I have some exciting news, the Viking and I, we just booked our first trip of 2016!!! New travel plans always get me all kinds of excited, it is seriously a must to have something to look forward to during the long Icelandic winters!
So where will we be traveling to??
This Easter holiday H and I will be spending a week in Slovenia! I will be traveling to Slovenia for work for a few days and then the Viking will be joining me for some Slovenian adventures, we can not wait!
One thing I am very excited to do while in Slovenia, meet the lovely Isabel from The Sunny Side of This! I have Isabel to thank for moving Slovenia up to the top of my travel list, I honestly don’t think this trip would be happening now if it weren’t for her blog and gorgeous pictures of her travels around Slovenia!
If you haven’t already met her Isabel is one pretty lady from Mexico living in the beautiful Slovenia with her husband and I am about to stalk her blog for all her Slovenia posts! Today I have her over on the blog answering my questions about life in Slovenia, her romantic international love story, and her must dos in Slovenia.
Welcome Isabel!
Welcome! Lets get started with an introduction. Tell us a bit about yourself?
I am Isabel, born and raised in the Sonora-Arizona Desert (so the extreme opposite of Slovenia), and a person who has had many hats before becoming an expat: English teacher, Marketing manager, Rotaract volunteer, President of my College Student Council, and the girl you could count on saying YES! to any kind of trip, adventure or fun experience. I was also a dancer for 12 years of my life (jazz, tap, hiphop, salsa, samba), and have been a bookworm and word lover for as long as I can remember. I speak English, Spanish, French, and currently trying to finally conquer the Slovenian language.
I am a sucker for a good international love story and you sure have a good one! How did you decide which country to live in, Mexico or Slovenia?
Aww thank you! Likewise, dear! Well, at the beginning of our relationship I was still studying my BA in Marketing and Mr. M was the one looking for opportunities in my city but that plan fell through. I also applied to another semester abroad in the University of Ljubljana and got accepted but that would mean that I would finish my bachelors for another 2 years (and let’s face it, I was probably never going to go back to Mexico to finish if that had happened). So then we looked into living abroad together on our own to an English speaking country but then I found this master program in Slovenia that was quite affordable for the academic curriculum it provided, and since I have always wanted to study a masters in Europe since my studying abroad experience in France, I decided to pursue that dream instead. So once we had that plan on lock, Mr. M proposed (first via Google Hangouts, geeky and romantic just like us!) and then he formalized it on Christmas Day of 2013!! (PS, you can read more about it here)
Thanks to you I have been dreaming of a trip to Slovenia for months now. What is your favorite thing about life in the sunny side of the alps?
The nature and weather. I love the fact that I have a “city hill” (as Slovenians call it) 20 minutes walking from my apartment and that all the hills and mountains around Slovenia have built-in paths that make exploring relatively easier. The hiking culture here is so important and respected, even kids learn the basic survival and technical hiking skills at school. I find it so impressive! Every Sunday you will see every single Slovenian on any hill or path you go to, exploring and enjoying the nature. Something that we, for obvious reasons, can’t do as much in the Desert. We do have a lot of mountains, but also extreme high temperatures and poisonous animals! You either need to become an expert or go with one for any expedition.
Any culture shocks you have experienced since moving to Slovenia?
Pleeeeeenty. But I guess the biggest for me, because of my personality I guess, is the fact that the culture here is more community oriented and therefore are more homogeneous in their behaviors (like fashion sense, creative outlets, etc). Like in everything in life, it has its ups and downsides. It has been changing over the years though, specially after the economic crisis and with the newer generations traveling more, a lot of opportunities are opening up. On the bright side, in rural areas in Slovenia, people will help building your new house. Like literally building the whole thing with their hands over the weekends. And once it is done, you make a barbecue party for them to thank them, which I find is really neat. In Mexico, we are much more diverse. For starters, we are Latin Americans and we are just so passionate and lively about EVERYTHING! Plus I come from a place too close to the USA border where a lot of people from all over the world emigrated to, so our culture is a mix of everything (Americans, Mexicans, Italians, French,Japanese, Chinese). So for good or bad, you really need to stand out and be really creative. In Mexico you literally can’t have a hobby without people giving you a thousand ways on how you could monetize it later on.
Since I am coming to Slovenia this spring I have to ask, what are the must see places you would recommend?
Lake Bled, hands down one of my favorite places on Earth. It is so beautiful and mystical. The Gorenska region in Slovenia is in general really beautiful. There are lots of lakes, rivers, mountains, you name it. So it is the perfect scene to get outdoorsy and enjoy some time with nature. You can have a look at my suggestions for the 7 must things to do in Bled!
Have you always been a big traveler? Where was your first international trip to?
Yes! Well, my family and I went almost every 6 months to vacation to Arizona since I was very little. But the first “real” one was to Kalamazoo, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois for an exchange experience when I was 12 years old with my school. That was the first time where realize I could now think in English! It was also in the midst of 9/11, but this experience taught from a very young age that the world is not a scary place and there are far more good people than evil ones in this world.
What is your favorite and least favorite place you have visited?
Favorite has to be the time I went to New York City, I was going through a particularly rough time in my life but I had just started studying my BA in Marketing and I was mesmerize by all the grandeur of the city. It made me realize that life was going to happen under my own terms and I was capable to turn things around. Least favorite one has to be the time we traveled with my University by bus to Belarus and Poland. Don’t get me wrong, those countries were beautiful but I am just too old to travel 12 hours by bus every 2 days.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who is in an international relationship?
Enter with an open mind and a full heart. So don’t take anything personal, especially issues regarding cultural differences or shocks (either with your partner, his family or friends). Because life will reward you for breaking your old paradigms of how things are suppose to be. And as a general rule of thumb, don’t take advice from people that are not living their life to the fullest, a lot of people will approach with advice (maybe with good intentions) that is based on fear. Take the leap, everything will be okay as long as you have each other.
Any big travel plans for 2016?
Yes!! We are going to go see Adele sing live in Lisbon, Portugal in May. I have been a fan of her since 2008, so this will be one more item off the bucket list! Plus, I have never been to Portugal, so I am ecstatic!!
Before you go what are three of your favorite posts that you think everyone needs to read!
If you want to know a little bit more of where I came from: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Sonora
A round up of great things to do for your next visit to Ljubljana, Slovenia
And the Top 5 Must Visit Slovenian Destinations:
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Isn’t Isabel one awesome gal! Make sure to check out her blog, it will have you dreaming of a trip to Slovenia guranteed!
Question of the Day?
Have you been to Slovenia before? Any tips on what to do!?