I'm moving back home to Slovenia next month after four years in London, and I'm quite frankly freaking out, haha. I'm happy I'll finally be able to be around my family again and essentially live a better life (you realise the quality of life in Slovenia is so high when you experience living somewhere else), but I assume making (new) friends will be hard for me, even as a Slovene myself. I made such good friends in London, but back home, I never really had that tight circle of friends. I never fit in, and to be honest, especially now, I feel like it would be easier for me to make friends with expats living in Slovenia rather than the locals. Such a weird problem to have. 🙈
I can't even begin to explain how much I related to this. I also knew as a child I wanted to be in Europe. I just knew I needed to come see it. I came, and never left haha but as an American married to a Slovenian, in Slovenia, and after being in Europe for over 5 years now, that lonliness tends to creep in once in awhile, that honest fear of missing out on family is incredible difficult. I have made a few friends since living out here, but yeah it doesn't compare to your best friend from home who shares your culture, slang, upbringing, etc. all those little things. If you ever want a coffee with a fellow Američanka, I'm in Ljubljana!
It's been my dream to live in Slovenia since I first went there in 2008. It just hasn't been practical, žal. But I still hold out hope. I would much prefer my kids grow up in that environment and be (physically) close to their family in Slovenia. The way you felt about your oldest missing out on growing up with her family in the U.S. is how I feel about my kids missing out on their family in Slovenia. Each time I leave it gets harder to go.
Hola Mariah, glad you shared your story with us. I just moved 2 years ago with my slovenian girl and our child from Galicia, Spain where I have my sisters, niece and nephews. Slovenians are really sticked to their country (more than us dominicans to our beloved Caribbean Island) so she did not adapt to Galicia and started letting me know she wanted us to live here. I came several times to visit Slovenja and loved it. I saw bussiness oportunities here in what I do so after giving it a thougth for at least 5 years and to make her happy I said ok, lets do it. Now that I am living here I had no clue how different it is than just coming to visit. I do miss a lot the only family I have in Europe which are those in Galicia, miss my family and friends in Dom. Rep. etc. Things we do for love.
6 лет назад+3
Just for a little support: I'm in similar situation - came from a different country (although, still in Europe) to live in Slovenia for love. As well as it happened to you, it hit me the most after I became a mother (until then everything was super fine). Not that I would regret, definitely not. But I became much more homesick, feeling lonely, and aware of the value of having friends and family close to you. Thanks for the internet that can give a little bit of the illusion of that feeling ;-) keep holding on!
Well for me it's the opposite: I moved from Slovenia to the USA for love :) I like watching your Slovenian-themed vlogs because you and I are experiencing everything on reverse! It's like you have "my" life now, lol. I've watched the vlogs about potica, hanging out in Ljubljana, the Slovenian holidays, hiking in the beautiful Slovenian nature (an others) with great longing. Although I must say that now, after ten years of being in the US, I feel quite at home here and not as home sick. The same might happen to you if you stick with it long enough ;)
Wow! So happy that you are talking about this topic! I have very similar experience to yours and it’s funny how you mentioned that you didn’t have any worries (unlike people around you) before moving to Slovenia to be with Luka. :) I was 100% the same about moving from Slovenia to the Usa to be with my love and it’s not easy, especially the part when we miss our dear ones at home or sometimes struggling with the feeling of ‘not fitting in’ BUT .... it’s a great feeling when you follow your heart and you are learning so much about yourself, people, relationships, cultures, life etc... I could talk for hours about this! Thank you for your awesome vlogs! In lepe pozdrave v Ljubljano! ;)
I can identify. Coming back to Slovenia as a Slovenian after a long time in America, in my childhood, I felt like a stranger in a country I was born. Always familiar, but somewhat foreign. I have been coming back here in my adult life for a long time now so I felt I can actually live in Slovenia part of the time. I enjoy the cultural change and appreciate the experience of both.
Life gave you a testing and you made decision. And yes, you are very brave😂😂!! I can't imagine living in one other country, away from my family and friends. Congratulations to you👏....
Everything you said is exactly my own experience - I'm Australian and moved to Italy where I met my husband and we have a one year old - You'd think with learning the language and customs better, with time you'd feel more included or less different, but like you said the exact opposite is true!
I'm on the brink of moving to Slovenia for good after a year of long distance. It's so hard to go back and forth between here and Slovenia so I can't imagine how hard it must have been between USA and Slovenia! And I can totally relate to that feeling of excitement and happiness to be with the one you love and living in Europe which was your dream. Everyone around me says it must be hard leaving family and friends here, but I agree with you. I'm over the moon about going! One thing I do worry about however is finding friends. I am an introvert by nature and I have very few friends, but in Slovenia I will be completely alone (apart from my gorgeous boyfriend and his family of course). I mentioned it in my video about moving, but you said it so so well, way better than me... Great video! And if you're still looking for a friendly expat face in Slovenia, I'm your girl ;)
Beautiful video. It is true that you made very courageous and bold step by moving to Slovenia. You moved to a different continent, to a foreign country. I think that the biggest problem you are facing is not cultural differencies but language barrier. Speaking language fluently makes a huge difference in making close friends. The more proficient you become in Slovenian the easier it gets to have closer friendships. BTW, I'm Croatian, but your Slovenian sounds so good. Your pronunciation is amazing.😊👍 Just keep doing what you are doing and you'll be fine. 😄
such an honest video. When babies are young, it is true you really need that connection and support, especially with such a large family. btw did Maverick ever make it there? haha One question some friends in a group were asking what is the homeschooling culture like? another hot topic...vaccination requirements? How hard would it be to retire in Slovenia? I love that it is also near Italy and Crotia. I have been watching Slovenia vlogs and am completely planning a trip. I love honesty and not fake people...I'm also California raised. Although, I am a Nana now of soon to be 5 grandchildren...I am still young at heart and want to explore.
You’r soo brave and warm person!!! I hope I can give you a hug one day! I can’t see you, but I can feel warmth and kindness always from your voice.. God bless you and yoour family!!! Anja and Labra☺️☺️☺️
This is a feeling a lot of expats get worldwide especially if you're in your mid twenties to thirties when you make the move. And it gets increasingly more difficult to make friends as you age. I moved from Slovenia to New Zealand 7 years ago and felt the same thing and am still feeling it. There's a New Zealand vlogger talking about these same feelings she gets with Germans (she's living in Germany). Kiwis are odd freaking islanders as it is so there's that curveball to add to the cultural crevasse... Probably because we're in the same jam I will forever and always prefer expat friends and I'm done pretending :D I tried, for years, and I do have a few well traveled worldly Kiwi friends here, but I draw the line there. The others are just not worth the effort. I hope you've got some of those in LJ too :) Looking forward to moving back to Slovenia so I can feel like I belong again soon.
question: were you in anyway dissapointed when coming to Slovenia? Because it's easy to expect of an American that says 'I want to live in Europe' that they probably mean something like London or Paris or those north-western countries.. and Slovenia is alot smaller and different than that, i mean heck paris has more residents than our entire country hahah
Do you ever feel that living in Slovenia for so long has changed you to an extent that when you go to USA you feel that you dont quite fit there anymore?
Congratulations on your channel, Mariah! I love this video and had already watched it many months ago, but decided to watch it again today, and I was wondering how you and Luka met and for how long you kept the long-distance relationship? (sorry if you explained it in some other video, but I still haven't come across it) :)
For a second I thought you were gonna cry. In previous video where you described Slovenian cultural habits, I instantly recognised that Slovenes are very similar to people in Germanic European countries. Obviously your adventurous spirit has made you settle in another country so different from your own. It's not the question of your adaptability (cause you obviously do not lack it) but have you changed the environment you knew for the better one and what comes first on the list of your priorities. I think for you it's just a matter of time when you will realise that those difference are not bridgeable anymore, or you will build your own small world for the sake of your family and remember californian days with sadness.
Well , I am kinda nervous as sometimes I realize how much my culture is different . We haven't come together yet but honestly i can't wait. But also my feelings are full of excitement and sometimes nervousness about the whole situation . As in my culture my mom would help much with kids later. But being far would make me live a complete different lifestyle than my original middle eastern culture . But yeah, this whole adventure is worth it :))
Oh lord. Ill be on that situation soon. I date an slovenian for 6 years now, actually at this moment im in Slovenia for the last 2 months but will be back to brasil in 2 days :/ and i can fell ya, exactly the saame. I loved to hear ur experience and will follow riiifht now...hahahah...my question is about the LANGUAGE u already speak? If no u want to learn? Of yes, How was it to learn? Thanks for sharing ur experience. ❤️
Never miiinnddd, just found the 100 vlog in slovenian and im deeeead, perfect even for my non slovenian ears, so jealous. Hihihihihi ps: matej said u speak great also, no ascents. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
I can totally see it... Slovenes are really hard friends to have. But to even make a friend here is like lvl 9000+ hard. :( This is probably due to a fact, most of us are really happy with having like two friends that we made in a certain time of out childhood I guess. Which makes us generally really closed society. Generally friendly to new people, but this is really just outer shell.
I moved to New Zealand from Slovenia years ago. Nothing more painful than superficial friendships with "kind" and "polite" people that never lead anywhere and en up making you feel empty - to sum up a life of an expat in NZ. Not trying to victimize myself but fuck it's hard, especially the older you get. I hear this from a lot of expats from around the world though, so it's probably unfair to pin it to specific countries.
I married an American girl and decided to live in US. I've been sorry every day... It's a horrible place to live. Speaking strictly from personal experience.
also I have another question, how do normal Americans see Slovenia? I mean did you even know where we were on the map before meeting Luka, do they teach you Europe in school, do you know what country the first lady is from Edit:as in 'you' I mean Americans and Californians in general
I've found that when I tell Americans where I live the either A: Know EXACTLY where Slovenia is and say they really want to visit Ljubljana or B: Have no idea where it is until I tell them it is EX-Yugoslavia.
@@MariahDolenc Greetings Mariah. I`ve been following your channel from time to time and it is allways a treat (for me atleast) to hear outside perspective on our way of doing things here in Slovenia, cultural differences & similarities etc. In a nutshell... I love it. Now to the comment at hand: I had a feeling that A or B would be the case as far as geographical knowledge of average American is concerned. Atleast when talking about Slovenia and not say France, England, Germany... As you mentioned EX-Yugoslavia (slight off topic) I was reminded of an encounter my sister had back in 2010 or 2011 while on vacation with her friend in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. At some point they encountered an American asking about directions or something, started talking about stuff (I don`t remember the details anymore) and eventually he asked them where were they from. Reply: "Slovenia". He replied: "I don`t know where that is". My sister and her friend (both blondes and with green-ish and brown eyes by the way) said it was a part of former Yugoslavia. To which he replied: "But you look like normal people." I personally bear no ill will towards the guy and think it is fascinating... the diversity of people in every way one can think of (or as Gene Roddenberry would say: Infinite diversity in infinite combinations) and he was/is a part of that. Just like I know many people (Americans included) would react differently. About this video: kudos to you Mariah to have the courage to follow your heart and in your case moving half a world away as a result... eventually feeling out of place from time to time etc. And even though I`m not in your shoes to some degree I can relate and sympathise. I know you recorded this video back in 2018 and now it`s 2022 but if you`d ever feel the need to talk to some other than Luka and you family and friends well here I am. You`re not alone. It`s a shame that for now atleast we don`t have the means to travel like this: ruclips.net/video/west2PFD0D4/видео.html ... traveling from a to b over great distances in matter of seconds. Talking about solving these kind of problems... One day perhaps... And as far as your feelings about moving half a world away, feeling out of place from time to time etc. It is quite simply a journey you were destined to take. Wouldn`t you agree. Just watch this (it might make you feel better and you might appreciate it further being from California): ruclips.net/video/Vxyd7L-2YuQ/видео.html or with music and effects: ruclips.net/video/a0zXxx0OZM8/видео.html cdn.simplesite.com/i/64/8d/282319408885501284/i282319414707815950._szw1280h1280_.jpg As Data would say: "To new worlds." 😉
Hello, I've been watching some of your videos and i like it.. I'll be getting married this year to Slovene guy and planning to move there. However, I was told to learn their language as it's part of their culture. I don't think it's heavy duty as I always love learning new things but I just want to learn it as quick as possible .. How did you learn their language? Did you go to certain school for it? Hope to get an answer from you 🙂 TIA
It was very difficult for me coming from America. Immersion is the best, just start speaking even if it’s wrong and tell people to help you more than they correct you. I took classes and they helped me understand the language better. Hope this helps!
Experiencing Europe traveling and living in a European country long term are two very different things. Is this where you’re struggling? One gets more critical of a place when they actually live in it. Also, when you wanted to always travel to Europe that was probably London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Rome.... When people say ‘i would like to experience the US, they don’t mean the midwest necessarily. Cleveland is definitely not in their mind. They mean the East Coast, California, New York...So very very different. You would be happy in London spending time with eccentric people, highly stimulated by your environment, enjoying the diversity. If that was what was meant by traveling in Europe.
Very true and very good observation. I don't think I imagined that I would live here for more than 5 years. I think I would like to go see more places more often and then come back to Ljubljana as my home base. It is such a lovely place to call home.
These thoughts go through my head every single day because my boyfriend moved to germany for work and wants to stay there and i don't know if i am ready for moving away from all the things that i love here...btw i love your blog (found it a couple of weeks ago) i'm a 22 year old student and if you want to meet up for coffe let me know :)
6 лет назад
How do You feel about your kids? What r your thoughts raising them in Slovenia vs in Cali?
You will be surprised when you chek some chanel‘s ...Charles Cater or the amerikanka or it’s Lindsay Jay,Belgrade Beat or just tipe Stranac u Srbiji Tereza Kraford...
I feel that the wine in you is making you relaxed. Sorry if this is offensive, just need to say it. Heh. You are a free woman, you can live where ever.. but i think you will move back in America.. few more years.
Leaving home is exciting and scary (I am going into my senior year of college so I can kinda related).... but how was learning and having to speak in a entirely new language? I had taken both French and German in school and always had a ton of anxiety when it came time to speak in them... any tips/tricks. Thanks!
My best advice when it comes to speaking a foreign language is to just accept that you might sound silly/stupid/ridiculous and do your best to not care. All my roadblocks came from caring what others would think of me.
It's a bit ironic how you say in the other video Slovenes are unwilling to move to other countries, but in this video you say so many Americans tell you they could never move to a different country.
Can't you use skype to show them the baby and communicate with members of your family. With the internet you can keep in very close touch with people even though they are far away. And what is there to miss in California: fires, homeless, crime, high cost of living. You seem to be a very needy person.
I'm moving back home to Slovenia next month after four years in London, and I'm quite frankly freaking out, haha. I'm happy I'll finally be able to be around my family again and essentially live a better life (you realise the quality of life in Slovenia is so high when you experience living somewhere else), but I assume making (new) friends will be hard for me, even as a Slovene myself. I made such good friends in London, but back home, I never really had that tight circle of friends. I never fit in, and to be honest, especially now, I feel like it would be easier for me to make friends with expats living in Slovenia rather than the locals. Such a weird problem to have. 🙈
Dobrodošla nazaj! Quality of life here is truly amazing.
ahh same here. I was in London more than 2.5 years and it's hard to make friends here once you were somewhere else for a longer period of time ! :)
Hi 👋 madam
I can't even begin to explain how much I related to this. I also knew as a child I wanted to be in Europe. I just knew I needed to come see it. I came, and never left haha but as an American married to a Slovenian, in Slovenia, and after being in Europe for over 5 years now, that lonliness tends to creep in once in awhile, that honest fear of missing out on family is incredible difficult. I have made a few friends since living out here, but yeah it doesn't compare to your best friend from home who shares your culture, slang, upbringing, etc. all those little things. If you ever want a coffee with a fellow Američanka, I'm in Ljubljana!
Yes! I would love to meet up and swap stories. Send me an email ;)
Definatly my pleasure !
Hi Mariah I moved back to sLOVEnia afther decades spent in Vancouver CDN, definately is a challenge.
It's been my dream to live in Slovenia since I first went there in 2008. It just hasn't been practical, žal. But I still hold out hope. I would much prefer my kids grow up in that environment and be (physically) close to their family in Slovenia. The way you felt about your oldest missing out on growing up with her family in the U.S. is how I feel about my kids missing out on their family in Slovenia. Each time I leave it gets harder to go.
Hola Mariah, glad you shared your story with us. I just moved 2 years ago with my slovenian girl and our child from Galicia, Spain where I have my sisters, niece and nephews. Slovenians are really sticked to their country (more than us dominicans to our beloved Caribbean Island) so she did not adapt to Galicia and started letting me know she wanted us to live here. I came several times to visit Slovenja and loved it. I saw bussiness oportunities here in what I do so after giving it a thougth for at least 5 years and to make her happy I said ok, lets do it. Now that I am living here I had no clue how different it is than just coming to visit. I do miss a lot the only family I have in Europe which are those in Galicia, miss my family and friends in Dom. Rep. etc. Things we do for love.
Just for a little support: I'm in similar situation - came from a different country (although, still in Europe) to live in Slovenia for love. As well as it happened to you, it hit me the most after I became a mother (until then everything was super fine). Not that I would regret, definitely not. But I became much more homesick, feeling lonely, and aware of the value of having friends and family close to you. Thanks for the internet that can give a little bit of the illusion of that feeling ;-) keep holding on!
And what makes it easier is how nice and friendly all the people in Slovenia are ..... trurly anaxing. ...
I totally understand you. I lived abroad for 10 years and came back two years ago. The longing is indescribable. Biiig hugs! :)
Well for me it's the opposite: I moved from Slovenia to the USA for love :) I like watching your Slovenian-themed vlogs because you and I are experiencing everything on reverse! It's like you have "my" life now, lol. I've watched the vlogs about potica, hanging out in Ljubljana, the Slovenian holidays, hiking in the beautiful Slovenian nature (an others) with great longing. Although I must say that now, after ten years of being in the US, I feel quite at home here and not as home sick. The same might happen to you if you stick with it long enough ;)
Aw so nice!
Wow! So happy that you are talking about this topic! I have very similar experience to yours and it’s funny how you mentioned that you didn’t have any worries (unlike people around you) before moving to Slovenia to be with Luka. :) I was 100% the same about moving from Slovenia to the Usa to be with my love and it’s not easy, especially the part when we miss our dear ones at home or sometimes struggling with the feeling of ‘not fitting in’ BUT .... it’s a great feeling when you follow your heart and you are learning so much about yourself, people, relationships, cultures, life etc... I could talk for hours about this! Thank you for your awesome vlogs! In lepe pozdrave v Ljubljano! ;)
Awww so nice to hear someone on the flip side!
I can identify. Coming back to Slovenia as a Slovenian after a long time in America, in my childhood, I felt like a stranger in a country I was born. Always familiar, but somewhat foreign. I have been coming back here in my adult life for a long time now so I felt I can actually live in Slovenia part of the time. I enjoy the cultural change and appreciate the experience of both.
Wonderful as always.
Life gave you a testing and you made decision. And yes, you are very brave😂😂!! I can't imagine living in one other country, away from my family and friends. Congratulations to you👏....
Everything you said is exactly my own experience - I'm Australian and moved to Italy where I met my husband and we have a one year old - You'd think with learning the language and customs better, with time you'd feel more included or less different, but like you said the exact opposite is true!
I'm on the brink of moving to Slovenia for good after a year of long distance. It's so hard to go back and forth between here and Slovenia so I can't imagine how hard it must have been between USA and Slovenia! And I can totally relate to that feeling of excitement and happiness to be with the one you love and living in Europe which was your dream. Everyone around me says it must be hard leaving family and friends here, but I agree with you. I'm over the moon about going! One thing I do worry about however is finding friends. I am an introvert by nature and I have very few friends, but in Slovenia I will be completely alone (apart from my gorgeous boyfriend and his family of course). I mentioned it in my video about moving, but you said it so so well, way better than me... Great video! And if you're still looking for a friendly expat face in Slovenia, I'm your girl ;)
Oh yeah! There are some expat FB groups here, make sure to join them. We do get together from time to time :)
You are brave for this step in your life
Beautiful video. It is true that you made very courageous and bold step by moving to Slovenia. You moved to a different continent, to a foreign country.
I think that the biggest problem you are facing is not cultural differencies but language barrier.
Speaking language fluently makes a huge difference in making close friends. The more proficient you become in Slovenian the easier it gets to have closer friendships. BTW, I'm Croatian, but your Slovenian sounds so good. Your pronunciation is amazing.😊👍
Just keep doing what you are doing and you'll be fine. 😄
such an honest video. When babies are young, it is true you really need that connection and support, especially with such a large family. btw did Maverick ever make it there? haha One question some friends in a group were asking what is the homeschooling culture like? another hot topic...vaccination requirements? How hard would it be to retire in Slovenia? I love that it is also near Italy and Crotia. I have been watching Slovenia vlogs and am completely planning a trip. I love honesty and not fake people...I'm also California raised. Although, I am a Nana now of soon to be 5 grandchildren...I am still young at heart and want to explore.
And I can’t wait to move back to Australia my dad is Slovenian and I was born and raised in Australia but moved to Slovenia
You’r soo brave and warm person!!! I hope I can give you a hug one day! I can’t see you, but I can feel warmth and kindness always from your voice..
God bless you and yoour family!!!
Anja and Labra☺️☺️☺️
This is a feeling a lot of expats get worldwide especially if you're in your mid twenties to thirties when you make the move. And it gets increasingly more difficult to make friends as you age. I moved from Slovenia to New Zealand 7 years ago and felt the same thing and am still feeling it. There's a New Zealand vlogger talking about these same feelings she gets with Germans (she's living in Germany). Kiwis are odd freaking islanders as it is so there's that curveball to add to the cultural crevasse... Probably because we're in the same jam I will forever and always prefer expat friends and I'm done pretending :D I tried, for years, and I do have a few well traveled worldly Kiwi friends here, but I draw the line there. The others are just not worth the effort. I hope you've got some of those in LJ too :)
Looking forward to moving back to Slovenia so I can feel like I belong again soon.
question: were you in anyway dissapointed when coming to Slovenia? Because it's easy to expect of an American that says 'I want to live in Europe' that they probably mean something like London or Paris or those north-western countries.. and Slovenia is alot smaller and different than that, i mean heck paris has more residents than our entire country hahah
I did miss the night life. It felt pretty quiet at times.
@@MariahDolenc Now, this is an understatement! But it suits my temperament (or lack thereof (o: )
You are amazing💕💪😻i love you
Do you ever feel that living in Slovenia for so long has changed you to an extent that when you go to USA you feel that you dont quite fit there anymore?
Karmen Karamela_39 That’s how I feel back in Slovenia after having lived in the US for 10 years.
I feel like that a lot. Many times I feel like I don't belong anywhere.
Come on, girl. You got this.
SLOVENIJA ❤️🇸🇮👍👏
Congratulations on your channel, Mariah! I love this video and had already watched it many months ago, but decided to watch it again today, and I was wondering how you and Luka met and for how long you kept the long-distance relationship? (sorry if you explained it in some other video, but I still haven't come across it) :)
For a second I thought you were gonna cry. In previous video where you described Slovenian cultural habits, I instantly recognised that Slovenes are very similar to people in Germanic European countries. Obviously your adventurous spirit has made you settle in another country so different from your own. It's not the question of your adaptability (cause you obviously do not lack it) but have you changed the environment you knew for the better one and what comes first on the list of your priorities. I think for you it's just a matter of time when you will realise that those difference are not bridgeable anymore, or you will build your own small world for the sake of your family and remember californian days with sadness.
Well , I am kinda nervous as sometimes I realize how much my culture is different .
We haven't come together yet but honestly i can't wait. But also my feelings are full of excitement and sometimes nervousness about the whole situation . As in my culture my mom would help much with kids later. But being far would make me live a complete different lifestyle than my original middle eastern culture .
But yeah, this whole adventure is worth it :))
Oh lord. Ill be on that situation soon. I date an slovenian for 6 years now, actually at this moment im in Slovenia for the last 2 months but will be back to brasil in 2 days :/ and i can fell ya, exactly the saame. I loved to hear ur experience and will follow riiifht now...hahahah...my question is about the LANGUAGE u already speak? If no u want to learn? Of yes, How was it to learn? Thanks for sharing ur experience. ❤️
Never miiinnddd, just found the 100 vlog in slovenian and im deeeead, perfect even for my non slovenian ears, so jealous. Hihihihihi ps: matej said u speak great also, no ascents. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Thank you! HVALA!
I can totally see it... Slovenes are really hard friends to have. But to even make a friend here is like lvl 9000+ hard. :(
This is probably due to a fact, most of us are really happy with having like two friends that we made in a certain time of out childhood I guess.
Which makes us generally really closed society. Generally friendly to new people, but this is really just outer shell.
You can have only one good friend.
I moved to New Zealand from Slovenia years ago. Nothing more painful than superficial friendships with "kind" and "polite" people that never lead anywhere and en up making you feel empty - to sum up a life of an expat in NZ. Not trying to victimize myself but fuck it's hard, especially the older you get. I hear this from a lot of expats from around the world though, so it's probably unfair to pin it to specific countries.
HMM 1no lelo nisi nič pogrešala, hehe To je bila ljubezen, pol pa govoriš še sam o rutini so be happy and moust inportant STAY IN LOVE ;)
I am planning on moving to Slovenia from the U.K. at the age of 20 soon. I’m scared but I need to do it.
I married an American girl and decided to live in US. I've been sorry every day... It's a horrible place to live. Speaking strictly from personal experience.
also I have another question, how do normal Americans see Slovenia? I mean did you even know where we were on the map before meeting Luka, do they teach you Europe in school, do you know what country the first lady is from
Edit:as in 'you' I mean Americans and Californians in general
Itak da ne
I've found that when I tell Americans where I live the either
A: Know EXACTLY where Slovenia is and say they really want to visit Ljubljana
or
B: Have no idea where it is until I tell them it is EX-Yugoslavia.
@@MariahDolenc Greetings Mariah. I`ve been following your channel from time to time and it is allways a treat (for me atleast) to hear outside perspective on our way of doing things here in Slovenia, cultural differences & similarities etc. In a nutshell... I love it.
Now to the comment at hand: I had a feeling that A or B would be the case as far as geographical knowledge of average American is concerned. Atleast when talking about Slovenia and not say France, England, Germany...
As you mentioned EX-Yugoslavia (slight off topic) I was reminded of an encounter my sister had back in 2010 or 2011 while on vacation with her friend in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. At some point they encountered an American asking about directions or something, started talking about stuff (I don`t remember the details anymore) and eventually he asked them where were they from. Reply: "Slovenia". He replied: "I don`t know where that is". My sister and her friend (both blondes and with green-ish and brown eyes by the way) said it was a part of former Yugoslavia. To which he replied: "But you look like normal people."
I personally bear no ill will towards the guy and think it is fascinating... the diversity of people in every way one can think of (or as Gene Roddenberry would say: Infinite diversity in infinite combinations) and he was/is a part of that. Just like I know many people (Americans included) would react differently.
About this video: kudos to you Mariah to have the courage to follow your heart and in your case moving half a world away as a result... eventually feeling out of place from time to time etc. And even though I`m not in your shoes to some degree I can relate and sympathise. I know you recorded this video back in 2018 and now it`s 2022 but if you`d ever feel the need to talk to some other than Luka and you family and friends well here I am. You`re not alone.
It`s a shame that for now atleast we don`t have the means to travel like this:
ruclips.net/video/west2PFD0D4/видео.html
... traveling from a to b over great distances in matter of seconds. Talking about solving these kind of problems... One day perhaps...
And as far as your feelings about moving half a world away, feeling out of place from time to time etc. It is quite simply a journey you were destined to take. Wouldn`t you agree. Just watch this (it might make you feel better and you might appreciate it further being from California): ruclips.net/video/Vxyd7L-2YuQ/видео.html
or with music and effects: ruclips.net/video/a0zXxx0OZM8/видео.html
cdn.simplesite.com/i/64/8d/282319408885501284/i282319414707815950._szw1280h1280_.jpg
As Data would say: "To new worlds." 😉
Mariah, about 7 years ago when you moved to Slovenia, did you know anything about our country? How people live, ou customs.. etc.
I knew a little from visiting, but before I had visited I knew almost nothing other than the name (if I'm being honest).
Hello, I've been watching some of your videos and i like it.. I'll be getting married this year to Slovene guy and planning to move there. However, I was told to learn their language as it's part of their culture. I don't think it's heavy duty as I always love learning new things but I just want to learn it as quick as possible .. How did you learn their language? Did you go to certain school for it? Hope to get an answer from you 🙂 TIA
It was very difficult for me coming from America. Immersion is the best, just start speaking even if it’s wrong and tell people to help you more than they correct you. I took classes and they helped me understand the language better. Hope this helps!
Experiencing Europe traveling and living in a European country long term are two very different things. Is this where you’re struggling? One gets more critical of a place when they actually live in it. Also, when you wanted to always travel to Europe that was probably London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Rome.... When people say ‘i would like to experience the US, they don’t mean the midwest necessarily. Cleveland is definitely not in their mind. They mean the East Coast, California, New York...So very very different. You would be happy in London spending time with eccentric people, highly stimulated by your environment, enjoying the diversity. If that was what was meant by traveling in Europe.
Very true and very good observation. I don't think I imagined that I would live here for more than 5 years. I think I would like to go see more places more often and then come back to Ljubljana as my home base. It is such a lovely place to call home.
These thoughts go through my head every single day because my boyfriend moved to germany for work and wants to stay there and i don't know if i am ready for moving away from all the things that i love here...btw i love your blog (found it a couple of weeks ago) i'm a 22 year old student and if you want to meet up for coffe let me know :)
How do You feel about your kids? What r your thoughts raising them in Slovenia vs in Cali?
First 30-35 years in your new country are most difficult ones, after that you not feel so hard :-D
You will be surprised when you chek some chanel‘s ...Charles Cater or the amerikanka or it’s Lindsay Jay,Belgrade Beat or just tipe Stranac u Srbiji Tereza Kraford...
How much would it make a difference if you would start working in Slovenia? Meaning like when your kids start going to school?
I feel that the wine in you is making you relaxed. Sorry if this is offensive, just need to say it. Heh. You are a free woman, you can live where ever.. but i think you will move back in America.. few more years.
Leaving home is exciting and scary (I am going into my senior year of college so I can kinda related).... but how was learning and having to speak in a entirely new language? I had taken both French and German in school and always had a ton of anxiety when it came time to speak in them... any tips/tricks. Thanks!
My best advice when it comes to speaking a foreign language is to just accept that you might sound silly/stupid/ridiculous and do your best to not care. All my roadblocks came from caring what others would think of me.
💗
But that's is love
It's a bit ironic how you say in the other video Slovenes are unwilling to move to other countries, but in this video you say so many Americans tell you they could never move to a different country.
Good point.
Hi 👋 how are you?
MARIAH bring more CUTE girls from USA to SLO!!!
Hahaha!
She was tipsy when making this video.
Can't you use skype to show them the baby and communicate with members of your family.
With the internet you can keep in very close touch with people even though they are far away.
And what is there to miss in California: fires, homeless, crime, high cost of living.
You seem to be a very needy person.
Damn, this started like Denise Dame video.
Are you drunk?