Ljubljana Life

Living the Expat Life

Things here just aren't what they used to be!

by donna diluigi-osterc

So much has improved yet so much has stayed the same since I first came to Ljubljana in 1988. There were no expat clubs, no fitness centers, no indoor tennis courts, no shopping malls, no theme restaurants, and nothing to buy at the stores unless you were 'politically connected' (as all quality merchandise was reserved for export). For an outgoing American, living here was a lonely and frustrating experience. It was so counter-cultural compared to my New York style of life. It was slow, the service was poor, businesses were patriarchal and extremely slow in communication and with closure on any deals. Everything took forever rather than in a hot New York minute. No one had a telephone at home unless they were – yes that phrase again 'politically connected', and even if you had one in your place of business, you never answered it anyway.

People I met back then were not xenophobic, maybe because no one in the West knew a thing about Slovenia, so it was rare to find any Western expat residing here permanently. The open market back then was a hothouse for money changing of Yugoslav dinars to hard currency – the deutche mark being the currency of choice, although the Yankee dollar was OK, at least then it was worth the paper it was printed on.

Those days are long gone, and thankfully so. It's hard to find 'real' bargains here anymore. But the good thing is that there are now plenty of choices and you don't have to have 'political connections' to go on a shopping spree, start a business or cut your deals. It's still a little too slow here for this New Yorker but in many ways that's a blessing. You have time to enjoy your life.

There is no such thing as utopia, and of course any young nation must struggle with conversion and modernization. But I would be remiss if I let anyone believe that this is an easy place to do business. Politics is still very heavy handed here and quite patriarchal. It is one area that still has not changed much from 1988, but at least privatization is starting to move in the right direction, albeit in slow motion. Politicians, public officials, and members of boards of major companies still do not provide enough financial disclosure for public scrutiny. White collar criminal convictions are rare.

Getting permission to work and live here is still sometimes awkward and unnecessarily difficult. Several government agencies that are responsible for approving foreign businesses and visas are often providing conflicting and confusing advice to many foreigners.

But on the other hand, I do love the national health care system with its high tech smart card approach that puts your medical history into a national data base making it easier for healthcare professionals to understand your medical needs. It has liberalized and privatized parts of the medical specialties, but still needs to do more. The pension plan system is impervious to any career moves you may make with another company, it simply follows you – and that in the post-Enron days is absolutely stellar. The national day care approach provides consistent caretakers that are college educated and report to the Minister of Education. The system has low turnover rates, and a fair three-tier payment approach in accordance with your financial capabilities .

All in all, Slovenia is on its way up! Ljubljana, the capital city is awash with energy, things are on the move and changes are occurring here at a fast speed. Throughout its recent upheaval to become independent and now as an EU and NATO partner, Slovenia still has retained its love of nature and its easy tempo. Theme restaurants have sprung up everywhere, expats are flocking here and it has started to earn the reputation as an 'in' place to be.

This is an absolutely beautiful country and it offers so many areas to explore, be it wine tasting, biking, hiking, mountaineering, rafting, canoeing, camping, golfing, tennis, extreme sports, skiing, farm tourism – you name it, it's here. Traffic (outside of the capital) is a dream – with all the new highway construction almost completed, you can now get to most parts of Slovenia, to the borders of Italy, Austria and Croatia, in an hour or two. A far cry from the four-hour journey it use to take just to get to Maribor. Security is on the back-burner, and crime is extremely low. It's a country that has peacefully and successfully transitioned itself as a member in the family of European nations. Everywhere you look you'll find new innovative approaches to business, entertainment and cuisine.

And yet it's still a laid-back tempo. People work to live and enjoy themselves, and it reflects in the lifestyles and the diverse offerings out there – fitness centers, health spas, shopping malls, movie theater complexes, aqua parks, martial arts, and now we even have English language entertainment brought by the BEST theater group.

Expats now have clubs to belong to that offer a tremendous amount of activities and comradery. SILA (Slovenian International Ladies Association) is open to women only, and all of their events are held during the day, which is perfect for women who can't work and are at home during the day and for those who have young families.

Complimenting SILA is the ICS (International Club of Slovenia). It is run by expats living here permanently and is open to all expat men and women and spouses 18 years and up. Every month ICS has a get-together at a restaurant around Ljubljana or a 'theme' dinner at a members' home. It's hosted quite a few events in its first year, such as a Thanksgiving dinner, a Murder mystery dinner, an Indian nite, Southern BBQ nite, Pizza & Beer nite and even Christmas carolling. Once a month it hosts a different event in addition to on-going activities, keeping it relaxed and loose with an eye on fun. It hosts a wide variety of activities from cultural events to sporty undertakings like mixed double tennis tournaments to gourmet weekend biking trips and canoeing and camping trips.

Folded into ICS events but run by two independent expats is the ever popular FND (Friday night drinks) group that meets once a month on a Friday nite at a different bar for some lively stand-up conversation with fellow expats.

The expat life here is certainly no hardship post anymore – far from it. Ljubljana is a charming and romantic modern city with a lively rhythm that allows you to indulge yourself at your own pace. The nature here is spectacular, and now it's easier than ever to be a part of the ever-growing international community. But we expats who live here permanently caution you to keep this a secret, as one very wise Slovene once told me – when you go back to visit to the States, please don't tell anyone how nice it is here, we just don't have room for all of you.

Contact info for Ljubljana expat groups:

Slovene Int'l Ladies Association: www.sila.si
International Club of Slovenia: ics0505expat@yahoo.com
Friday Night Drinks: www.fridaynightdrinks.com