SLOVENIA'S 5 CORE VALUES

I always thought she was a local, but she's not. During our conversation, the subject of how she came to our village came up.

"When you arrive in a new place, you quickly feel the energy of the people around you. I grew up in Goriče. During my student years, when I was gaining experience in the catering industry, after a long time I met a guy I had known since I was a little girl and who I used to hang out with when I was on holiday with my grandparents in the nearby village of Lahovče," Lidija said. They fell in love and started a family in Cerklje. Over the years, she has also made beautiful memories with her neighbours, full of genuine, unconditional mutual support.  

"The elderly couple, neighbours Stane and Vera, have always had such a genuine and loving relationship with all of us." Among the memories, the story of a walk on a summer's day particularly resonates. Lidija went for a walk without an umbrella, even though it looked like it might rain. Indeed, about halfway through the walk, it started to rain. She was getting a little worried, but then she saw her neighbour's car coming towards her. "My neighbour came to help because he saw that the weather had suddenly turned worse. He knew I hadn't brought an umbrella because we had said hello outside the house a little while before. He jokingly said: 'Here, I'm here so you don't get wet as a kitten'. He always likes to joke around and there is not a day when he doesn't ask me how I am."

His partner Vera is always happy to treat us neighbours to homemade delicacies. She has also brought a hot meal on several occasions when she has heard that someone is ill. "We also help them with the firewood and other chores." Lidija also often helps them with their phones and other digital devices that can quickly cause problems for the elderly. 

"They are really good people. The last time the boys were alone in the morning, because we had already left early for work, our neighbour Vera came to ring the bell, wake them up and remind them that it was time to go to school."

"The other neighbours are also very kind-hearted and always willing to help," says Lidija. Once a year, people from all over the street traditionally get together for an inter-neighbour picnic. I've never seen anything like this before." Lidija is truly grateful that she and her family are living and building their future in such a beautiful place.

It is increasingly embedded in the community. Although she was not born in Cerklje, she has become part of it. And Cerklje has become her home. Not only has she found a place that has become her home, but here she is finally enjoying that sense of belonging she has always wanted to feel.

Maja Grošelj, 30 June 2025