BELLSPIRATION CLUB - Luka Radičević, Serbia/Slovenia: I like that Slovenians really appreciate what they have (Part 3/4)

1) Luka, you currently live in Slovenia. What do you like most about it, and what things do you have challenges with when it comes to living in another country?

My first and biggest impression when I first arrived in Slovenia was how clean and tidy it was - that was certainly what I first noticed. I like that Slovenians really appreciate what they have, preserving it and presenting it to the world in the best possible way. It seems to me that this is the main difference in comparison to Serbia, which also has a lot of nice things to offer, however, I am sad that this is often not appreciated, and if we do not appreciate what’s our own, how can we expect others to appreciate it? The city of Ljubljana, as the capital, although not so big, has a certain spirit to it that attracts and amuses all those who visit it. I really like the fact that in less than a 5-minute walk from the city center, the Prešeren Square, you can reach mini gardens and Tivoli park, which is the largest park I have had the opportunity to visit, and which will make you wonder how it is even possible that such beautiful nature is so close to the urban center of the city - which is the fact you quickly forget in Tivoli. In addition, Slovenia will leave you breathless because in one day you can be at the sea and on top of Triglav covered with snow, and Slovenia is close to many interesting touristic locations, such as Venice, Trieste, Graz, Vienna, Budapest… Enough about nature and beauties - if I focus on living in a foreign country in general, adjustment is definitely needed. The mentality is relatively similar to the one I was used to in Serbia, which I also liked, and as nature is neater, the bureaucratic system is more organized and cared for as well, as that is something a foreign student first encounters. However, obviously, when it comes to bureaucracy, roses don't bloom anywhere, so maybe I would single it out as something that is sometimes still a challenge for me. Although Slovenes are generally pleasant and friendly people, there are those who are more open to the West than to the countries of the former Yugoslavia, which can sometimes be felt in 1-on-1 conversations. Speaking of the West, I found it difficult at first until I became accustomed to the fact that Slovenes are much more oriented towards Western culture than it is the case in Serbia - it may have been a shock only to me, but it is certainly another thing I have noticed. All in all, Slovenia is a country I would recommend for student life, especially Ljubljana, which is full of students from different countries and where the student population has many privileges. However, Slovenia is certainly not to blame for the biggest challenges I have encountered and still face here.

2) How did the process of adapting to the new environment go? Was it difficult for you or you are someone who adapts easily?

Although I knew from an early age that studying abroad was what I wanted, I had no idea what it would bring along. Before enrolling in college, I was torn between two decisions - Russia, for which I received a scholarship and Slovenia. I can say that I have not regretted that I enrolled in the University of Ljubljana. I made the decision because a degree from the European Union might offer more opportunities for the field I’m studying, and above all, I am not that far away from home, which is still a very important factor considering that I am quite attached to my family, girlfriend, and friends, as well as to my hometown of Niš. As for adaptability, I'm generally quite contradictory - I like challenges, but I also like the status quo, which I don't always change very willingly and without need. In new circumstances, I am a little shy and slow to start, until I "analyze" everything around me, but later on I adjust relatively easily. It was the same with coming to Ljubljana. When I now remember how I got on a bus in Niš one evening at the end of September, almost 4 years ago, how my dear people were waving to me from the outside, how I fell asleep in tears and woke up in the morning in a place I had never been to before. A good friend from my childhood and my current roommate, who had been in Slovenia for some time, was waiting for me, and he helped me cope at the beginning. Honestly, from this point of view, I admire myself for the courage I had to go abroad for studies so unprepared. Of course, thanks to my mother, I had all the necessary things with me, even a little more than needed, but somehow, that September, everything happened so fast that I didn't have time to ask some necessary questions - I didn't know if I needed a visa or where to get it, whether I completely finished the process of enrolling in the faculty or whether I should have finished it in person, how I can get student vouchers, etc. Having learned from my experience, since then I have been available to everyone who is interested in studying abroad, especially in Slovenia. The first semester of the faculty was quite a turbulent experience for me - I didn't even know a word of Slovenian, the study system was completely new to me, and that only made life in a foreign country even more difficult. Fortunately, the professors had more than enough understanding for us foreigners, and I tried to learn the language quickly. I was spending a lot of time daily on video calls with my girlfriend and my family, as I missed everyone a lot. It meant a world to me that soon after I left, first my mother visited me, and then my girlfriend as well. I was also lucky enough to meet my dear roommate from North Macedonia, with whom I am still inseparable, and who also came to Ljubljana for the first time at the time, so we supported each other. Unlike him, though, who used his first semester to get to know the city, the people, and the environment, if I wasn’t at the faculty having lectures, I was mostly closed in my room and either studying or working as an online English teacher, thus helping my parents’ with the costs related to my departure. When I successfully completed the first exam term, passing all the exams with excellent grades, I became more confident in myself and thought like "what on Earth was I thinking coming here when I don't understand a single word of what is said in lectures" disappeared. Although I quickly gained good colleagues and friends at the faculty, I gradually started opening up more. In the summer semester, I found a part-time job at the biggest Slovenian science center "House of Experiments", which I still work at and adore, and I just started to enjoy the beauties of the new city and studying abroad more and more. Of course, even during the first year, I went home relatively often - it was very difficult for me to do and study anything there, but I managed to "force myself" when needed. All of this has contributed to my adjustment to the new environment, which I now consider a second home in a way. I recently had an opportunity to be a guest on local television in Niš, when I realized that I can proudly say that I can call two cities and two local communities mine, being happy to invest myself and my time in their development. 

3) How has life in a new environment, away from home, family, and friends, affected your personality? What did you learn from this experience?

I think that living in a new environment, far from everything I am used to, has influenced me a lot. I tried to make sure it changed me in a positive sense, and of course, the essence of Luka's personality - positivity, desire to help others, and sometimes a good sense of humor - remained there. First of all, I would like to point out that I became completely independent in Ljubljana and became much more responsible in every sense, which is what I am very glad about. I have to admit that sometimes I am not very eager to wash dishes, wash and iron clothes or prepare a quality meal for myself, but I appreciate the fact that I can do all that (I mean, it's not like doing chores is quantum physics) and, more importantly, that I am able to incorporate it into my busy everyday life. Such seemingly simple things made me look at my independent life differently and appreciate even more how lucky I was to have my mother and grandmother do some things for me earlier. Although I’ve had the full support of my family and girlfriend from the beginning, the fact that they are about 750 kilometers away from me sometimes makes me very sad at the end of a long day, when there are no obligations to distract me and when I am left alone with my thoughts. What drives me and what I have started to rely on even more since I started living by myself is love itself - towards people, towards what I do, towards life in general, and perhaps even more importantly, towards myself. Sometimes a person is not aware of how happy they are… In addition, the experience of living independently has taught me I can do much more than I was aware I could. I think that living in a foreign country is a valuable experience that contributes a lot to personal development - an experience that everyone should have. Although at certain points I tried to motivate myself by counting days until my next trip home (not because I do not like it in Ljubljana, on the contrary), the experience of studying abroad also taught me to live and enjoy the present moment, which became especially relevant during the pandemic. We all learned then how difficult and ungrateful it actually is to plan anything in advance. It was especially difficult for me as an overthinker, perfectionist, and Virgo to accept that. No matter how hard we try not to change the things we like in our lives, we have to understand that the only constant in life changes. In that manner, for the end of this interview, I would like to share another phenomenal TED talk with the readers: "The Psychology of Your Future Self" by Dan Gilbert, which taught me just that. I suggest you also watch the TED-Ed animated video lesson inspired by that talk, on the topic of how the end of history illusion can be applied to our personal lives.

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CONTACT LUKA:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/lukatalks/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/lukatalks98 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/lukaradicevic Academia: https://uni-lj.academia.edu/lukaradicevic

Previous parts of Luka's interview:

Interview PART 1/4: https://bellspiration.blogspot.com/2021/05/bellspiration-club-luka-radicevic.html
Interview PART 2/4: https://bellspiration.blogspot.com/2021/06/bellspiration-club-luka-radicevic_1.html

A few interesting things about Luka::

https://niskevesti.rs/12400-luka-radicevic-nis-ima-perspektivu/
https://niskevesti.rs/niski-talenti-luka-radicevic-spaja-ljubljanu-i-nis/
https://www.festivalnauke.org/start/evropa-u-malom/slovenija/muzika-ceslja-novcica-i-balona

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