On duty

Not only being a city guide in Ljubljana, in the National Museum of Slovenia and in the Ljubljana Marsh, I also passed the tests this spring to become a tourist guide in Vrhnika, a smaller town about half an hour’s drive from Ljubljana. Our greatest writer and dramatist Ivan Cankar was born there and, of course, most of what we tell to those who want to listen, is about his life. We, the guides, are also on duty in the so called Ivan Cankar’s commemorative house, called like that because he was not born in it but in the house which had stood there before. That house was burnt to the ground 138 years ago when Ivan Cankar was 3 years old.

So, four hours on duty (only about a week in a month) brings me that peace that I needed so much. My life has been a real chaos for about five years. It seems that I’ve been wandering aimlessly through my life all this time, trying to find the right place to fit in. And being there, showing the visitors the house and explaining them about the life of our greatest writer, feels good. I can share my knowledge with others and this feels so good, as it brings the rhythm back into my life. I guess that also driving slowly through the countryside to reach Vrhnika from my home adds to this.

What I also found in Vrhnika are new colleagues, new friends, people who “speak” the same language as me. Could I ask for more?