The beautiful day began with a feast inside the City Hotel in the beautiful town of Ljubljana. The smell of fresh baked bread, cooked meats, grilled vegetables, and hot cappuccinos greeted our nostrils upon entering the lobby. It was clear from the outset, today would be another perfect day for learning more about this foreign country we are beginning to call home.
After an excellent meal, we packed our notebooks and headed to our very first language class. Excitement and nervousness consumed my thought as we 
made our 20-minute walk to school. The city was busy with drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians, but there was a calm to the movement. Everyone knew where to go and how to get there. There did not seem to be any unnecessary chitchat, and most people kept to themselves. As we neared the building, it was clear our group was eager to learn more about the unique language of Slovenian. We were greeted by our wonderful teachers, Anja and Nina, and the lesson soon began.
It felt as though time turned back to when we were in elementary school. We learned our ABCs, greetings, and how to count to a hundred. All the small details and pronunciations were so unlike anything we had previously learned, and we were excited about the newness and freshness of the language.
We went through several activities, and when the 90 minutes were up, we were all surprised at how quickly it flew by. Even moreso, we all were anxiously awaiting the day to follow in which we could practice our new vocabulary.
While we had the option to split up in 
pairs for lunch, the group decided to stick together and go to the highly recommended Cantina Mexicana. Some brave souls chose to order their meals in broken Slovene, and the waiter patiently listened and carefully watched where we pointed on the menu.
About 10 minutes after we ordered, eyes wide, we began feasting on the Slovenian twist on Mexican. By the end of the meal, we sat back in our chairs
and were ready for a nap. Some plates looked as if the food had not even been touched as to-go boxes were delivered to our tables. It has become very clear to each of us that Slovenians make sure you have had enough to eat and do not allow a plate to leave the kitchen if not every inch has at least a morsel of food.
After giving our “hvalas” (thank yous), some of us made our way down the cobblestone streets to enjoy the afternoon reading by the river. There we read about the culture shock that a famous Slovenian poet and cultural scholar, the late Aleš Debeljak, faced upon his return to the newly established country of Slovenia in 1991. Feeling prepared for our tour later in the afternoon, we looked at each other knowing it was gelato time. We made our way to Prešeren Square to enjoy a delicious cone of gelato and people watch as a whole world festival was underway.
Back at the hotel, after listening to Sami Corbitt give her cultural presentation on the jamas (caves) we would be visiting tomorrow, we packed up and headed to Hostel Celica. Read more in the next blog post about what happened when a band of artists and visionaries climbed the walls of a military prison in the heart of Ljubljana to stop the demolition so that they could transform how people viewed and used the space!
Overall, Day 2 was another incredible day of fun and learning! We are slowly starting to understand the people and the culture more! I am so grateful to be a part of this incredible abroad with these incredible people learning about an incredible place.
~Sophia
Sophia Hathaway is a junior double majoring in environmental studies and global studies with a minor in sustainability. She has focused on the Carniolan bee as her Slovenian culture study and can’t wait to share with the group her findings! Be sure to stay updated on all the buzz.