SLOVENIA'S 5 CORE VALUES

She now lives in a residential home for the elderly. Despite her illness, she is sociable and cheerful at every event and meeting. She likes to talk about her youth, as well as the present – especially about her grandchildren. She is a sincere and sparkling storyteller, so it wasn't difficult for me to write one of her stories.

»I grew up on a small farm in the little village of Ropoša in Goričko. Because I knew I wouldn't be able to get a profession at home, a neighbour encouraged me to go to Austria. The border was close, and across it was a small and friendly town.«

I interrupted her with the question: »How old were you then?« 

»Fifteen!« 

»You dared to go away from home all by yourselves? To another country?« I wondered.

»But even though I didn't have money, didn't know the language, and didn't know anyone.«

»That's really brave,« I agreed.

»Oh, yes. I was brave, as I had to earn money for my education, living expenses, and boarding myself. I worked every free day and hour, but even so, it all became too expensive.«

»Have you given up?«

»Oh, no, not at all. I looked into it and rented a small room in Gornja Radgona. I travelled to work from there. For a while on foot, and then I bought a bicycle. A pony!« she said, still very proudly.

»By yourselves? Have you saved that much money?«

»Yes, I have! I bought it myself and learned to drive it.«

Everyone who listened to her had their eyes light up, as we remembered our youth and the joy that riding a bicycle brought us.

»One day, as I was returning home and crossing the Austrian border, I spotted a paper bag on the ground just before entering Slovenia. I jumped off my bike and picked it up. When I opened it, I almost fainted because it was full of money,« she said.

»What did you do with that money?«

»I took that big bag, full of money, to the Slovenian border and handed it over to the police. I told them: ’I found this, but it's not mine. I'm giving you this money so you can do what's right.«" 

»And what happened then?« we all looked at her curiously.

»So I carried on living as before. About a month later, the Austrian mayor visited me at my workplace and brought me praise for my honest work, and soon after, the Slovenian mayor did the same.«

»Were you proud?« I asked.

»Yes. So much so that I remembered that event for my entire life. When I told this story to my children many years later and asked them what they would do in that situation, they both said in unison: ,Bravo, Mum! You are the best example for us of how to live honestly. We would do the same.«

Darinka Kobal