5 Things I've Learned While Living In SLOVENIA

[@bobhearinger]

"Domači something" Love it!

[@8aros2]

ye thats so funny, we always say that!

[@jani11]

Buy Domačica, you could just stop baking once you try it :)

[@pinkopalinko2881]

domaće, domaće !!... :-))) direkt iz nasche domaće pekarne !..... :-)

[@pinkopalinko2881]

@@jani11 Domačica or Domaćica ?... ;-)

[@emanuel3345]

@@pinkopalinko2881 hahah it is the same thing... 😂 a lot of people don't even know the difference between č and ć.

[@TheTinaKid]

As much as us Slovenians like to complain about our country.. We have to admit we have a little piece of paradise going on here and we should be proud of that ♥

[@emanuel3345]

You guys complain like we Croats yet have more. We Slavs are funny...

[@MLCrow]

Res je.

[@andro7x]

We, in the eastern parts of Slovenia would bring gifts (a bottle of wine or some coffee) only the first time we visit someone...not every time. But you must understand that you are a "curiosity" (a Cali girl in Slovenia) around here, so people might try hard to impress you and be extra-polite or formal.

[@foninamchara]

a ti veš kaj pomen call girl?? XD

[@andro7x]

@@foninamchara Da. A to veš kaj pomeni Cali girl?

[@foninamchara]

@@andro7x my mistake, narobe prebrala, sori!

[@AlexanderNovak0]

@@foninamchara cali-california

[@Rahmatuljin]

@@foninamchara pravijo, da je bolje dvakrat premisliti preden izgovoriš, evo dobila si svojo izkušnjo.

[@twiggy712]

I dont like visiting my relatives, becasuse they always talk about others: who died, who is sick, who had done something... It is really boring. and they will ALWAYS ask how your school is going.

[@darlo_singer]

Haha exactly. A typical slovene thing

[@nikafajs7910]

True 😂

[@pinkopalinko2881]

Xe Xe, Totò je v nekem svojem znanem filmu izjavil: I parenti sono come le scarpe - più sono stretti e più fanno male!... ;-)

[@B.R.0101]

Well, think about how much light you can bring to them if you'd have the purpose to go meeting them next time just to make their feeling better and better

[@KOSOVOisSERBIA222]

Man, that's true for Bosnia also :)

[@stereoflava2788]

Even us Slovenians barely understand anything when we go to some remote village lmao

[@groznidizajn]

speak for yourself pleb.

[@Phireo]

@@groznidizajn Yeah!

[@nerxboy]

@@groznidizajn edgy

[@flwz2]

Stereo Flava lmao so true

[@callmelegitzyt9213]

What about if somebody is from a remote village like me?

[@evab.6240]

The dinner/lunch habits really depend on the people.. I know people/families who have friends and relatives in their home all the time and it's really casual to them, but then there's families like mine where we would clean everything like crazy before anyone would come over for lunch or dinner and it would be a really big deal and you had to make sure everybody had their slippers hahah (and yes the guests would stay for at least 4 hours, discussing everything from politics to the second world war, the neighbours, the weather, work, the prices of bread.. 😂)

[@scheby77]

Same in Slovakia 😂

[@kerinuc1724]

yeah, she said that Slovenes are closed lol. My family always makes stuf to eat for anyone that comes to the house, lotta times they stay for dinner. that strongly depends on people

[@w0nyrobux]

Welcome to the whole balkan

[@uporabn1k]

Gifts for visiting is usually not something expensive... Like a bag of coffee or homemade moonshine or something. On the other hand what i find strange was (in Canada) when you are invited to a BBQ and everyone brings their own drinks and food. Here if you are invited only thing you have to bring is pants big enough (and what was mentioned earlier) because host will overload you with food. Ofc it is expected to return the favour by hosting yourself at one point.

[@Bufekana]

Čisto res, meni je to tuje blo vedno čudno če greš k nekomu na obisk da bi si svojo pijačo polek neso.Če že nesen, nesen kišto pivo.

[@dwbpwr3420]

@@Bufekana Pol moraš nemce videt ko te pavabijo na večerjo za roj. dan v restavracijo pa si moraš sam plačat

[@valisesgourmandises2571]

It really depends on the bbq, you don't always have to bring your own drinks. But don't forget that alcohol is insanely expensive in Canada, that would explain it haha!

[@mujobesic5280]

to s kavo in manjšimi darili ste od nas ekonomskih emigrantov iz Bosne pobral,ko smo množično drli v Slovenijo obljubljeno deželo tam nekje po pedesetih ....reče se milošta.pa tudi sezuvanje ,edino copate ste dodal.Mi je prav zanimivo

[@uporabn1k]

@@mujobesic5280 ti šaljivec ti. Potemtakem so bosanci naučili tega tudi Ruse in Japonce?

[@kjlz9814]

It's interesting what you said about visiting friends being really formal in Slovenia, because from what I've noticed visiting my boyfriend"s friends & family it seems rather casual, like meeting for a quick coffee is totally normal, even at their house.

[@TubigGD]

I have to say that the culture of bringing gift's for every time you visit a friend and eating so much food is mostly for people living outside the city's. For ''country'' people. Because when I go to visit a friend, it's not that formal. We just hang out.

[@compmojster]

The gifts are usually some food that you make and then eat together. And yeah if you go to visit someone they will make sure you are not hungry and thirsty. This kind of visits usually aren't very offten so people rather sit at the table and talk and eat for few hours because they know that they will not see eachother for a month maybe. If you would go to your friend with kids every week they would probably stop treating you with a lot of food and just give you some cookies an tea while your kids play

[@maoh5655]

Right. Some tea and if you r into it... smoke something & just chill 😊

[@nikafajs7910]

Usually the gifts are very simple. Like a pack coffee or sweets.

[@nephilae8722]

@@nikafajs7910 You're right. But it's still a hassle to have to stop at the store to buy something before visiting a friend. My best local friend lives 5 mins away walking and it's so weird for me to have to stop at Spar first so I have something to bring.

[@nikafajs7910]

@@nephilae8722 I know right. I mean I know it's a friendly gesture and I don't mind it if we wouldn't see each other for a while but each visit that is like few months appart? Why again? I just never understood that

[@AhimSaah]

I'm a Slovenian and I've officially stopped visiting and inviting people for the very reason that you brought up, Maria. You can hang out here only as a child or a teenager, once you hit adulthood you can forget it. I only hang out with foreigners here and visit Slovenians for birthdays. I tried to talk about this with my friends, and the answer is always the same: we don't have the time to hang out or do anything because of the kids. There you go! A modern parent's life ends when they get kids.

[@LuxTheSlav]

Your point #3 made me think you had no close friends. #4 explained you did have them, but for some reason you think they're somehow "more American". The visit habits are for people you're friendly with, but not _friends_ with. Actual close friends usually just hang out - although we love to eat and drink, so some of that could be involved. The main difference is Slovenians usually don't feel the need to fake being your best buddy even though you're just acquaintances. We may seem cold, but if we actually befriend you, you're basically family for life.

[@Jamsek90]

Word.

[@zuzu6864]

Damn, that's actually a really good explanation

[@AlenPesec]

Really awesome video!! :D Lepo je slišati, da ti (vam) je tukaj čudovito! Bohinj, Soča, Postonjska jama in veliko slapov in gradov...happy adventures! :)

[@zoeydeutch6768]

Darila si nosijo ponavadi samo tisti, ki si niso tako zelo blizu. Prijatelji se obiščemo kadarkoli, za kolikor koli časa. ničesar ne nosimo eden drugemu, ničesar ne pripravljamo za pogostitev, razen če ponudimo kaj, kar smo slulajno jedli. To, da bi bilo treba pogostiti zekoga z domači something, to je bila nekoč res navada pri bolj kmečkih družinah, mogoče še redko kdo to dela. Res mi je zanimivo koliko starih navad opisuješ v videih (tudi tisto s poroko, wtf? xD tega več nikjer ni, mogoče pri kakšnih kmečkih družinah) mislim, da tebe ljudje pogostijo na tak način, ker si iz amerike in vsi želijo pokazati kaj domačega, slovenskega.

[@aelkiss115]

"Domači something" in mučni dolgi obiski so navada pri veliko babicah in dedkih 😀 Pri mlajših pod 50 pa seveda tega več ni.

[@lukabenedicic1954]

Valda je... Nevem iz kje ste ampak pr ns gorencih(resda smo skrti AMPAK) piskote pa narezk zmerej dobis, pa pir seveda :P

[@zoeydeutch6768]

@@lukabenedicic1954 a kolega ti vsak dan ko prides k njemu narezek kupuje? Ali pa ne govoriš o prijatlih, ampak o kakih starih mamah? :p

[@lukabenedicic1954]

@@zoeydeutch6768 o starih mamah, stricih, tetah ampak ne vidm stare mame enkrat na let haha... Usak tedn enkrat al pa dvakrat xD

[@zoeydeutch6768]

@@lukabenedicic1954 sej to so bolj družinska srečanja, to se razume :D se pač prilahodiš starejšim. Med prijatelji pa takega pritiska v smislu kaj se spodobi več ni (ne poznam nikogar :D) ok, razen če prirediš kako zabavo.

[@maharbalx]

Mariah hvala za video! Če lahko prispevam moje skromno mnenje glede znanja slovenščine oz., v bistvu, kateregakoli jezika: Razlika med tujci, ki govorijo odlično slovensko in onimi, ki govorijo samo "dobro" je v tem, da prvi predvsem veliko več berejo. Časopise, revije, knjige, v slovenskem jeziku. Enako velja obratno, za slovence in tuje jezike. Pa veliko sreče želim!

[@angelikkax6353]

Your Slovenian is still better than Melania's English.

[@klemenator]

What a bad joke. Melania can actually hold a complex conversation.

[@Rahmatuljin]

Neumnost, Melanija govori perfektno angleško, ima pa seveda zelo močan slovenski naglas. Ampak njen naglas je tipično slovenski. Torej s takim naglasom govori večina Slovencev, tudi tistih, ki imajo zelo širok nabor angleških besed.

[@adrianbeli3076]

Gašper Zorman r/woooosh

[@mirnakacic4746]

Loooool, glede na zgradbo naših glasilk in organov, ki proizvajajo glasove, smo Slovenci ekstremno prilagodljivi vsem jezikom. Njenega naglasa že davno ne bi smelo biti, o njeni angleščini pa sploh ne bomo govorili...

[@ekLuca]

that's her 2nd language, if not 3rd or 4th like most Slovenians... what is the number of languages an average US citizen speaks?

We love your videos! Cheers from a Canadian/Slovene family😃🇨🇦🇸🇮

[@minecraftframergamer1232]

Hvala da si govorila o nas.Ampak mi ko znamo slovensko ni nam teško. When I was little I watched so much KZbin videos. Thats how I learned alot of english. And still I know the language English and Slovenian. Love z 💓😊🇸🇮

[@devilpollx]

this hairstyle REALLY suits you!!!! You are gorgeous

[@tadejvogrin1387]

about visiting and knocking on friends home...i moved to LJ 11 years ago and its just in LJ this formality that you need to call before you came and everything need to be perfect. outside you just came to neighbor or friend, drink coffee or something and move on

[@MariahDolenc]

Good to know!

[@taurus5865]

I think its polite to call before you visit.. That you dont just pop up at their door.. 😶

[@nikafajs7910]

Yea It's for being polite but also so that you let them know that you are coming and that they have time since it would be unfortunate to come to see somebody and they would be busy or not home. And I do agree that that formality is mostly in Ljubljana since here on the country side it's much more casual. As of gifts I don't know about Ljubljana but here in Styria it's common that we bring something casual. Like pack of coffe or some sweets. Sometimes even wine (preferably homemade) 😂

[@lilamarlinstrnisa1735]

Živjo, super si povedala

[@PaoloMassa74]

Great video ... im italian living in maribor 11 years and i agree with anlot of topic unwere speaking about !

[@XxWarMongerxX]

Very well done thank you so much for the info

[@goldennugget223]

I’m French living in Slovenia, and I don’t know where you live but for the 3 years I’ve been running my business in Ljubljana, people are pretty open and you can pop up in most people’s places without gifts or an obligation of a formal dinner. I guess it depends on your entourage

[@prudvikrishnayadav3145]

Hello Golden Nugget! Hope you’re doing great. This is Prudvi from India. I’ll be moving to Slovenia in a month or two. I have a couple of business ideas as well. Would you be interested for a discussion?

[@JMS-2111]

Hope my reply in English isn't a bother, but I would like to comment on the video. There are people here that have been in the country decades and don't know Slovene, like my grandparents on my fathers' side of the family, so the fact that you try and learn is impressive. You shouldn't feel bad about not understanding all the dialects, I'm from Bled originally and I could understand only about 75% of what my stepfather from Konjska dolina, near Bohinj, was saying. As for the natural beauty of Slovenia, if you look out the window and see natures beauty every day, you become desensitized to it, and it becomes like "oh look the trees are still there.". And what you said about the home visits, so true, that's why I don't socialize much, it's exhausting. It's nice to see people with a positive outlook and some energy, willing to make a life here. Zanimiv posnetek, zelo zabaven, hvala :)

[@kajazalokar]

It totaly depends on the people. I see this gift giving (usually just chocolate and coffee) is for family related and staying long hours as well (which i also don't enjoy). Or when you are visiting for the first time that you bring a gift. But other than that i totally agree with you. Great video 😊

[@MariahDolenc]

Thank you!

[@qatriamlucy]

thank you . i was just thinking about having a vacation in slovenia for the music and now after your presentation of it i also want to visit the country as a whole, thank you for the wonderful presentation.

[@wstrs5090]

Well, honestly, us Slovenians weren't such closed and reserved ppl 10 or more years ago. Back then you could just walk on the street, greet or talk to random ppl and 80% of them would happily greet you back or start a small talk with you. Nowadays 80% of them just give you the "WTF is wrong with this guy" look or don't react to you at all. Idk wtf happened to us but i hate it so much. :( Also visiting friends is not always formal. It's usually formal just when you visit a family or a friend that you rarely visit. Otherwise it's just casual like in USA. :) Glad you love it here. :)

[@wstrs5090]

@@dominikklanjsek3589 Zakaj pa ne? Mislm de je vecina folka, ki gleda ta channel, Americanov oz. anglesko govorecih. Kaj zdej mi bo kle en lolek kokr si ti ukazoval v kakmu jeziku nej govorim? Lol Dej rajsi se mal postimi u glavi. ;)

[@AnzeRozmanArchestralMusic]

As a Slovenian living in Los Angeles this was sooooo fun to listen and watch! It brightened my day and brought a big smile to my face! Thank you so much for posting

[@trique9776]

I am an American living in Ukraine with my wife and a lot of the cultural things you are talking about are spot on exactly the same as here. I think that Eastern Europe as a whole is like that.

[@tom_bout]

How's the war looking over there? Usa here

[@tomazgabric2859]

vi v Ukrajini živite v Čefuriji !

[@user-jc3vy6tc1n]

07:00 That's old and rural people 09:00 IDK, I guess we have opposite experiences, I think it depends on the social caste you live and hangout with. While your videos are definitely insightful, it needs to be said that there's no singular Slovenian culture, we have different norms depending on where/who

[@blaz5210]

This is like listening to my American hubby and his love for Bohinj, and his love (and sometimes frustration) with slovenian folklore, the language, slippers and the rest. You're hilarious. :)

[@pow3r17]

she is so BEAUTIFUL !

[@driftazigaraz]

I live in Komenda, Slovenia and I have been all around the country. But we go on summer vacation in Croatia

[@droolingbanjos]

Odličen blog !!

[@HumanTouchArt]

HAHAHAHAAH THE Domači part killed me hahahah :D soooo true :D

[@marjankrebelj4007]

My greates shock when I went to NTC was exactly this American openness in conversation. I loved it! I felt so depressed when I returned to Slovenia.

[@adqueen2548]

We do have the best men... Glad you are staying here! You are very welcome.

[@sherifabdellatif4485]

Was very useful and informative...Thank you

[@cybermom77]

I agree with those who said that ppl are trying to impress you and be extra polite because you're American. Gifts yes, but only when you are visiting someone for the first time. Later on, no... Also, these "formal" visits are more something that older generations do, not people your age. True about our meetups being longer though. Personally, I dont see the point in meeting someone for just half an hour. That's just not enough time for a real conversation!

[@tidid5572]

Agree. ❤️👍

[@JAMEL_EDDINE]

The way you put things together out of your mind God you're so good at making others understand you , i think you can be an awesome artist

[@piapersa2838]

Mariah about the warmth and friendliness it depends which city you're from...I'm from Maribor and we're very friendly (and loud 😂) kinda like the Irish...

[@Armyforever-jz1dk]

Včasih smo preveč glasni ja 😂

[@tidid5572]

It depends on the person and their nationality as well. A lot of people here a balkan origin so they are more friendlier then maybe Slovenian

[@biiinca]

Pia Perša my thoughts exactly!!! In Maribor is a bit louder 😅 Mariah, you should come! Pozdrav!

[@Bufekana]

Pia kolko si stara če ni skrivnost?

[@piapersa2838]

@@Bufekana 14 sem

[@GreKob]

Zelo lepo poslušati. Vaša spoznanja, vsaj nekatera, so popolnoma relevantna oz. realna. Tudi pri obiskih imate popolnoma prav. Vendar pa je tukaj potrebno dodati neka dejstva, ki zagotovo držijo in jih vi niste navedli. To je povsem razumljivo, ker verjetno ne živite takšnega življenja in ne živite v takem okolju. Obiske, ki jih opisujete vi, držijo zgolj za družbo višje na družbeni lestvici. Pri nas, ki smo na tej lestvici nižje rangirani ta vaša opažanja ne pridejo do takšnega odraza kot ga opisujeta vi. Pri nas je več spontanosti, več nenapovedanih obiskov, kjer ni vse tako načrtovano in kjer se na obisk ne nosijo darila. Prideš mimo, pozdraviš, spiješ pijačo (pivo, sok, vodo) ali pa tudi ne. Med nami je še vedno prisotna tista "sosed sosedu" pomoč. No pa to niti ni odvisno samo od položaja na družbeni lestvici. Pomemben dejavnik je tudi iz kakšnega okolja prihajaš in sicer ali je to mestno, primestno ali nemara vaško okolje. Se opravičujem, ker sem se v tem komentarju malce razpisal in ker sem komentiral v slovenščini. Moja hiba so tuji jeziki in tako kot imate vi težave s slovenščino imam sam težave pri angleščini a se jih trudim odpraviti, zato se tudi na tem področju dodatno izobražujem. Preprosto se moram, saj bi me drugače lahko preveč neznanja pri tujem jeziku oviralo pri mojem študiju ekonomije. Še enkrat hvala za res lep prispevek. Bil mi je zelo všeč. Želim vam prijeten dan in obilo lepih trenutkov. Gregor

[@laramezan7227]

I’m from Slovenia and everything you said is true also your slovenian is great

[@Rahmatuljin]

Se ne strinjam. Sem iz Ljubljane in tole s problemi pri komunikaciji, v kolikor ne znaš slovensko, je meni tuje. Tudi obiski niso nobena muka in tudi darila ni potrebno prinesti. Strinjam pa se, take so tudi moje izkušnje, da so v Ameriki ljudje hitreje na prijateljskem nivoju kot v Sloveniji, kar pa ni nujno, da je vedno dobro.

[@Willie.B76]

Thanks for putting the continued content up, lived in London my whole life, visited Slovenia last year and am now planning on buying some land and moving sticks to Slovenia for a simpler life running a biker b&b for European tours. Your content is informative and appreciated.

[@Rok9380]

Your hair is dope af :O

[@bertoncelj]

Your observations are spot on.

[@paulfellowes4879]

I totally agree...There are a lot of similarities between the American social culture and England. I have yet to have an informal visit to a friends place here or an unexpected drop-in from a friend. Everything needs planning and soooo much time! I've known Slovenian friends here for over 10 yrs, that come from all parts of Slovenia not just Ljubljana, and yet when we meet up it's still a formal handshake, sometimes not even that. I miss the hug, kiss on the cheek, that show of affection for another, that would come naturally back in London. I've slowly come to accept that these cultural differences will not change and that I just need to accept them. P.S. I know I've said it before, but your hair is looking really good lately...especially straight and tucked behind the ear...classic style never goes out of fashion! x

[@infinite3joy]

Paul Fellowes Paul, stop flirting. She’s married. 🤣

[@paulfellowes4879]

Ha ha :) and I'm gay, so that's a non starter I'm afraid!

[@infinite3joy]

Paul Fellowes 😃 Oops, serves me right for being a smart ****.

[@latrodectha5874]

The hug or a kiss on the cheek is quite common between girl friends or between guys and girls, but you won't see this behaviour between guy friends. As a girl I don't know for 100% what's up with that, but I believe guys see this kind of greetings as "girly" or (I'm sorry to say that) "gay".. We have very manly guys here :/ and of course there is a "no cry" rule for them, because society unfortunately still sees crying as a sign of weakness.

[@2_sleepy_924]

Yay samo ta video sem pogledala in suscribala ❤️

[@thesuperNina]

Visiting friends and friends visiting is as casual as you describe it is in the States for my family and family friends (I'm not from Ljubljana). I don't know what you mean by bringing gifts - from my experience that's only for people whom you don't know very well or are trying to be extra polite and even then it's like a packet of coffee or a chocolate bar. I'm also surprised that you encounter that in Ljubljana, since it's supposed to be the most "modern" and "up do date" city.

[@markobegus]

I know this is not the comment that one would consider in any kind of context to what you are saying...but halfway through I kinda lost track and had to "rewind" do to those eyes of yours. That is one gorgeous pair of eyes you got there...back on track, props for the language. We have so many dialects that it's impossible to learn an already difficult language as it is. I wish all the best to you and your family!

[@maoh5655]

What gifts? To wisit a friend-s? Never 😁. On birthdays and similar day yas but never just to go on a visit.

[@georgeytg]

depends on a person, specifically "older" generations (30+ years old). My mom always brings someone a gift when she comes to a visit, and she always tries to convince me to do the same but I never feel the need to and neither do my friends.

[@Bzzz089]

To ni res.

[@taurus5865]

It depends.. If you are visiting someone after a long time, its a good thing if you bring somekind a gift with ya

[@ursakoren]

Depends. We make our domače marmelades and we make so much, we take them to friends on most visits. Just to not come empty handed.

[@Bzzz089]

@@ursakoren Indeed my point.

[@rjo2020]

Well done! I've been here on and off since 2009, and my observations perfectly mirror yours.

[@evab.6240]

Btw I've been living in Germany for a year now (student exchange) and I realised we Slovenians are sooo much more welcoming/warm to strangers than Germans (sorry Germans, I know I'm generalising but that was just my experience) and I miss that so much.. It took my classmates half a year before they started speaking to me :/ If there was a new student in our class we would ask them everything and invite them for coffee and all that, and here they just ignored me :/ And it's not the language barrier or anything cause I speak German fluently

[@tidid5572]

Well you generalizinig again. People in slovenia as my experience to no just approach everybody and just be like well lets have a coffee or sth. And yes you can make a friend or somebody you talk more i guess maybe easy but i was never invited on coffee because I was a new girl 😂☕

[@Blazko612]

I LOVE HOW YOU DESCRIBES YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT SLOVENIA AND HOW MUCH YOU TRYING TO ADAPT HERE ! WELL DONE ! YOUR ADAPTING PROGRESS DOING VERY WELL I THINK SO KEEP IT THAT WAY IN THE FUTURE ALSO ! GREETINGS FROM NEIGHBORS OF LJUBLJANA.

[@smithmartinezmendez8824]

Hi Mariah, I am laughing so much about your experiences because they seems to be what I have been experiencing since I moved here. I´m Dominican and one of the things shocked me is that one when my wife before we go to her parents house or sister house to pass by she first call and ask them if it is ok for us go pass by. I understand it might be a matter of not interrupting if they might be busy or just make sure they are home, but in my culture we never call when visiting my family we just get there and that´s it. Something elce, in my culture if you have been away for a while ( ex: a month ) and then you come back my friends and relatives will just happily jump to hug me, greet me, ask me how was it and bla bla bla. Here after me been away for a while and we go to visit her family I am expecting same reaction like we dominicans do and no!!!!!! we get there and they are all seated and just say žjvio Smith, and that's it!!!! I can not change the culture ha ha ha ha

[@voyance4elle]

Hey 😊 I like you! I love learning about other countries (I'm from Germany) through these kinds of videos.

[@samu10esc56]

In Spain I think there's an strange mix between the American amd the Slovene way, because we don't prepare and expect anything (maybe we have something, Cookies, fruit, some chocolate, a sandwich at 5 or so that we call "merienda") but we WILL stay for a lot of hours, sometimes even the dinner's time is postponed just to keep on talking until we finally leave, and after we have dinner (here is not really common to stay for dinner)

[@gospaironija2762]

Well in Slovenia is more deppends on where you are "country " people do not see relatives from other parts of country so often or friend that live far away for a long time sometimes but in City you have normal "American" way of life.We are closed people like Scandinavians,Germans,etc.. not so open to people we do not know.Americans can think they understand everything so there is just that part of ego behind here saying that or not understanding the full picture.And we do not bring presents (at least not expensive ones)more often then not something home made(alcohol,fruit,vegetables) but the host is always expected to give something (at least a drink) some food you know to welcome somebody to the house but then again people usualy are expected to tell the people they are coming over so they know.It is cultural thing goes back longer then America exist.

[@skyworks1621]

Great to hear your perspective of us and I have to give you thumbs up, that story about visiting someone in kind of funny to listen and so true.

[@Sl0RofLuka]

Mariah, odličen video, lahko bi te poslušal cel dan, kar tako naprej!

[@vanessamalnar8955]

I love your videos! I may not watch them often but when I do, I just melt into it XD Keep up the good work and I love your honesty!

[@redheadsg1]

Don't worry about our dialects ... even native Slovene like me don't understand some dialects. For visits, gifts are not necessary... a bag of coffee or some biscuits/cookies is fine for me xD

[@paulfellowes4879]

But you are saying that you're still required to bring something...In America as in England, a visit doesn't necessitate a gift.

[@martinesse4830]

@@paulfellowes4879 You don't

[@aljazgantar4152]

Loved your video! I am a Slovene living in Munich Germany and I found it really interesting how you see my country as a "foreigner" from an American perspective and on the other hand, how I see the country where I am living right now compared to my homeland. I really have to say, the point about how formal we are going to a friend sometimes is really a pain in the back(it is not always the same, depends on the event). But regarding how open we are, it depends from region to region, or better said, from family to family, I am living right now in Germany for about 4 years and I can tell you, Germans are the most unfriendly people you ever met, you will probably find all the Slovenes friendly afterwards, but joke aside, for instance, my family is coming from Primorksa and we are really welcoming to anyone who is visiting us, if its the neighbor just stopping by or another relative bringing something, a bit like you described your life was in America. Some say its the region, I say it depends on the family, try finding someone who fits you more, I am sure there are many people who are more open. And lastly, regarding the language, I know Slovene can be freaking hard, German was hard for me too, but I give you an advice, if I understood correctly, you already know a bit of Slovene, just try watching Slovene movies, TV shows or whatever you can grab and put Slovene subtitles, it helped me a lot in the development of my German language(don't expect changes soon, but it will come with time, you will notice to use more and more "complex" words in your daily life)... otherwise keep up the good work!

[@MariahDolenc]

A friend of mine lived in Germany and she also said it was really hard to make friends. Thanks for the insight!

[@jeffsaviola2109]

I agree food is so much cheaper and every time I walk through the open markets I can’t believe how great it looks .. and they give you nice portions not crazy over full plates of food Have spent 8 weeks just driving around Slovenia and still amazed every new thing I found .. and correct I mentioned a few places I’ve been and some of the other friends there are wow really I didn’t know that .. I offered to give them tour some day !! Lol

[@sumandl]

Great speech. Wish you and your familly all the best on the sunny side of the Alps ❤️

[@njejlester1603]

Well my mother’s family emigrated from Slovenia to the US, and so I was raised with their standards which are indeed more formal. I think Americans are incredibly casual. I appreciate some reserve. Americans are soooo extroverted (or pretending to be) and I think it’s tiresome. Manners are good.

[@marktavcar567]

I am an Aussie with Slovenian parents from small villages near Pivka and Sezana and I have visited Slovenia 8 times and do not recall it being so formal, maybe I did not pay enough attention. The Slovenians here adapted to the Australian culture so it was very relaxed like the US. Love your video's, keep them coming, Cheers

[@gogid2613]

It is very hard for Americans to understand soul of Balkan.

[@tomikirbis4943]

Kakšen balkan ? ?

[@Djseagal244]

@@tomikirbis4943: Majke mi Slovenija je čisti Balkan. Jugoslavija dejansko nikoli ni razpadla, le pomanjšala se je in preselila v Slovenijo... hahah-

[@LowryYT]

@@Djseagal244 lepa za 1. April...

[@gabrovec18]

DJ SEAGAL hahahahahaha clan

[@Mark-ex1lx]

Ti rasist prekleti

[@Anchica431]

Živim v Bohinju. Res lepo da ti je tako všeč :D :)

[@Aleksamson]

There are people from southern countries (former Yugoslavia -with similar language) living in Slovenia over 50 years and still with a thick accent. Coming as an adult you may never speak perfectly. And those dialects from some villages...sometimes even I can hardly understand what they're saying. Especially if they talk fast. What you described was more like a party. Birthday or christmas. Or first time visiting someone who's not exactly close friend. Friends come and go (without bringing gifts) for a short visit all the time. Maybe have a drink. It is probably polite to call first. Not just to drop in.

[@borisnovak1250]

Alek Samson i’m from Idrija and our dialect is really hard to understand for most Slovenian people 😀 and then thers Prlekiščina which is a language of its own haha. We have around 50 different dialects in slovenia

[@SpaceTrump]

Haha Man... I grew up in a Polish and Slovenian household in Ohio and #3 speaks to me soo much... makes me realize how I interact with my friends and some oddities that stick with me growing up in that. My dad and I are very reserved, college was such a weird experience for me when I came over to friend's houses and just hung out.

[@evab.6240]

Don't worry about the dialects xD I once brought my ex-boyfriend with me while visiting my grandparents (remote village, very strong dialect :D) and he was so lost and couldn't understand half of the stuff they were saying xD And we're both Slovene so I can only imagine how hard it must be for you!

[@amychan999]

Bringing a gift to visit someone is very common in many cultures indeed. A courtesy that many parents practice and teach their kids. Not to take advantage from others to treat you.

[@Saavik256]

I think you and your husband are amazing :) I have deep respect for both of you, and you shouldn't feel bad, Slovene is not an easy language to grasp. I felt similarly when I went to Finland when I dated my ex girlfriend who is Finnish. Any foreign language sounds like noise most of the time. :) Also, I hate to sound tacky, but I like the sound of your English. :)

[@rudipb6359]

I'm from western part of Slovenia and first time hearing about bringing a gift when you visit a friend or relatives. We never do that here, only for a birthday or christmas. About slippers, yes, but that' also a custom in Spain I just leaned about :)

[@martinsterle7955]

To kar ti praviš bi jaz bolj pripisal menjanju družbe kot pa kulture... mlajša družba počnemo stvari precej podobno kot si opisala za ameriko. What you are exepriencing is changing a type of company... Younger folks still do all the things u described about america.

[@pavlini0]

Awesome video! I totally agree about the socializing, its so frustrating!! :) That is why me and my wife don't have people over very often and don't visit friends that much outside of our closest family. But the few friends which do hang out at our place are very casual like you describe. No expectations, no pressure, you come when you come, you leave when you want too. So I guess we are trying to change the culture.

[@dStrojdStroj]

Casual&Shallow. Obnoxious friendliness is anything but honest. That's how europeans see Americans.

[@tidid5572]

Agree. I just do not like people being superfriendly because mostly this people do not have super meaningful relationships and have 1000 off friends.

[@m__6930]

I agree. I'm not a Slovene but I do live somewhere in Europe and I think the way Americans interact with each other is kinda fake-ish if that makes sense. Personally I think the ideal is somewhere in the middle, not overly formal, not overly casual.

[@dStrojdStroj]

Ok, I didn't mean to sound like a dick :)

[@taniaoliveira5605]

I agree. Bohinj it's just mind blowing. I was there too and i was just speechless. As the rest of the country is very very very beautiful .. Regards from Portugal :) and thank you for the nice videos 👍

[@ficopoki164]

For that friends thing is that you havent lived here since chiledhood, so you dont have close friends that you did crazy shit with when you were young.

[@CaptainHM]

Tomorrow is my 7th anniversary here, and this video came up on my KZbin recommendations today (Google knows too much). I will check out your Slovene videos, see how much I understand, and try to comment in Slovene.

[@imepriimek398]

People from eastern and western part of Slovenia that were under Italian/Hungarian rule for centuries are definetely more open than people from central or nothern part (mosty under Austrian rule).

[@inotofficial4775]

Thanks a lot for the video, it really helps me a lot. Same situation, same feelings, same challenges. Really hvala lepa!!!! 😊

[@ronzi83]

Really depends on where you go. In Primorska region is totally open and differend mentality than other part of Slovenia. I am from Kras and we have 2 kids and in our willage mostly we share babysitting. Kids are playing with others all the time and if we have to work at home or something, our kids go to other kids in village and they stay there till we pick them up and vice versa. We help eachothers like that. No obligations. Our kids have diner at friends place and their kids are having diners at our place. I think it has to do with Italian influance from past. Also Slovenia is nr.1 country on the whole WORLD in dialects, so i imagine how hard can it be :)

[@gamox2010]

Excellent video! My girl is from Trinidad. I feel like you got this spot on right up until you started talking about visiting friends :P You got some old fashioned folks for friends being so formal. Forwarding :D

[@wwiamm]

I m in the EXACT SAME situation Married to a slovene Here since 2011 And still feeling like i am making no progress with the language 😔

[@zanseinofan01]

Admittedly, it's a fairly difficult language. If we didn't have Standard Slovene, we probably wouldn't understand each other! There are 48 dialects after all.

[@masterneo96]

Great content :) keep up the good work ^^

[@muno2629]

in villages is not that formal we are friends hahah :D its more domače chill dont take the shoes off even if they are full of mud

[@edenpac85]

Love you!!

[@adamcesnik5395]

U got some weird friends if u just cant just come and go.... Im from slovenia and we do what u described about ur american families

[@ggamer1417]

same

[@tomazplibersek1568]

Exactly. My friends often give me.keys to stay at theirs if they are not home in different parts of the country.

[@Polarcupcheck]

So, what she says is not common?

[@zanseinofan01]

@@Polarcupcheck Eh, it really depends on the situation. The gift thing you we don't really see, though the slippers and providing refreshments, even a light meal, is fairly common. It's not nearly as formal, though that could be just how we perceive it to be. Slovene culture is a bit more introverted, so someone coming over is like a small event. If I was a bit less slovenly, I'd probably be a better host.

[@sadiewinters6394]

I'm also an American woman married to a Slovenian man, and even though I've only been here 2 years I'm having a lot of the same experiences as you. We love both Seattle and Slovenia so much, our goal is also to have a home in each country and split our time between the two.

[@MariahDolenc]

Yay!

[@brinaa_1235]

I lived here for almost 12 years and I still haven't seen whole Slovenia.

[@paulbogo790]

New to your vids, now I need to watch them all

[@MariahDolenc]

Yay! Welcome ☺️

[@janmarinko2242]

You don't HAVE to bring them a gift, it's just nice if you do :)

[@emanuel3345]

Depends what kind of friends you have. Or better put it like this: "friends". Because it can be those "formal" friends you don't spend everyday with just once in a blue moon you stop by to see them and they might expect a gift or smth in that case.

[@julianbohan6149]

Spot on. It's all about the pressure. You poor thing. Thank you for your contribution to the gene pool. Not many of those people had the best intentions. From Twatter's turizemptuj.

[@KosmatiBohem]

I'm always interested when America describe my country. 1st no worries: 7 years is nothing to master 50 Slovenian dilalects or at least 7 major one, that can sound total unrelated. Most Slovenes does not understand each others if one really use hardcore rural language. All that said, I was once talking with student-friend, from which part of Slovenia she came to study, since we were in 1st class. She told me she is from ICELAND! Ok?!? When do you moved there? A asked convinced that parents moveed there bus she still wanted to study at home. Nope. She was native Icelander and was in Slovenia only for 9 months prior we talked and before she was in China. She travel with parents (I had this right), and they are 4 years in each country and she learn to speak natively in 3-4 months. OMG, respect. I know how Slovenian is hard for "spoiled" English speaker, since it is one of the most archaic language on the world. Few examples: English does have 3x the number of words in vocabulary and a lot of words Slovenian language (especial for technical stuff), but for everyday living it is super exact. I was working on TV station and it was nightmare to make English. Italian and French voice over for documentaries originally shot in Slovenian language since no way all the text fitted in those languages. English is very simple (if one wants) but inefficient (need a lot of words to describe something: "The Princes of the Peoples Heart" = "Ljudska Princesa"). It is interesting Slovenian language have common roots with Basqe and Sanskrit language. It is said to be the only language left that counting have rhyme. Also original Slovenian names for months only have 10 names. We know that 2 month was added later. All Slavic languages have added 2 more names to fit 12 month callendar, but Slovenian language just splitt two names to make four by adding "small" and "big" before the previous name. That points out those names were older than roman names and callendar was older than roman calendar. Also Slovenain language have NO genuine curse words. Most of them which are used are sound-like translation of foreign curse words. Like Serbian "pizda" (cunt) = "pišuka" (which in polite form means the same; organ which pee). Than Serbian "Jebem ti sveca" (I f**k your saint) = "jebela cesta" (which directly translated means "it is white road", so it nonsense). So keep the faith. Many Serbian and Bosnian people live here for 40+ years and they still does not know Slovenian. But this is the other reason. They do not want, or need since we all learned Serbo-Craotian in shool when all republic were forming Yugoslavia, bot those southern did not learn Slovenian. The fact they wanted to mix up new Yugoslavian race, speaking only one language. I can feel you brain struggle. I was in Straya (Australia) for some time and there anything knowing about English fail. Brain really overheated fast there if I tryed to translate in my head in real time.:) I hat to star thinking in Strayan and in just few months I started to fail finding words in Slovenian after I return. **** Something about Slovenian: - You mentioned neverending eating. This is known for Carniola - the middle part of country (Gorenjska, Dolenjska, Notranjska, Suha Krajina in Bela krajina). It is much rare to see it in Stayer part. Especially sounthern Carniola (Dolenjska) was poor and having food is BIG for them. So there are those feast came from. It is like that since WW2. Not all region are like that. Other region will give much more frugal offering and those lower part of country always had upper one for stingy on offering. - Yes gifts are also known to be expected mostly on lower part of country. You can't go "empty handed" to someone. But than again, it is not like this everywhere. It depends where you live. Slovenian are really two (or three) major type of people. Some are just like you described for American, other are wery buttoned up. I would say we ere very prudent. So meny nations ran over us, so we are open, but to certain extent. After that you need visa to make friendship. But after you are granted to be someone's friend, it is deep. Also I must say grief how our nation generally deteriorated in just 25 years after gained independency. Greed and selfishness rulled over all common sense our ancestor had. Most of your description would be incorrect 30 years ago. We did not lock doors, we crash at neighbour houses, we had meals, feast together, helped at common work together. 95% of people have (had) his own brick and mortar house - mostly build by them selves with help of friends. Now we had to plan drink-out for year in advance and still at the last monent SMS message will cancel it, even if we live in same village. People are so much self oriented latelly. They rather joke over FB, than meet. The relations become so shallow. One sentence jokes, some chit-chat and that is it. People met atr the funeral and the most heard cliche is "oh, we only meet on funerals latelly, we really have to meet more often" and than until next funeral of common relative, nothing. It is really not expected to be joyfull if most people earn around 700 EUR per month. So this come and leave we really feel rude. After all time, only five minutes? Also We have saying that if you just "turn on your heels" you'll take the sleep with you. You need to sit and drink at least something. It is endeed in our culture that we need to give something. We feel accepted if you take it (let it be only drink). Men will force you drink wine, women to eat cakes. They tell "domača" (domestic), to enforce you. You will not have guts to turn down him/her since that wine/cake is same is they. Thankfully most wine in Slovenia is drinkable latelly. 30 years ago, I preyed to god that wine would be passable. :) Slovenia is small by square kilometers (New Jersey at best), but if you want to explore it full, one life is too short. Keep good life and all the best in Slovenia. If nothing else, your left eye is something to fall in love with. So I understand Luke why he could not look away. :)

[@MariahDolenc]

Wow! So many interesting points. The wine in Slovenia is DEFINITELY a bonus 😉

[@Rahmatuljin]

Vrhunski odgovor, zelo poučno, hvala!!! 😊

[@Tilenm]

I totally get you about the language. As a Slovenian I speek english and german. And since we learn english already in primary school it is not that hard. However, when I learned german it was quite challenging, especially because of the dialects. And my knowledge of foreign language depends on how I feel that day... But don't worry, if you wish to learn just speak and try. But I can understand that it is (much) difficult as english, especialy with dual, cases, ... After 4 years since you uploaded this video I would say you are much better 😉

[@mlakarx2931]

Hi im from SLOVENIJA nice video keep up

[@cuber64]

Your perception about slovenian culture is spot on. If you don't stuff your visitors with food until they are sick, you're a bad host. And if you stay less than 4 hours you are a rude guest as in "why did you even come if you want to leave so soon?". I hate this so much, but like you said, you can't change the culture.

[@MrGlobalAwakening]

Mariah Dolenc, since you like Bohinj. You should really explore the Soča Valley. It's the countries gem. A couple places like Velika korita Soče, Krnsko jezero, Bovec, Prelaz Vršič from Kranjska gora, Sedmera jezera, etc... To be honest the best places are in the mountains. Welcome to the country :)

[@UnssenX]

I am from Celje (East Slovenia) and i can confirm that if Bohinj is a Slovenian gem, then Soča Valley is a God's own masterpiece that is unparalleled on our planet. And it is no wonder Soča is considered The most beautiful river on planet Earth and that Julian Alps are considered The most picturesque mountain range in Europe.

[@puffy729]

She was here in Slovenia 7 years and you said Welcome to the country? Lmao 😂

[@mirkovukoja233]

Great haircut!