SLOVENIA'S 5 CORE VALUES

Back to the days when my husband and I lived as young teachers in the countryside, up there in the hills. In a small village where there was no shop, no health centre, no post office. Just a school and a few houses. For everything else you had to walk to the first village or town in the valley. It was in this village that my husband and I had our first car, so it was quite understandable at that time that we catered to others and brought them supplies from the shop many times. Many times someone would come with us for shopping or other errands. We were happy to help everyone, as the first shop was 10 kilometres away and the doctor, the judge and others were about 30 kilometres from our village.

One night, however, I was not happy about this kind of help. My husband and I had to go to the doctor because our little son had been badly burnt. We waited at the doctor's before going to my parents» house and driving home quite late in the afternoon. The road was icy and the driving was very dangerous. In the middle of the road we met an acquaintance, Vink. The man stopped and Vinko said to him, "They are not coming to Gradišče. The road is like speg."

But my husband was not persuaded and did not turn around. He preferred to drive slowly, trusting the studded rubber tyres. They were recommended to him by an acquaintance who also lived in the hills and had been driving them all winter on the roads in the Gorenjska region.

»If you have porcupines, maybe you'll come,« Vinko replied. »But be extremely careful.«

And my husband was really careful. He drove slowly and in total darkness we reached home. I don't need to write about how relieved I was. How peacefully I went to bed that night and fell asleep, and how badly I was frightened by a knock on the door a little later, but not too. I woke my husband up all confused. During the knocking we heard shouts of »John, John!«

»It's Josh,« I said, scared.

When the man opened the door, he saw a man from the village.

»My wife is having a miscarriage and needs to go to the maternity hospital,« he also said, frightened. 

My husband and I flirted, I sobbed, and my husband comforted me: »I'll drive slowly and carefully now, just like before. It will be all right.«

They drove off, and I kept saying to myself between tears: what if I had been in her place? How would I have felt if the only one who could help me had said no? Because of fear. Calm down and go to sleep, because it really will be all right.

And indeed it was. It was almost the day when my husband came back and happily said, »We had barely got to the maternity ward before Tina gave birth, but the baby needed medical attention. I'm glad I was able to help, even with the help of the porcupines.«

I was also happy and happy that in some way we both found the strength and courage within ourselves and helped without hesitation. But this event, this helping my fellow human being, will always remain in my memory. Like a tiny light of love that is stronger than fear.

Darinka Kobal, 12. 1. 2026