Zakaj Slovensko?

"Zakaj Slovensko?" Why Slovenian? I learned my first Slovenian words from my grandma Olga in 1970. “Jaz sem Kim. Stara sem osem let.” I am Kim. I am 8 years old. I wrote this in a small spiral bound notepad with a red ballpoint retractable pen that grandma had given me just for this purpose. We were preparing to fly to Slovenia from our home in southern California. As far as I know, no one from our American family had returned to the old country since immigrating more than sixty years earlier.

When grandma decided to go back to Slovenia to attempt to resolve some family business, she asked our parents if she could take one of us grandkids along. My sisters and I drew straws to determine who would get to go. My middle sister drew the long straw. Rats! I was so disappointed. I had already learned to love travel and navigation on various family excursions throughout California, Arizona and Mexico, and I really wanted to go on this trip. But very soon, my sister admitted that she didn’t want to go after all. And our younger sister, not yet six, was too young. So I was soon applying for my first passport!

That was fifty-five years ago, and this year I am getting ready to return to Slovenia for the fifth time.

In 2007 I explored the capital city, Ljubljana, and attempted to find some of the places and people I had visited years earlier with my “babica” — grandmother. In 2010 I returned to sell the family’s inherited property — a “gozd” — forest (yes, I hired a translator). Most recently, in 2023 (check my Facebook feed for posts from Sept/Oct 2023), I toured the entire (tiny) country for five weeks, often staying with local people I had met along the way!

Each visit I picked up a few new words and a phrase or two: “Kako stane?” How much is it? “Pica, prosim!” Pizza, please!, and “Kje je kopalnica?” Where is the bathroom? But I could not hold a conversation, or even understand much beyond "ja" and "ne". Fortunately, most Slovenians born after 1990 speak English well. But I was still curious, and wanted to make an effort to understand their culture, and that meant learning more Slovenian.

By the end of 2020, the Covid lockdown had forced many of us to depend on Zoom to stay connected to family, friends and clients. Teachers had learned that while they could no longer teach in-person, they could reach a wider student base online. At that time, I found two teachers teaching Slovenian to small groups of English-speaking adult students. We painstakingly made it through the basics of alphabet, phonetics, vocabulary, gender and number (singular, plural, and even the mysterious dual). About a year later, I found my current teacher, Bojan, and we have been meeting on Zoom twice weekly ever since.

This study has become a priority in my life. Why? I’m not sure. How will I use it? Other than speaking with distant relatives and people I meet while traveling (who probably already speak excellent English), I don’t really know. What I do know is that it makes me feel good to do this. Even when I mess up. Maybe it will ultimately be the thing that keeps old age from shrinking my brain. One can hope.

So, please follow me if you want to read more. At the end of September 2025 I will begin a 12-week Slovenian language course in Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia, at the Univerza v Ljubljani — Center za Slovenščino kot drugi in tuji jezik. I’ll keep you posted on every tongue-twisting combination of alien-sounding syllables, including my most embarrassing bloopers. On the weekends, I’ll plan to include some armchair travel bits as well.

Come along with me to Slovenia!

Kim, The Space Between Syllables
2023 — Five Weeks in Slovenia (search my FB posts for Sept/Oct 2023)
2010 — A Forest in Slovenia
2007 — Slovenia and Croatia Serendipity Tour