Nevena chose to pursue studies in social work after years of dedicated work in her own non-governmental organization, supporting children and youth with disabilities. What did she think of Slovenia's capital and how accessible is it in her opinion? She chose to play the song Ljubav by Bojana Vunturišević.

During her second weekend in Ljubljana, Eliška became a "true Slovene." Climbing Triglav was just the beginning, as she continued scaling numerous peaks. According to her, the stereotype about how Czechs love to go hiking holds true. She chose to play the song Could Have Been Me by The Struts.

The Erasmus student says that often, the first association of his compatriots when mentioning Slovenia is Yugoslavia. After spending a semester in Ljubljana, he believes Slovenia is much more beautiful and interesting than they imagine. He chose to play the song You're the voice by John Farnham

Lana says she feels blessed to be able to study in Slovenia for free. She says that in Serbia, entrance exams determine who secures scholarships. Those at the top earn the scholarships, while others have to pay tuition fees.

Candice and Jade are currently back in France after acing their 6-week Erasmus internship in Ljubljana this summer. To secure their spot, they hustled—applying, emailing, and making things happen! They chose to play the song Osama by Zakes Bantwini and Kasango.

Despite having lived in Slovakia, Greece and other countries, Jaanika says that apart from her native Estonia, Slovenia is the only other country where she has felt at home. She came to Slovenia to study cognitive science for one semester, but ended up staing here for more than 2 years. She chose to play the song X-RAY by Tommy Cash.

The dual form may come as a surprise to some foreigners who move to Slovenia. For Bojana, who moved here from North Macedonia three years ago (and since has learned to speak Slovenian fluently), learning the language was, at first, one of her biggest challenges. Now, she finds the dual form romantic. The speech and language therapy student says that learning new languages is also something that comes in handy professionally. She chose to play the song Que Será, Será (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) by Doris Day.

Mark has lived in Madrid his whole life, but he says it was only during his exchange in Ljubljana that he truly stepped out of his comfort zone. He spent a whole year in Ljubljana and says he wouldn't change a thing about Slovenia.

Ester came from North Macedonia to study Textile and fashion design in Ljubljana. She says she decided to spend her last year of studies in Ljubljana creating a fashion collection dedicated to her time in Ljubljana, which she says is a kind of »love letter« to the city. The 22-year-old chose to play the song The Caged Bird Sings by The Polish Ambassador.

Estonia is recognized as the world's most advanced digital society. It also has one of the world’s best internet connections and more startups per person than Silicon Valley. Ilona, who spent a semester in Maribor says this lack of digital conveniences was one of the bigger differences she noticed in Slovenia. She chose to play the song Paraadna by Estonian rapper nublu.

Roberta says that because she had made the decision to spend a semester relatively late, she was not left with many options to choose from. Which is how she ended up spending a semester at the UP Faculty of Tourism Studies – Turistica in Portorož. The Erasmus student says Slovenia taught her a deeper appreciation of different cultures. She chose to play the song Reality by Lost Frequencies.

The guest of today's show is Hermes, who chose to play Lule Lule, a traditional song of the Albanian community Aberesh, which has been living in southern Italy for centuries. 'Lule' means 'flower' in Albanian, although in the context of the lyrics it is understood as 'beloved'. Hermes, who is studying Tourism in Koper, says the song is a perfect reflection of his Albanian-Italian heritage!

Bence and Alex come from neighboring Hungary. In fact, they came to Krško by car. Despite having their own means of transport, they have not yet been able to explore Slovenia as much, as they have been mainly focusing on their studies and internship at the Faculty of Energy Technology in Krško. They chose to play the song Nem tudja senki by a three-member Hungarian hip-hop-rap pop band called Follow The Flow.

Sunniva says that when she first moved to Brežice for her semester abroad, she was overwhelmed, so she decided to seek out a familiar environment, one where she could feel safe even when everything else in Brežice was still unfamiliar. She decided to join the Mixed Choir Viva Brežice. She chose to play Keep Yourself Alive by Queen.

Aram says that in Slovenia, he always feels like a "human", because everything is built in "human size". In Russia, on the other hand, the tall buildings and wide roads often make one feel like a grain of sand. He chose to play the song Million Roses by Alla Pugacheva.

Simão spent a semester in Ljubljana as an Erasmus student. Since he had lots of free time, he joined Olimpija Rugby. The Portuguese student, or Portugalec as his coach calls him, adds that unfortunately, the sport is not nearly as popular in Slovenia as it is in Portugal! He chose to play the song Vienna by Billy Joel.

Since the law student and his roommates had different priorities, hobbies, and expenses, splitting the final sum into four equal parts wasn't ideal for their household. They decided that each of them would do their own shopping, but Manuel says they still share things like cookies. His song of choice was Into the Sun by Australian indie folk trio Sons Of The East.

Darja is an artist of Russian-Ukrainian descent from Latvia who lives and studies in the Netherlands. Her Slavic roots are the reason why she chose to spend a semester in Ljubljana. She says that her studies in Slovenia can be a bit "chaotic" compared to the Netherlands, but that this suits her. She also found an afternoon job here. She chose to play a song by mexican singer Chavela Vargas titled La Llorona.

Erik chose to spend a semester in Slovenia after he made an online comparison of all the partner universities his home university in Germany had offered as possible Erasmus exhange destinations. The University of Ljubljana stood out as one of the best, and to him, it also seemed one of the most interesting. His song of choice was Zukunft Pink by Peter Fox (feat. Inéz).

When someone says Greece, our first thoughts will most likely be that of culture, history, good food and beautiful beaches. This week’s guest points out the main topics of conversation in her homeland have been less glamorous these past few years. Christiana says artists and arts students across Greece face the devaluation of their degrees, while legal gaps in tackling femicide in Greece hinder victim's access to justice. She chose to play the song Odí sti fasaría (Prod. by Critical) by the greek artist Sara ATH.

Grzegorz says that when choosing his Erasmus destination, he was deciding between Crete and Maribor. He decided on the latter because there was a better overlap with the subjects he had to complete during his exchange. At the end of his exhange, he says that he does not regret the decision and that what he'll remember most will be the people he met there.

In addition to French literature, Flora also studies English literature and culture. It’s therefore no wonder why her friends and family were surprised that she chose to spend her Erasmus exchange in Slovenia instead of England. However, she adds they quickly changed their minds when she started sending home photos of Ljubljana and Slovenia. She chose to play a song by the popular French artist MAXENSS titled La lune à 3h du mat.

Neus is a 21-year-old Catalan student who came to Slovenia because it was the southernmost place of the locations offered to her for her Erasmus. She chose to play the song Permission to Dance by BTS.

Max is a student of mechanical engineering who decided to study in Ljubljana because it was one of the last still available spots to go on Erasmus that were offered to him. To anyone who is considering studying abroad, he recommends not picking the conventional locations but something a bit different from the norm.

Alexandra knew practically nothing about Slovenia before arriving in Ljubljana. She says she expected there would be more of a "Balkan influence", adding that she loves the mix of the many influences she ended up finding in Slovenia. She chose to play Dragostea Din Tei by O-Zone.

While Marc says he misses the orderly behavior of Austrians in traffic, he adds he found it surprising how similar life is in Ljubljana compared to Graz. He chose to play Make You Feel My Love by Adelle.

Mina says one of the things that surprised her the most was that she was given the keys to the laboratory at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Ljubljana during the first meeting with her mentor in order to be able to research the topic of her master's thesis whenever she had time. She explained that the process of obtaining the keys would be much more complex in Montenegro. She chose to play the song Montenegrina by Kemal Monteno.

Ece is also a member of the official Turkish Eurovision Fan Club. It’s therefore no wonder she chose to play Everyway That I Can by Sertab Erener, the winner of the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest in Riga.

Max comes from the West German industrial city of Duisburg. The political science student says it's not known as particularly beautiful because of its industrial past, but that a lot has changed since and that he likes living there. Can Ljubljana compare? He chose to play the song ALLES ANDERS (WENIGER IM A****) by Schmyt feat. CRO.

Javier is one of those students who makes decisions based on research. He says that he chose Slovenia because it was a good base for his Europe-wide travels - he visited an impressive 16 countries in five months. What tipped the scales was also the fact that the University of Ljubljana is one of the best in Europe. His song of choice was Viva La Vida by Coldplay.

Karol says that Slovenia and Poland are similar - both countries have mountains, lakes, a seaside and beautiful nature, but the law student adds that the air in Slovenia is better. He chose to play April u Beogradu by Zdravko Čolić.

Slovenia was not the first on David’s wish list. The 4th year Medicine student wanted to go to Finland, but he found it was too far from his home country. In the end, he decided on Ljubljana because of the mountains and the closeness of the sea and has not looked back since. He chose to play Welcome To My Life by Simple Plan.

Chess is one of the main reasons Nadiia says she has seen much of the world. The Ukrainian student says she chose to spend her exchange in Maribor because she fell in love with the city at first sight She chose to play the song Follow You by Imagine Dragons.

20-year-old Emilija says she was surprised at how quiet Slovenians speak in public compared to Northern Macedonians. What does she think about Maribor now that she has spent almost a year here? She chose to play I Was Made For Lovin' You by Kiss.

Giulia’s project examines the relationship between certain historical forms of collective land and resource management and the current environmental and landscape valuation of these areas and raises the question of access rights to natural resources for future generations. She chose to play Perfect by Ed Sheeran.

Sidra is a doctoral student from Pakistan who has spent the last 3 years in Koper. She says that it is necessary to practically give up social life during her doctorate, so she has not yet managed to explore Slovenia, but at the same time adds that she has enjoyed her time here and that the only "obstacle" she faced was not speaking Slovene. She chose to play the song Dil Diyan Gallan by Atif Aslam.

The Italian Studies student, who comes from North Macedonia, says that when he arrived in Koper two years ago, he was a lost 19-year-old who did not know what he wanted from life. 2 years later, says he made major progress in growing up. His song of choice was This Is The Life by Amy Macdonald.

The 20-year-old from Serbia says the pandemic has hindered his chances of experiencing more things and learning to communicate better. He says this is also obvious in class as students aren’t too eager to answer the professors’ questions. He chose to play the song navučena by the Serbian musician tam.

Luckily, he did not have any issues with finding a place to stay once he arrived to Slovenia. Marco chose Slovenia because he was looking for a location where temperatures are lower than in his home town in the south of Italy. He chose to play the song Marilu by Italian singer, rapper and songwriter Achille Lauro.

Stanislav says that despite the anger that has been sparked by the war, we shouldn't forget what people all around the world are doing to help the Ukrainian people. He chose to play the song Krayina Ditey by Okean Elzy (feat. Alyona Alyona).

The master’s student of Media Strategic Communication And Marketing says his original plan was to do another M.A. after he wraps up his exchange, but says that now that he’s met and talked to different people during his exchange, he’s changed his opinion on this topic. He chose to play Snoop Dogg- Go On feat. October London.

For Amogne, Ljubljana is the third stop on his three-part exchange program in Materials for energy storage and conversion program. In the interview, he highlighted 4 facts about his home country. One of them is that the Ethiopian calendar is seven years and eight months behind the gregorian calendar and that they celebrate new year in September. For more, you'll have to listen to the interview! He chose to play the song Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by Shakira.

Did you know that you can surf in the middle of Munich? The Eisbach is a small, 2-kilometre-long, man-made river in the german city. At one spot, the river forms a standing wave about one metre high which is a popular river surfing spot. But that's not what Slovenia and Bavaria have in common. To find out, listen to the interview. Kerstin chose to play Was uns high macht by the German indie-pop band Provinz.

Did you know that in many countries you can still smoke indoors? Luka says that also holds true for Croatia. You can listen to more about his experience of studying in Ljubljana above. His song of choice was Further up the road by Bruce Springsteen.

Igor is a student of Slavic languages, who comes from Germany and is studying in Austria. He decided to spend a semester in Ljubljana after he went on a year-long exchange in Serbia. He was most surprised by our nature and that to him, Slovenia seems very different from the rest of the countries of the former Yugoslavia. Igor chose to play Radio Ga Ga by Queen.

Kamil is studying at the Faculty of Security Sciences, which is part of the University of Maribor, but the lectures take place in Ljubljana. Due to a combination of circumstances, he lived at a hotel during his exchange. How did he and his colleague from Poland manage to get by without having a refrigerator, kitchen or washing machine? His song of choice was Szklanki by Young Leosia.

Lea comes from Dortmund, Germany, which has about twice the inhabitants Ljubljana does. She chose to spend a semester here because she wanted to experience something new. Now that she’s spent a couple of months here, she says she feels people in Slovenia are more respectful and that she feels safer walking around alone at night in Ljubljana than in Germany. She chose to play She’s Casual by The Hunna.

The first reason was that until she came here she thought that the university in Ljubljana offers her classes in English, which was not the case, and the second reason was that she wanted to get to know Slovenia. Nevertheless, she likes studying here, and she finds Ljubljana to be similar to Vilnius in some respects. Her song of choice was Viskas Ką Turiu (Everything I Have) by Jessica Shy.

It is, however true that he already spoke two other Slavic languages before coming to Slovenia. Jakub comes from Poland and had also learned Serbian during his exchange in Serbia. He chose to play Šuštarski most by Majda Sepe.

Yu-Hsiang is a Taiwanese student who says he chose to spend a semester in Ljubljana because the prices in Slovenia are lower than in Western Europe and because he liked the photos of Slovenia he found online. He chise to play the song Heartbeat of Taiwan, a theme song of the Taiwan Pavilion at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. It's performed by famous Taiwanese singer, Jolin Tsai.

Zeren says one of the hardest things for Turkish nationals is obtaining a visa, especially for going to Europe. The Turkish exchange student says it took her 5 months to obtain the documents she needed for her studies in Ljubljana. She chose to play Follow You by Imagine Dragons.

On his first attempt to apply for an exchange in Maribor, Martin failed to get enough points on the English exam of his home faculty in Montpellier. In his second attempt, he applied for an exchange in Ljubljana, but didn’t need to take a test, as he received a recommendation letter from one of his professors, saying that his command of English was satisfactory. He has now spent a few months in Ljubljana and has learned a couple of Slovene words along the way. His song of choice is titled Y'a pas de metro a Perpignan and is sung by the French actress and singer Charlotte Julian.

Cycling is more than common in the Netherlands, that’s a well known fact. Which is why Raphael takes the bike everywhere in Ljubljana. But he says he’s noticed one rather unusual thing. In his experience, Slovenians seem to favor going to the left instead of to the right when meeting cyclists even though we drive on the right. For more on his studies in Ljubljana, listen to the episode above. His song of choice was Bongo Bong by Manu Chao.

The only thing Evi says she found slightly awkward to get used to in Slovenia is greeting people. In Belgium, people greet each other with a kiss on the cheek and it’s not really like that in Slovenia. She chose to play the song Alors on danse by Belgian musician, rapper, singer and songwriter Stromae.

Sankalp says there are huge differences between life in Maribor and New Delhi. Among the most notable is the fact that in India you get practically anything delivered to your home. This also includes things you forget in restaurants. His song of choice was STAY by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber.

The Portuguese student of psychology says that unlike in Koper, pedestrians in Lisbon would very quickly and clearly tell these motorcyclists just what they thought about that kind of behavior. Guilherme chose to play the song A Minha Casinha by Xutos & Pontapés.

Aya is a civil engineering student who spent the past academic year in Maribor. She adds that it’s well-known Egyptians like to tell a lot of jokes. She chose to play the French-Arabic song YA HABIBI by Mohamed Ramadan & Gims.

Gabin is a French student who says he didn't know anything about Slovenia before he chose to spend his exchange here. The 19-year-old now says he will return back home more confident after spending a semester in Koper. He claims that after you have spent a couple of months in a country where you don't speak the language, when the time comes to return home, you’ll feel like you can achieve anything. He chose to play the song L’aventurier by the French rock band Indochine.

Sham says that what missed the most in Maribor were Egyptian and Syrian dishes, especially shawerma. In Slovenia, it's called jufka, but Sham says it is completely different from the shawerma she is used to. She chose to play the song 3 Daqat by Abu Ft. Yousra.

Ana Carolina is a Portuguese student who says she did not expect Koper to be so small, but also notes that she likes how connected the local community there is. Her song of choice was Noites de Luar by TinTuna.

Salma says one of the most common misconceptions she has heard about Egypt is that they think they live in the desert which is not true. Another is that that people think Egypt has only 3 pyramids. More than 100 have actually been identified there.W She chose to play the song Sahran by Amr Diab.

We this time sat down with Audrey, a student from France, who said the hardest thing she had to get used to in Ljubljana was that Slovenians start the day an hour earlier than the French do. She chose to play the song Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen since she says it speaks to how she feels at the end of her Erasmus experience.

Lina knew that she wanted to travel after high school. However, she did not know that life would take her from Cairo to Maribor. After spending a semester in Maribor, she found she liked the quiet life there so much that she wants to return to Slovenia and find a job in the Styrian capital. She chose to play a song by Amr Diab titled El Gaw Gameel, whcih translates to “The weather is beautiful”.

Teodora says she was most surprised by the high rental prices and the fact that the shops are not open on Sundays. Her song of choice was the song titled Ljubljana by Glass Caves.

The engineering and business student had planned to spend his exchange in Mexico, but Covid-19 thwarted his plans, so he ended up in Slovenia. He chose to play the song Ticket by Seed.

There are probably not many foreign students who fall in love with the Slovenian language so hard that they come here to study. There are even fewer who listen to Niko Zorjan and want to visit Murska Sobota, because of all the Slovenian dialects, the Prekmurje dialect is their favorite. Monica is one of those. The Serbian exchange student chose to play the song Let it go.

Despite coming from Slovenia's western neighbor, Emanuele says that before he came to Slovenia, he knew very little about the country. When he was offered an Erasmus exchange spot in Slovenia, he quickly googled Ljubljana, saw the Dragon Bridge and immediately fell in love with the city. His music of choice was the song Albachiara by Vasco Rossi.

One lesson Moritz says he learned during the pandemic is that there’s no point in waiting for the perfect time to do something because you never know when a new pandemic might be just around the corner. When he came to Slovenia, prices of gasoline were at a record low. Because of this, he was looking forward to all the places he would be able to travel to with his motorbike. The prices of gasoline have since jumped up by more than 20%. The German exchange student says that because of this, he has had to re-examine his plans a bit, adding that in the end, nothing would stop him from traveling with his motorbike. Not the pandemic and certainly not the prices of gasoline. He chose to play the song Faster by Within Temptation.

One of the things Diane Stephanie says she misses most in Slovenia is of course her family and friends, but also French food, especially baguettes. She notes she had tried to get used to Slovenian food. So far, she’s tried potica and some white powdery dish that she couldn’t remember the name of. Do you know what it was? Listen to the interview and try to figure it out! She chose to play the song You Never Can Tell by Chuck Berry because it featured in Pulp Fiction and it always makes her want to dance.

The 24-year-old student of politics and economics of Eastern Europe says he never thought his generation would ever want to throw their computers against a wall out of frustration from distance-learning. He chose to play the song exile by Blinding Lights by The Weeknd.

Zeynep says that if the process of obtaining residence permits were easier for her as a Turkish citizen, she would consider staying in Slovenia. She chose to play the song In the Cold Pouring Rain by Masaaki Hayakawa.

Maciej says that regardless of how early he forced himself to rise, there was already a line of Slovenians at the ski resort or climbing area by the time he came there. He says that to him, Slovenia seems very clean and organized, but that when it comes to the music, it’s filled with a Balkan rhythm and soul. A Slovenian friend of his even told him that certain songs shouldn’t be played at parties since the situation can become dangerous! He chose to play a KAMP! REMIX remix of Brodka's song Dancing Shoes.

Martin says that when they first came to Slovenia, the move seemed easier than expected, but then during the second lockdown, they had to find another apartment to live in due to restrictions concerning hospitality establishments. Despite some hiccups, Martin says he and his family are looking forward to spending a couple of months in Slovenia and as the restrictions ease, he hopes to be able to enjoy some draught beer or “točeno pivo”! His song of choice was Sultans Of Swing by Dire Straits.

Inem says that when she talks to people, they are most surprised by the fact that there are over 200 million people living in Nigeria and that, in addition to English, which is the official language, over 500 other languages are spoken in this coastal West African country. She chose to play the song exile by Taylor Swift (feat. Bon Iver).

Jasmin is one of the very few students to say that life for young people in their country is "more boring" than in Koper. German by birth, she attended high school in the UAE, and then decided to study astrophysics in Ajdovščina. That said, she greatly respects the UAE and says people often mistakenly think that there are huge restrictions for women in the UAE. Her musical choice was the song my future by Billie Eilish.

Isidora comes from Serbia. She is now studying in Koper for a second year. She says life there seems more calm and she feels that people are not in such a hurry compared to people in Serbia. What she did not expect was to see so many young people from the Balkan countries studying in Koper. Her musical choice was the song Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran.

Wallace has lived most of his life in the United Arab Emirates and is now studying in Koper. He originally intended to go study in the UK but changed his plans after talking to the Slovenian ambassador in Abu Dhabi, whom he met while working as a real estate agent after graduating high school. He chose to play the song Adore You by Harry Styles.

Suzuho says that she came to Slovenia two years ago but was so impressed by the country that she decided to come back and spend a whole year here. According to her, what sets apart studying here and studying in Japan is mainly the style of teaching. Here, there is more dialogue between professors and students, while in Japan, students mostly just listen to the professor. Her musical choice was the song Platina by the Slovenian band SIDDHARTA.

Molly comes from Belarus and studies languages in tourism in the Czech Republic. She spent a semester in Maribor and says Slovenians remind her of Italians. That has to do with the relatively easygoing lifestyle we enjoy in Slovenia, at least compared to Belarus. Her musical choice was Sam Smith’s How Do You Sleep.

Anna says she was surprised by the quality of life in our country, as well as the fact that most Slovenes don’t think twice about drinking tap water. It was Ljubljana’s relatively small size that convinced Anna to spend her Erasmus there. As she is an avid mountain climber, the closeness of the Alps was an added bonus. And yes, she also scaled Mt. Triglav. She chose to play the song Młody maj by the polish GOLEC UORKIESTRA.

People sometimes forget how large or small some countries really are. Buse says her parents’ home is in Mersin, while she studies in Ankara. The one-way-trip between the two Turkish cities takes her 8 hours by bus, so she says Slovenia’s size is a welcome temporary change. Her musical choice was the song Kiss Kiss by Turkish pop singer Tarkan.

According to her, the most widespread misconception is that in Brazil, the spoken language is Spanish. In reality, they speak portugues brasileiro, a set of dialects of the Portuguese language used mostly in Brazil. She came to Maribor to study, because it was the only exhange she was able to go on, but says she doesn't regret it, as she finds Maribor cute. Her song of choice was the song Side Effects by The Chainsmokers.

Ipek and Selim say that on one hand, they like Maribor because it is much quieter than Istanbul, which has a population of 17 million, but on the other hand they sometimes feel it is too peaceful. They decided to spend a semester in Slovenia based on recommendations of friends and because we have subsidized student meals. They chose to play the song AYA by Turkish rappers Ezhel and Murda.

Polish cities that have the same number of inhabitants as Maribor would be considered small and boring cities that don’t really offer any events, parties, schools, sport activities, restaurants, shops…That’s according to this week’s guest Piotr, who says the same can’t be said for Maribor. His musical choice was the song Explosion by Kalwi & Remi.

Karolína says that when she was walking through Ljubljana, she realized she could imagine herself living in Slovenia. She feels everything is close here – the mountains, the sea and as a bonus point, we also have good wine. She chose to play Trees by Twenty One Pilots.

Aline came to Maribor just before the coronavirus lockdown but says she wasn’t bored. In addition to studying, she went for daily runs in the park, where she practiced speaking Slovenian by talking to senior citizens. She says she wants to stay in Slovenia a bit longer and is now looking for an internship here. She chose to play the song Morena by Brazilian musicians Vitor Kley and Bruno Martini.

She jokes that when she came back home to Warsaw during the holidays and hopped on a bus, she felt as if she would spend half her life in traffic jams. Her music of choice was was the 1976 song Papaya/Papaja by Urszula Dudziak.

Paweł says that study-wise, not much has changed for him during the lockdown. In fact, he liked online lectures even more than the traditional ones, as he did not have to squint at the board, but was able to see everything clearly and follow lectures with greater ease on his own computer. He chose to play High Hopes by Kodaline.

This week’s guest is Margarida, who comes from Portugal. The first part of the interview was recorded in the time before the coronavirus. In the second, we called her for an update on how her life had changed during and after the pandemic. Her music choice was the song Anel de Rubi by Portuguese rock and blues singer and musician Rui Veloso.

How did Universities react to the pandemic and how many exchange and foreign students stayed in Slovenia despite lockdown measures, did those who wanted to return home have any problems and what are the plans for the next semester in terms of student mobility? These are the questions we asked Bibi Ovaska Presetnik, the Head of the International Office at the University of Ljubljana. Her music choice was Joe Cocker’s Summer in the City.

Afonso says the best aspect of his exchange were the friendships he formed during it. He also believes that the exchange has changed him by broadening his horizons and has made him realize that he would be ok with not just studying, but also living and working abroad. His musical choice was the song Flashing Lights by Kanye West ft. Dwele.

Do you know who or maybe rather what the Moomins are? This week’s guest says she was surprised that many people in Slovenia didn’t know about them. Her musical choice was a song titled Mustana, maidolla, kylmänä, kuumana by the band Scandinavian Music Group. If translated to English, the title of the song would be »Black, milk, cold, hot«. If you haven't guessed it yet, it talks about coffee. As a matter of fact, Finns drink the most coffee in the world – about 10kg annually per capita.

Sona comes from southern India, and although he says that Slovenia is an extremely safe country, his first experience in Brežice left a bitter aftertaste. You can check out why that is in the interview above. Despite this, he says he really likes his life in Ljubljana right now, which is why his musical choice was the song Happy Now by Zedd & Elley Duhé.

This week's guest says that when she tells people where she comes from, they ask her if she lives in Ljubljana. Do you know which country we're talking about? Listen above to find out! She chose to play the song You've Got The Love by Florence + The Machine.

If a student ever complains to you about an exam, you can tell them that at some universities in Sweden, they can take up to 6 hours! Maja says such exams are held in huge classrooms that can fit around 200 people with several guards circling the test-takers and checking for cheaters. But that's not all, the classrooms are supposedly equipped with technology that can detect if you are texting someone in order to prevent cheating! What she was most surprised by in Slovenia is the level of proficiency in the English language of the average Slovenian, as well as the fact that feminism is openly spoken about at her faculty. That said, there are some things she disagrees with. Listen above to find out what they are! Her musical choice was a song titled Vi mot vrlden by Swedish singer and songwriter Veronica Maggio.

Henrik came from Marburg, Germany to study in Maribor, Slovenia. But the coincidences don’t end there - he comes from the State of Hesse, which, area-wise, is about the same size as Slovenia. The state has a lake called Eder, and if we were to translate “Lake Bled” into German – Slovenia has the Bleder See, and Hesse has the Edersee. The fact that Henrik is studying geography probably comes as no surprise! His musical choice was a song called Gave You Everything by the American ska-punk band The Interrupters.

You know what puran poli is? It's a sweet Indian flatbread, which is also the favorite dish of our newest guest. Pranav says he came from India's Dehradun to Maribor to explore the beauties of Europe. According to him, the best thing about studying in Europe is that in Maribor, lectures are not mandatory. He says that people know India as a large country with a large population, many states, but that many people have prejudices about traveling around India as they think it is dangerous. He stressed that this is not the case and that India has a wealth of cultural and natural beauties worth experiencing. His musical choice was Wake Me Up by Avicii.

Our newest guest is a true polyglot - he speaks English, German, Lithuanian, Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Belarusian, and even Slovenian! Arthur decided to spend his Erasmus exchange in Maribor because he had heard good things about the University and Slovenia’s nature and mountains. He says many people he speaks to in Slovenia have been to Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Russia and Ukraine, but have never been to Belarus or know much about it for that matter. Listen above to find out more about Artur and the eastern European country he comes from! His musical choice was C'est la vie by Khaled.

A lot of people know that Port wine, one of Portugal's most famous exports, is named after Porto, Portugal's second-largest city. But did you also know that the Douro river divides the district of Porto into two parts. Opposite Porto, on its left bank, lies the town of Vila Nova de Gaia, the home town of our newest guest, Joao. The bridge which connects Gaia and Porto was constructed by none other than Gustave Eiffel. Joao's musical choice was a song about his home town Vila Nova de Gaia, titled De Mafamude com Amor by David Bruno. If translated to English, the title would be From Mafamude with Love. To give you a bit of context - Mafamude is a former civil parish in the municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia.

Our newest guest is a 20-year-old from Spain, for whom the Erasmus exchange in Maribor is the longest period he has spent separated from his family. Carlos admits that in the beginning, he was scared about how it will all turn out and that Slovenia was not exactly at the top of his wish list, but that during his time in Maribor he met and befriended new people - locals, foreigners and other Spaniards, all of whom helped chased away his fears. He also took the time to explore Slovenia and what it has to offer which made him change his mind and realize that he does like it here very much. He decided to play a song by the Spanish musician Melendi entitled Por Encima de la Bruma, which roughly translates to Above the Mist.

Did you know that the Ode to Joy lyrics were written by German poet, playwright, and historian Friedrich Schiller? Well, it wasn't until her Erasmus exchange that Juloa found out that the European anthem isn't sung in German all over Europe and that all nations have their own translations of the text. It's just one of those things that happens to all of us where we don't know we don't know something until we open ourselves up to new experiences and new people who leave us richer in the best way possible.

Students in Montenegro do not have student coupons for meals, but they do have canteens available at faculties, and eating in restaurants is also much cheaper than in Slovenia - Mia says a full meal in the central part of the country costs about €5. Listen above to hear what other difference has she noticed. She chose to play All of me by John Legend since that's the song her boyfriend is always playing on the piano.

When Rafał googled Ljubljana, it kind of looked like Disneyland to him. That and the fact Slovenia was, among the offered Erasmus exchange locations, the farthest away from his home town of Katowice was the reason why he decided to come to Ljubljana. His musical choice was the song California Dreamin' by The Mamas & The Papas.

On the second Sunday of 2020, Polish students who are on an exchange in Maribor will be raising money for pediatric wards in Poland. One of the co-organizers is this week’s guest, Kamil. The charity event, which been held in countries around the globe since 1992, will take place at Vetrinjski dvor on Sunday, January 12, 2020. For more about the event itself and Kamil’s experience of studying in Slovenia, listen above. Kamil's song of choice was Charlie Brown by Coldplay.

Vasily is a student of tourism, who came to our capital for a slightly different reason than most other foreign students - he decided to switch professions and move his family from Moscow to Ljubljana. He says he was especially surprised that primary school children in Ljubljana go to school on their own, pointing out that Moscow is a huge city, which also means it is far more dangerous. He believes that if parents in Slovenia can let their children walk to school on their own without worrying too much, that means that everything is as it should be. His musical choice was Rebel Heart by First Aid Kit.

Our newest guest says he's a bit of a grandma's boy, but we can't blame him, since grandmas are awesome. The law student from Czechia who spends his summers working in different countries around the world says it was his friends who first told him about Slovenia. Now, he has decided to spend his Erasmus exchange in Ljubljana! His musical choice was Mr. Beat, a song by the Czech band D.Y.K..

When we think of Portuguese people, we have a certain phenotype in mind. However, Fábio says this is not the case with Slovenes. To him, Slovenes do not look as alike as the Portuguese. He says that Slovenians are quieter when compared to the more extroverted Portuguese, and added that during his exchange semester in Ljubljana, he has been learning new things not only about Slovenia but also about himself and has gained a different perspective on his country, culture and friends. His musical choice was a song called Blue Sunshine by Firgun.

Blas comes from Argentina and has Slovenian roots, but that's not what brought him to Koper. The doctorate student of Mathematics was most drawn to FAMNIT because of graphs theory. On the one hand, he noticed similarities between Slovenia and Argentina, such as gesticulation, and on the other, he said the size of countries is one of the more noticeable differences. If, in Slovenia, you decide to drive for two hours, you can end up on the other side of the country, while in Argentina, 2 hours mean nothing. He added that in Argentina, some people drive 2 hours just to go to work each day! His musical choice was the song Tren Del Cielo by Soledad and Natalia Pastorutti.

Strahinja has been studying at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design of the University of Ljubljana for more than a year now and during this time, he has been working hard to learn Slovenian and excel in his studies. He says that things in Ljubljana and Slovenia in general are better organized than in Serbia but adds that Slovenians are also a bit colder and take a longer time to warm up and open up to other people. But that’s why he’s here! His music choice was SOS by Abba.

Our newest guest is probably the only one in Koper who still goes swimming in the sea as late as November and starts again as early as March. If you haven’t guessed it, he comes from Alaska! Matthew spent several years working in a mine in Alaska before he decided to come to Koper to study bioinformatics. If you don't know what that is, then think evil scientist in the first Jurassic Park movie. At least that's what Matthew says. Oh, and minus the evil of course.

Slovenia was actually the first country our newest Study Abroad guest visited outside of the one she was born in. Marta is a doctoral student at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Ljubljana. The young woman from Poland feels at home here, adding she sees no major differences between the two countries. Well, apart from the prices, which she says are almost 1x higher and the fact Poland still uses zloty as its currency and not euro. She says what she misses most in Slovenia is her family and friends, but adds it's not too bad, since she makes the more than 1000 km long trip back home every few weeks. Her music choice was the single Początek by a band called Męskie Granie Orkiestra 2018 (Kortez, Podsiadło, Zalewski).

Amar is a doctoral student of Mathematical Sciences at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies at the University of Primorska. He first started his master’s studies in Koper and then decided to stay in Slovenia for his doctoral studies. He says he would love to return to Bosnia and Herzegovina after he wraps up his studies, but notes that compared to his colleagues in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in Slovenia, he has much more opportunities for student work and more independence from his parents as well as more freedom as a young researcher and academic, which is why he is considering staying in Slovenia or trying to find work elsewhere in Europe. His music choice was Soul to Squeeze by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Our newest Study Abroad guest comes from Perm! The city, which has a population of over 1 million is located near the Ural Mountains in Russia. We'll let you decide whether the nightlife in Koper, where she's studying Mathematics, can compare to the party her home city can offer, but Polina did say it is also cheaper to go out in Russia than in Slovenia. On the other hand, some of her friends came to Slovenia to study because they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford to do so in Russia. Her music choice was Siren Song, a track by Ukrainian singer MARUV, which won the Ukrainian national final for the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv.

Meet Hana, a student of Sustainable Built Environments at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies at the University of Primorska. Every time she returns to the Czech Republic for a visit, she says she is surprised by the prices. While she’s studying in Koper, bit by bit, they keep getting higher. Nevertheless, with the exception of Prague, which is more expensive, she says prices are still relatively comparable to those in Slovenia. Her music choice was Natural by Imagine Dragons.

Ramón comes from Tenerife, but came to Koper to study and is now in his third year. One of the first sentences he learned in Slovenian was »Pojdi stran nora soseda«. An interesting fact – there are no thunderstorms in Tenerife. Ramón says this is something he still hasn’t gotten used to here. His music choice was Pasodoble Islas Canarias. Composed by the Catalan musician Josep María Tarridas, the song is considered as an informal anthem of the Canary Islands.

Konstantin, who comes from the Republic of Northern Macedonia, chose to spend his Erasmus in Slovenia, since it was neither too close nor too far from home. Although Northern Macedonia is only slightly larger than Slovenia in terms of surface area and population, compared to Ljubljana, Skopje has almost double the people living there, which also means it is home to about a quarter of the country’s population and makes for a more exciting nightlife compared to Ljubljana. But apart from that, Konstantin says students in Slovenia don’t know how good they have it! For the musical break, he chose to play Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine.

Imagine having to confirm your attendance at every lecture with a fingerprint or by swiping your student card. Or having less than 85% attendance at one of your classes and as a result automatically failing all your exams that semester. It’s no wonder this week’s Study Abroad guest, Debashish thinks that studying in Slovenia far more lenient compared to India.