SLOVENIA'S 5 CORE VALUES

For us, she was always simply Sandra – communicative, smiling, hardworking, and open to the world. Before moving, she worked at the Kempinski hotel in Portorož, and it was there that she was offered a new job abroad. She embraced the decision to live abroad for five years with enthusiasm. We neighbours wondered if Doha would become more than just a temporary home for her. She remained where the sand flows into gold, where mornings begin with the silence of the desert and evenings with the lights of the metropolis; there, my neighbour began to write a new chapter in her life. She found love and married an Indian man. There, she grew into a woman who belongs to two homelands at once.

Her departure didn't surprise me at all, as she had always been hardworking, persistent and adaptable, and what's more, she was a quick learner of new languages. I observed on Facebook how she bloomed in a foreign environment. I followed her posts, which included marathon running, medals, smiling colleagues from diverse cultures, and new family members who welcomed her. In a foreign environment, she became incredibly at home very quickly. She knew how to find her place, warmth, and her circle of people.

However, photographs from her kitchen always make me the happiest. Sandra has loved cooking with passion since she was young, and it is this passion that she has carried with her to Qatar. In the Indian household, amongst spices that smell of the world, her plate also features dishes that smell of Slovenia, of childhood, and of belonging. In the Qatari heat, Slovenian soup simmers on the stove in her kitchen, meat and cottage cheese burek temptingly pose on a platter, walnut-filled peach cookies adorn the table, and Easter eggs are a specialty and a memento of holidays. 

Potatoes reign supreme on her menu, that humble accompaniment to Slovenian dishes. Sometimes she bakes them traditionally, other times she mashes them with butter, and at other times she bakes them with Indian spices she has grown to love. She says that no matter how it's prepared, their aroma reminds her of Slovenia. Her husband doesn't complain about the Slovenian food served, but rather enjoys it. Sandra happily shares how much she loves cooking from her mother's recipes and how proud she is of them. Proud because she prepares these dishes not only for her Indian family but also for numerous friends of different nationalities, whom she often hosts. How wonderfully it smells of authentic Istrian 'jota' when the aromas of sauerkraut, beans, and potatoes mingle. Some of her friends are tasting these dishes for the first time in their lives. By preparing Slovenian food in a foreign land, she indicates that a part of her remains where she grew up.

Belonging is that gentle thread that connects us to places, to people, and also to memories. The journey of belonging, which flourishes in a new world, never remains without its roots. Sandra is proof that one can live on the other side of the world while carrying their nation, culture, and home in their heart. Dual belonging is sometimes invisible, but clear: in the language that is not forgotten; in the food that is prepared far from home; in the people who are welcomed into one's circle; in the love that bridges all distances. Sandra carries Slovenia in her heart and Qatar in her hands. She carries both worlds within her, both complement each other and both enrich her.

Bernarda Jenko, 27 July 2026