SLOVENIA'S 5 CORE VALUES

Jože Frank, a family friend from Maribor, had a special life journey. He often told us stories from his early childhood, but at the same time he was acutely aware of his belonging to the country where he spent his youth, where he created a family and where he lived until his last breath.

Jožeto's parents were Slovenian. They travelled to Chile, a coastal country on the south-eastern coast of South America, with bread on their bellies. There, Jože was born. The boy with the Slovenian name lived in Curico. Chile was his first homeland, where he took his first steps, smelled the sea and learned Spanish. 

His childhood years, spent in unfamiliar streets and among strange faces, were not rosy. But despite his deprivation, little Jože had sparkles in his eyes and a childish smile on his cheeks. He did not know comfort, he did not know tired feet and cold, he only remembered the smell of his mother's freshly baked doughnuts, which the barefoot man sold every morning to passers-by on the street. He did not shout, he did not force, he only offered what was made of flour and sugar and brought hope for those few coins. He was a little hero of everyday life.

When he was ten years old, he moved with his parents to Slovenia, to Rašica near Veliky Lašče. Until then, Slovenia lived for him only in stories, photographs and his parents' Slovenian accent. At a young age, as an inquisitive young man, he discovered his homeland, where his roots were. He admired its beauty. He was enchanted by the green forests, the lively rivers, the majestic Triglav, the snow-capped peaks, the fairytale castles, the modern museums, the Slovenian towns and cities with their rich history and culture, and the customs of the people. Culture has grown close to his heart. He expressed his passion for dance in the Academic Folklore Group France Marolt in Ljubljana, with which he collaborated on the film Celebrating Spring. He has also remained faithful to kurentovanje as one of the Slovenian traditions.

In later years, he started his own family in Maribor. The Slovenian lyrics were those that Jože's heart understood. His eyes shone as he sang them and told of the place where he had made his family nest and found his peace, his community and his home. On national holidays, he always hoisted the Slovenian flag, which flew as much as his sense of loving the land he had chosen and walked on.

He felt a sense of belonging not only to the place where he was born. He had a deep-seated sense of belonging to the country where he had made his home and where he would remain for the rest of his days. Belonging is not about geographical location, but an emotional compass that points in the direction of the landscape where one is connected and accepted. It is man's love for the land he has chosen, and the land for him.

Bernarda Jenko, 29. 7. 2025