Edinburg & prijateljstvo / Edinburgh & friendship
Življenje
si predstavljam kot sestavljanko srečnih in nesrečnih dogodkov, skozi katere sem
pridobila raznovrstne izkušnje – nekatere bolj, druge manj uspešne. Te izkušnje
doživljam manj čustveno, če imam podporo prijateljev, ki mi veliko pomeni. V življenju
sem šla skozi različna življenjska obdobja, v katerih sem izkusila različne
prijateljske vezi, ki so vplivale na moje življenje. V otroštvu sem vzpostavljala
odnos s prijatelji skozi igro, ta odnos pa je temeljil na skupnem preživljanju
časa. Ko sem odrasla, je ta odnos s prijatelji prerastel igro. Ob sebi sem si želela
nekoga, ki mi bo v oporo in mu lahko zaupam, ki ima sorodno mišljenje, odnos pa
je čustven in temelji na mojih vrednotah. Ne glede na to, ali je bil odnos vzpostavljen
v otroštvu, mladosti, službi, na dopustu ali preko skupnega prijatelja, so se
skozi življenje določeni odnosi krepili, medtem ko so drugi minili ali pa celo ohladili
in izločili, največkrat niti ne vem, kdaj točno se je to zgodilo.
Se
tudi vam kdaj zgodi, da določeni ljudje, s katerimi preživljate čas, ostanejo
vaši pravi prijatelji, drugi se je vez ohladila in so odšli? No, meni se to
dogaja pogosto. Vsak od njih pa za sabo pusti sled v mojem srcu, neodvisno od
časa, ki sva ga preživela skupaj. Z vami bi rada delila prav posebno prijateljsko
vez, ki se je rodila povsem spontano in je danes, dvajset let pozneje, še močnejša,
kot je bila na začetku.
Z
možem sva se pred dvajsetimi leti preselila na prelepo Škotsko, točneje v Edinburg.
V Sloveniji sem pustila službo in se podala živet v popolnoma nepoznano deželo.
Šele danes se zavedam, da sem takrat doživela kar nekaj najbolj stresnih življenjskih
dogodkov v zelo kratkem času. Vendar lahko danes z gotovostjo rečem, da je bil
ta splet dogodkov ena najboljših izkušenj v mojem življenju. Življenje na
Škotskem se mogoče marsikomu na prvi pogled niti ne bi zdelo tako drugačno,
vendar pa je zame resnično bilo. Četudi si sprejet v novo družbo z
naklonjenostjo, greš kot priseljenec skozi določene preizkušnje. Na začetku sem
imela težave s prilagajanjem novemu okolju: govorila sem drug jezik, nisem
poznala navad ljudi in vreme je bilo drugačno, kar je od mene zahtevalo določen
čas za prilagoditev. Domotožje, ki sem ga občutila na začetku bivanja v tujini,
je bilo tako močno, da je v meni prebudilo motivacijo in željo, da si poiščem
slovensko družbo. No, sreča se mi je kmalu nasmehnila in dobila sem ne le enega
temveč kar tri slovenske prijatelje. Čez nekaj časa, ko sem se prilagodila novemu
življenju, so prišli tudi prijatelji iz novega okolja.
Danes,
ko gledam nazaj na dogodke, ki so nas štiri prijatelje povezali skupaj, sem
prepričana, da nas je povezala iskrena in globoka želja po slovenski družbi, ki
se je takrat rodila v vseh nas. Konec koncev smo vsi bili daleč stran od doma
in željni slovenske besede. Takrat si niti v sanjah nisem predstavljala, da
bomo dvajset let pozneje še vedno prijatelji. Ko sva se z možem vrnila v
Slovenijo, sem si mislila, da bo selitev prinesla nove prijatelje. Saj poznate
tisti pregovor, daleč od oči, daleč od srca. Vendar temu ni bilo tako. Še danes
smo prijatelji in združuje nas veliko pestrih dogodkov, ki so še izboljšali in
okrepili našo prijateljsko vez. Zaradi njih sem danes to, kar sem, in zagotovo
ne bi želela tega zamenjati za nič na svetu. Pravijo, da so pravi prijatelji
redki, sama pa pravim, če si ga iskreno želiš, se prepusti in odpri za nova poznanstva.
Spoznala sem, da so najresničnejši spontani dogodki, ki so plod iskrenih hotenj
v naših življenjih. Poleg tega se zavemo šele čez čas, da imamo prijatelje v
svojem življenju, in sicer ko od njih dobimo podporo in pomoč, občutimo
zvestobo, zaupanje in povezanost, v zameno za vse to pa ne pričakujejo nič.
Občutki
povezanosti so prav v tem času prišli na plano, ker sem z družino letošnje
poletne počitnice preživela v Edinburgu. Vesela sem, da sta otroka spoznala
mesto, v katerem sva z možem preživela dve leti, in hvaležna sem, da selitev ni
bila le zgodba o bivanju v tujini, temveč tudi zgodba o prijateljstvu. Zame so
prijatelji pomembni in dragoceni, saj v življenje prinašajo srečo, ki
blagodejno vpliva na moje počutje. Ne glede na to, s kakšnim namenom in za
koliko časa sem vzpostavila prijateljski odnos, se je moje življenje obogatilo.
Zato je vsak dan s prijateljem dober dogodek. 😊 Maja
Edinburgh & friendship / Edinburgh & prijateljstvo
I
imagine life as a puzzle composed of happy and unhappy events, and through them
I gained many different experiences – some more, other less successful. It is
easier to go through these experiences with your friends’ support. Our social
life shapes our present. In my life, I went through different life periods, in
which I experienced various friendships that influenced my life. During my
childhood, I was able to establish a relationship through game, and it was
based on spending time together. Later on, when growing up, I wanted a
relationship where a friend would support me, trust me, share a similar
opinion, and this relationship to be emotional and based on my values. Regardless
of whether a relationship was established in childhood, youth, at work, on holidays,
through a mutual friend... some relationships grow stronger, while others cool
down or even terminate, often without knowing when exactly that happened.
Has it
also ever happened to you that certain people in your life keep on being your
true friends, while while others left for good? Well, that’s what often happens to me. Still, each of
them leaves behind a footprint in my heart, no matter how long the friendship has
lasted. I would like to share with you a special friendship that began quite spontaneously
twenty years ago. Today, this relationship is even stronger than before.
I had
left my job, got married, and moved with my husband to an unknown country, more
precisely to Edinburgh, twenty-one years ago. I have lived there for two years.
I can say with certainty it was the best decision in my life, even though I had
to handle some challenging life situations at once.
To
others, at first glance, life in Scotland might not seem so different, but it sure
was to me. As a foreigner you have to face certain trials, even though you are
accepted by the new environment with kindness. At the beginning, it was not
easy to adapt: I spoke a different language, were unfamiliar with people's
habits, the weather was different; therefore, I required more time for
adjustment. I also felt homesick, which gave me the motivation to find myself a
Slovenian friend who would also live there. Luckily, I got not only one but
three Slovenian friends. After a while, I made local friends as well.
Today,
when I look back on the events that have linked us four Slovenians together, I
am convinced that it was a sincere and deep desire for some Slovenian company in
all of us that brought us together. After all, we all missed speaking Slovenian.
At that time, even in my dreams, I did not imagine that twenty years later
these friends would still be in my life, and not only them, but also their
families. When I returned to Slovenia, I thought that moving would bring new
friends. You may know the saying: far from the eyes, far from the heart. Well, this was not the case, we are still together today and we are being
brought together through many different events that have further refined and
strengthened the ties between us. Because of them, I am what I am today, and I
certainly would not want to change it for anything in the world. They say that
true friends are rare, and I say, if you sincerely want a true friend, then let
it go and open up to new connections. I have also learned that spontaneous
events, which are the sincere efforts in our lives, are the most real events. We
become aware that we have friends in our lives when we receive from them and
feel their support, help, loyalty, trust, and connection, and they expect
nothing in return.
Strong
feelings of our friendly connections are present at this moment, because my
family and I have spent our summer holidays in Edinburgh. It was the first time
for my children to be there and to experience a bit of our life in a foreign
country. I am grateful that this was not just a story about living abroad, but
much more, a story about friendship. My friends are important and valuable to
me because they bring happiness into my life, which has a beneficial effect on
my well-being. My life was enriched by friendships, despite their purpose and
duration. Therefore, every day spent with friends is a good event. 😊Maja
