Slovenia

[Pik]

I hope I'm not out of line but I would like to know what you know about Slovenia. In recent years it has been mentioned in relation to USA but where I live it's considered a beautiful country with a lot of nature (and more progressive than where I live).

What are the Slovenians like?

 

[big soft moose]

I'm british but i don't know a great deal about it either to be frank. It used to be part of yugoslavia, but managed to secede without quite as much chaos as the rest of the balkans. I never got up that side, although i was in kosovo after the fighting was mostly over and staged through Croatia a couple of times. Supposed to be very pretty with lots of wildlife , lots of mountains, lakes and like that. I don't know anything about the people

I've heard a lot of americans confuse it with Slovakia which is understandable i guess

 

[Louanne Learning]

My ancestry is half-Slovenian. My mother was born there in the 1930s, but came to Canada when she was a few months old. My Mom lost her dad when she was around seven and my grandmother was left with four small children to raise in very tough times. Somehow, she met the bills, by working very hard, on farms, at the canning factory, wherever she could make a few dollars, but my mom does remember that one time they had to pay their mortgage with their cow.

I have such wonderful memories of my grandmother. She was a really bubbly, happy person, always smiling, who loved to have fun, have a beer, sing, and she was an amazing cook, making all the old traditional recipes. I remember her making strudel and stretching the dough to fit over the entire table. And she made the most wonderful donuts! She would collect them from the pan into a large roasting pan. I remember that.

Even now, we eat the traditional Slovenian food on New Years Day, and Easter - but we call them pud-eh-heh (I don't know how to spell it) - not pierogi!

 

[Rigor Mortis]

My wife is determined that she and I go to Slovenia as she's been there, along with Croatia and other countries, with her sister and found it both beautifully scenic, with urban areas steeped in history and people who were friendly and chilled. She describes it in very complimentary terms.

 

[Pik]

I'm british but i don't know a great deal about it either to be frank. It used to be part of yugoslavia, but managed to secede without quite as much chaos as the rest of the balkans. I never got up that side, although i was in kosovo after the fighting was mostly over and staged through Croatia a couple of times. Supposed to be very pretty with lots of wildlife , lots of mountains, lakes and like that. I don't know anything about the people

I've heard a lot of americans confuse it with Slovakia which is understandable i guess

They were a part of Yugoslavia but I think they could be more similar to countries like Austria or Germany, and take serious precautions against conflict. And they have a female president right now. I've been to Bratislava in Slovakia, it's a lovely country too.

 

[Pik]

I have such wonderful memories of my grandmother. She was a really bubbly, happy person, always smiling, who loved to have fun, have a beer, sing, and she was an amazing cook, making all the old traditional recipes. I remember her making strudel and stretching the dough to fit over the entire table. And she made the most wonderful donuts! She would collect them from the pan into a large roasting pan. I remember that.

Even now, we eat the traditional Slovenian food on New Years Day, and Easter - but we call them pud-eh-heh (I don't know how to spell it) - not pierogi!

I lived for few years there as a child, they remind me of Germans or similar cultures. I think they appreciate outdoors activities and nature, I still remember few of the Slovenian songs I learned but mostly forgot the language.

 

[Pik]

My wife is determined that she and I go to Slovenia as she's been there, along with Croatia and other countries, with her sister and found it both beautifully scenic, with urban areas steeped in history and people who were friendly and chilled. She describes it in very complimentary terms.

Croatia could be similar but has more seaside I think. And in parts of Croatia they speak Italian as a second language. In Slovenia I think the second language is German or Italian (and English).

 

[Louanne Learning]

they remind me of Germans or similar cultures.

Never thought of myself as German, they seem a different culture to me.

 

[CatrionaGrace]

I've heard a lot of americans confuse it with Slovakia which is understandable i guess

What isn't understandable is why Americans would be more likely to confuse the two than Canadians or New Zealanders.

I don't know much about Slovenia. It wasn't a well-represented culture anywhere I ever lived. Had a friend from Minnesota whose ancestory was Slovenian. She married a man named Hrubesky. He was Slovakian. They said that made their children Slovenakian.

 

[Pik]

Never thought of myself as German, they seem a different culture to me.

I lived in northern part maybe that's why I have that impression. In recent years I went there once to the capital. They're not exactly like Germans but more organized than the rest of Balkans I think.

 

[Louanne Learning]

I guess I am just going by the Slovenians I know, who seem a lot less rigid than Germans. maybe it's stereotypes at play

 

[big soft moose]

What isn't understandable is why Americans would be more likely to confuse the two than Canadians or New Zealanders.

As the Brothers Osborne say "i blame my lack of knowing better on public education"... i'm not saying its allof you by any means but i was asked the other day by an american tourist "why if the the Jurrasic Coast is millions of years old its name is in English rather than an old language like latin or something?"

 

[Pik]

If my native language was the official language in the world I would definitely feel like I could achieve (if not everything) a lot. It's an advantage for sure. But knowing other languages is too

 

[Louanne Learning]

american

@Set2Stun - you might be familiar with this

One of our national treasures in comedian Rick Mercer, who used to do a segment called "Talking to Americans"

In the short clip below, he visits American universities and also speaks to politicians, and in his conversations, he got Americans to sign petitions to urge the federal government not to banish senior citizens to ice floes, and others to congratulate Canada on their "national igloo" - including Governor Huckabee, and others congratulated Prime Minister Tim Horton on his "double-double" and one Harvard professor said he'd like to see an end to the "Saskatchewan seal hunt."

 

[Pik]

I once asked what European politician is Justin Trudeau similar to and they told me Macron or some other French, but I guess Canadians are like Americans and other western nations but more realistic.

 

[Louanne Learning]

Canadians are like Americans

We've got a lot of similarities. I remember reading an article based on a survey that showed how close Americans and Canadians were in what they wanted for their children. But there are some significant differences, too.

 

[Pik]

We've got a lot of similarities. I remember reading an article based on a survey that showed how close Americans and Canadians were in what they wanted for their children. But there are some significant differences, too.

I can hate my neighbours but they are still close and I see them everyday and we influence each other. (Canada and USA probably like each other though)

 

[Louanne Learning]

Yeah we consider the Americans our cousins

 

[Set2Stun]

@Set2Stun - you might be familiar with this

One of our national treasures in comedian Rick Mercer, who used to do a segment called "Talking to Americans"

In the short clip below, he visits American universities and also speaks to politicians, and in his conversations, he got Americans to sign petitions to urge the federal government not to banish senior citizens to ice floes, and others to congratulate Canada on their "national igloo" - including Governor Huckabee, and others congratulated Prime Minister Tim Horton on his "double-double" and one Harvard professor said he'd like to see an end to the "Saskatchewan seal hunt."

Loved watching 22 Minutes back in the day, especially for this bit. So so funny. Rick looks so professional and is very confident in what he's saying, and so a lot of people don't imagine that it could be a prank and just trust him. He could've had a great career as a conman

I don't really know anything about Slovenia; just where it'd be on a map, and that's where Melanias come from.

This a fun idea for a thread. Makes me wonder what people know about Finland.

 

[Pik]

Where I live we don't know too much about Canadians other than they are similar to Americans (and I have a childhood friend there) but I never had a bad experience with a Canadian, very peaceful and a bit detached