values and needs of the Slovene people. A friend of mine, Katja Zizek recently wrote me a letter that said, “The thing that I like best [about Slovene culture] is that primarily it is based on the needs of Slovene people, not the whole world in general.”
Slovenia has a multitude of artists that vary from every field imaginable. Musically, popular musicians include Patetica and Tabu. Sidharta, which is perhaps the most popular Slovene group, is an alternative rock band. They even have their very own boy band called Game Over.
Movies may not be produced as often as Hollywood, but Slovenia does take pride in its own productions. Recent popular movies include “Kajmak in Marmelada”, which translates to Bosnian cheese and jam. The movie is about a Slovene woman falling in love with a Bosnian man. “Na Planincah”, which translates as “Small Mountains,” and also “Rezervni Deli”, which translates as “Spare Parts,” are popular films.
The way people talk, the way people act and the way people spend their time is quite different than the stereotypical American culture. I felt as though time was better spent in Slovenia. People seemed to spend more time talking over a beer or having some kava (coffee), instead of watching television. My friend Katja said that she felt, “Relations with people are more deep.” I agree, I feel the friends I made there could last a lifetime.
Eric Swenson is a communications major at Bradley University. He misses all his friends in Slovenia. Direct questions, comments, or other responses to eswenson@bradley.edu.