¡¿Viva Slovenia?!

Slovenia! The country most known for the sizable population of Americans who don't even know it exists – beating out Myanmar by a Slovenian donkey hair (do they even have donkeys?). From what I saw today at the Buenos Aires Feria de Eslovenia, what they do have is a great deal of traditional head gear that would make the pope jealous, and a hefty supply of sausage. And if the proportions are correct, based on this miniscule festival thousands of miles from their home, 1 in 50 Slovenians have stunning blue eyes and an interested American boy.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I was invited to the Slovenia festival. It covered a two block radius (I'm almost certain that's the size of Slovenia), and it was packed full; one can assume all of Slovenia was in attendance. Circling the area were large displays of Slovenian information explaining how they came to Buenos Aires and possibly why they have a Barbershop octet singing at full volume on stage. Also, as the pedestrian traffic lights blinked red on the blocked off street, a large crowd circled several traditional Slovenian dancers.

I'm hoping their style pops up on “So You Think You Can Dance”.

I was determined to educate myself on the deep roots of Slovenian lifestyle. Which naturally calls for a traditional Slovenia beer – as they would say, “an empty sack can't stand upright”. Yeah, I don't get it either. Nevertheless, the beer went down smooth. Slovenia isn't looking so slovenly now.

As we were heading out, one of the festival officials eagerly handed us a catalog of traditional Slovenian food and a map of Slovenia. Had I been anyone else, I would have thought, “Ha, like I'll ever need that.” However, had a few more Slovenian beers been sloshing around in a sausage filled stomach and the phone number of that blue-eyed milk maid been in my pocket, I would have soon found myself in the back alleys of Ljubljana, dancing to the chanting men and wondering what Myanmar looks like.