Dobrodošli

Well, we made it to Slovenia. Dobrodošli - welcome! Somewhere vaguely in the back of my habitually anxious mind there´s a feeling that I should be panicking that this huge move might be a colossal mistake. But I sit at the kitchen table and look out of the window over the shimmering sea at Italy just across the bay, and peace sweeps over me.

It looks even closer from where I sit.

Which is just as well, because it´s been a bit of an adventure these past two weeks (Yes, two. I´ve not been online much because we´re still waiting for internet to be hooked up). Our apartment was finalised by the university a nail-biting week before we arrived. It was suggested we stay in a hotel for a couple of weeks while we furnished it. We decided against that immediately, as the stress of a slowly disappearing life (pets rehomed, possessions sold) was telling hard on our toddler. We needed a home, even if it meant sleeping on the floor and eating sandwiches.

The point was taken when we arrived. In Slovenia and surrounding parts of Europe, it turns out that ˝unfurnished˝ means ˝no kitchen˝. As in, not even a sink, just the connections in the wall. Luckily, it does not mean ˝no bathroom˝.  I´m getting pretty used to doing dishes in a bucket in the shower while we await the arrival of a sink. And did I mention still waiting for internet? Things in Slovenia move... slowly. We did at least get a washing machine within a week, which was a relief, because it´s hard to do everything in the shower.

Another reason we´ve not got much done is that we arrived a couple of days before a conference my husband was involved in. It was as if friends from all over the world had come to greet us – and the receptions, banquet and winery tour were part of our own celebration. But we got to sing for our supper too – the Dean of the Maths and Science department (FAMNIT) pulled us aside at a reception and told us that we were ˝just˝ going to be interviewed on camera for the city´s website. My husband is used to this and has a little speech about why he comes here. I bumbled. I haven´t even dared look at the video yet.

Anyhow, that´s the short version. Every sentence I write seems like it needs its own blog post. I´ll catch up slowly, the Slovene way, maybe drinking good, unbelievably cheap, coffee in a cafe by the sea :)