Land of dreams

Joao wanted to come to Europe ever since he was a small boy. Eventually he did, and it was in Portugal that he fell in love with a Slovenian girl. Joao is originally from Sao Paolo in Brazil. He now lives in Murska Sobota! When Slovenians find out where he's from, they say… but why?!?! But Joao is happy where he is… he's with the person he loves, surrounded by wonderful people, and says he loves l...

Try a putting a pen on a piece of paper and starting a long-distance romantic relationship... Think it would work? According to Dan, all the best stories start with a girl… Dan Penketh is an engineer who was born in the UK but also spent quite a lot of his time in Scotland. He now lives in Ljubljana. He came here because of love and tells us of his coming to Slovenia. Dan compares Slovenia to Scot...

Meet Joyce Pizarro, a Peruvian who calls herself a Latin American, and calls Slovenia her home. Her first contact with Slovenia was in primary school in India, and later in life her best friends were Slovenes of Argentinian descent. After moving from country to country she then met a Slovenian traveling the world. Eventually Joyce moved to Maribor and today she has three children and works for a S...

Joao was born and raised in Lisbon, but does not regret his decision to move to Slovenia. The reason: a blue-eyed blonde girl from Maribor. He says it was love at first sight. He does miss the ocean, but now calls Maribor his home. Joao still struggles with the language but speaks German and easily finds work in neighboring Austria. He studied gastronomy and tourism, praises Slovenia's wine, and s...

Have you ever perceived Slovenia as both the great outdoors and a culinary destination at the same time? Just like many other foreigners arriving in Slovenia, Robin Hill was blown away by the beauty and outdoor activities on offer. Originally from Birmingham in England, it didn't take Robin long to buy a house and move to Slovenia. And being a chef, he eventually also opened his own restaurant bus...

Imagine an amphitheater of forest-covered mountains and a green open meadow in the middle. And a chair. And sitting on that chair is Lindsey. On one of her European travels she fell in love with Slovenia, and especially the Bovec area. Originally from Montana, USA, Lindsey Conroy then bought an old house in Lepena! Lindsey is a yoga teacher, entrepreneur, and adventurer, but says buying the proper...

Evan works a piece of land in the Ljubljana Marshes. He's often misunderstood because of his approach to life and farming, as he has no machinery or tractor… He has faced droughts, floods, and even evictions, but Evan is too passionate to stop faming and will always continue planting seeds because it's what makes him alive… The story is a "Land of Dreams" special, created and played at the 2022 Av...

Katarzyna is a Czech girl️ who initially came to study in Slovenia and found it so nice that she never went back. Today she lives in Maribor, works as a translator, speaks Slovene, is active in the local folklore group, and helps foreign students in Slovenia. Katarzyna loves the food and mix of central European and Balkan cultures in Slovenia. She says being a foreigner is difficult, but that livi...

Meet Ziauddin, a chef from India , who thought he was going to England but ended up in Slovenia. After several years of working in a number of hotels and restaurants in Ljubljana, Ahmed eventually decided to open his own place - a small takeaway restaurant serving Indian food. He says Indian food is not only curry, and says his aim is to present the variety of Indian foods and spices. Regarding Sl...

Joseph is from Madagascar and has lived in Slovenia since 1977. He says his soul is still very much connected to his home island, which he misses every day. Joseph is an architect, musician, and storyteller, who came to Ljubljana as a young student. He still remembers the time of Yugoslavia and Tito. He says racism was an issue in Yugoslavia, and talks of his frequent visits to primary schools giv...

Meet the Daltons from South Africa! Werner and Nardia arrived in Slovenia with their son around half a year ago with a wish to call Slovenia their home. They say South Africa is overcrowded and love the size of Ljubljana and its quick access to nature. Nardia has a natural products business, as she makes her own environmentally friendly washing powders and dishwasher tablets. She praises Slovenia'...

This week we talk to the Chernenkos, a Ukrainian family living in Slovenia. The Chernenkos have been in Slovenia for two years now but still face challenges. Andrii and Iryna arrived in Slovenia with their son and daughter to offer them a better education and future. However their thoughts are still in Ukraine, worried about the current situation and the safety of their families… We visited them i...

Slovenia is beautiful and amazing, but some people decide to move on... Ozbay Emrah, originally from Istanbul, Turkey, has lived in Slovenia for around three years. Now he's moving to neighbouring Austria. He lists some of the biggest obstacles: the Slovene language and the inability to find proper work. Nevertheless, Ozbay says he's leaving Slovenia with nice memories. If you want to find out mor...

Today's guest is an Olympic medalist from Canada, living and practicing in Slovenia. Abigail Strate first tried ski jumping when she was six. She's been jumping ever since ;) Abigail spends most of the year in Slovenia, lives in a house near the Planica Nordic Centre, has a Slovenian coach, loves bees, and has Slovenia to thank for her medal. She says she feels at home here and that going to Canad...

Paul first came to Slovenia when he was eight years old. Later in life it turned out to be the only country he came back to which was better than his memory of it. Today Paul lives in the village of Ribno near Bled, together with his wife Abhaya, who comes from Taiwan. They love Slovenia's nature, fresh air, rivers and lakes. He says he'd like to see Slovenians be more connected, more vocal in pro...

There's no escaping destiny, and Mehtab says destiny brought him to Slovenia. Meet Mehtab Singh, originally from Punjab, India, now living in Kranj. Mehtab has a tea shop in Kranj and says Slovenia has made him a complete man. He decided to start a business and start living in Slovenia after first falling in love with the country 14 years ago. He says Slovenians are warm and curious, very intellig...

It's always sunny above the clouds, according to Patrick Davidson, a Welshman living in Slovenia. Patrick loves the mountains and has always been attracted by all things Slavic. After spending some time in Russia he decided to move and buy property in Slovenia. Today he's involved in real estate and construction, has a Slovene wife and family, and coaches rugby. Driving on Bohinj's snow-covered mo...

Meet Annisa, an Indonesian living in the Slovenia capital Ljubljana. She says living in Ljubljana is both more peaceful and fun than living in Jakarta. She admits that living in Slovenia as a foreigner is not easy, but Annisa says Slovenians have been warm and pleasant and is grateful to live in a country where she can freely express herself. If she could change one thing about Slovenes, she would...

Krishna arrived in Slovenia all the way from Nepal. Working as a mountain guide he fell in love with one of his clients, Jasmina from Makole. The young couple then married, settled in Makole and now have a baby daughter. Krishna says he was well received by his parents-in-law and local community. He likes to hike, especially to the nearby Mt Boč, but he hasn't been up to Mt Triglav yet. Krishna's...

Emina was born in Africa to a Croatian mother and Kenyan father. In the time of Yugoslavia her parents moved to Slovenia for work, where Emina finished her primary, secondary and university education. Today Emina is an attorney at law, a dancer, a mother…. She is also the founder of an African association in Ljubljana, teaches dance, and helps parents and children experiencing racial discriminatio...

This week in Land of Dreams meet Simon Pribac. He was born in Slovenia,, but has spent most of his life in Toronto, Canada. His family has been going back and forth between Slovenia and North America since the 1800s… So where's home, Simon? He's currently active with the Canadian-Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and other projects promoting Slovenia in Canada and vice versa. On air today at 11:25am a...

Jacobus, better known as Jacoo, came to Slovenia from South Africa without knowing anyone. Not because of love, not by recommendation and without knowing too much about Slovenia. It took just one stop at the train station in Ljubljana to get him thinking about the idea of starting his work in Slovenia. Today Jacoo has his architecture and design company, owns a van, and likes to hike and move arou...

Why does a metal core band from Malta decide to move to the Slovenian countryside? We paid Kris, John, Ehren, and Matthew a visit inside their home in Zreče, near Rogla mountain. The name of their band is "Decline The Fall" and this is their story of coming to Slovenia ;) Music: Decline the Fall - "Nemesis" / Acoustic version. You can listen to the full song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r...

Luz says adventure brought her to Slovenia. She came from Peru many years ago to visit her brother in Europe. She met her Slovene husband while hitchhiking ;) Slovenia has taught her how beautiful life can be living connected to Mother Earth. In the village of Kunova near Gornja Radgona, Luz, her husband, and son, have built a center dedicated to Earth, permaculture, personal growth and sustainabl...

Originally from Benin, Marius spent his youth in Canada, finished his studies in Moscow and presently lives in Maribor. He works at the Faculty of Law as an assistant professor and researcher with a focus on international and environmental law. Marius met his Slovene wife in Russia and got married in Jeruzalem near Ljutomer. He loves Slovenian wine, but is not that fond of "žganci". Marius says op...