Slovene Learning Community and Resources

OLS community Stories – Anastasiia Romanova

Source: OLS

Anastasiia Romanova is a member of the OLS community for the
Slovene language. In spring 2023 she applied with a video and presented herself at
our OLS video contest on learning Slovene (available here), because she decided to
engage in a one-year mobility program with European Solidary Corps volunteering in
Ljubljana, Slovenija at the Nefiks institute. She is coming from the north of Russia and
says in Slovenia she intends to stay; with her husband they have been deciding
between Finland, Georgia and Slovenia.

To answer a few questions about her mobility and learning Slovene, we invited her to
Ptuj, the oldest Slovene town for a walk around Ptuj's Castle, and for a Slovene lunch,
where we talked in Slovene all the time.

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Anastasiia Romanova je članica OLS skupnosti za slovenščino, ki se je
s svojim videom spomladi 2023 predstavila na našem OLS video tekmovanju o učenju
slovenščine (na voljo tukaj LINK), saj se je preko programa Evropske solidarnostne
enote odločila za enoletni program mobilnosti kot prostovoljka v Ljubljani, Sloveniji, na
zavodu Nefiks. Sicer prihaja iz severa Rusije in pravi, da namerava v Sloveniji ostati;
z možem sta se odločala med Finsko, Gruzijo in Slovenijo.

Da nam odgovori na nekaj vprašanj o svoji mobilnosti in učenju slovenščine, smo jo
povabili na Ptuj, v najstarejše slovensko mesto, na sprehod po Ptuju in do ptujskega
gradu ter na slovensko kosilo, cel čas pa sva govorili izključno slovensko.

Anastassia, pozdravljeni, in hvala, da ste si vzeli čas za intervju z nami. Se nam
lahko, prosim, na kratko predstavite! / Anastasiia, welcome, and thanks for
taking the time for an interview with us. Can you please present yourself in
short!
Sem Anastasiia, rojena sem v Rusiji onstran Severnega tečajnika blizu arktičnega
oceana. Po končani univerzi sem odšla v Sankt Peterburg. Prejela sem tri diplome,
povezane z delom v družbi: socialno delo, socialno pravo in sociologija (doktorat). V
Rusiji sem delala na državni univerzi, kjer sem se ukvarjala z izobraževalnim in
izvenšolskim delom s študenti, bila njihova mentorica in tudi profesorica socialnega
dela. Leta 2022 sem se odločila preseliti v Slovenijo in v Rusiji pustila družino, prijatelje
in ljubljeno službo. Zdaj v Sloveniji študiram na programu “Organizator socialne
mreže”.

I am Anastasiia, born in Russia beyond the North Pole near the Arctic Ocean. After
finishing university, I went to St. Petersburg. I received three diplomas related to work
in the social field: social work, social law and sociology (PhD). In Russia, I worked at
a State University, where I was involved in educational and extracurricular work with
students, was their mentor and also a professor of social work. In 2022, I decided to
move to Slovenia and left my family, friends and beloved job in Russia. Now in
Slovenia I am studying at the "Social Network Organizer" program.

Nam lahko razložite, kje in kako opravljate svojo mobilnost? Kako in zakaj ste
se odločili za Slovenijo in Ljubljano? / Can you explain to us where you are
spending your mobility? How and why did you decide for Slovenia and
Ljubljana?
Zdaj sem prostovoljka na zavodu Nefiks v Ljubljani. Po selitvi sem se morala prilagoditi
novemu okolju. Seveda pa je najboljši način za vključitev v novo družbo prostovoljstvo.
To pomeni nova poznanstva, potopitev v socialno sfero nove države, seznanitev s
sistemskim delom. Začela sem iskati različne programe prostovoljstva in izvedela za
Evropsko solidarnostno enoto, oddala dve prijavi na dve organizaciji in prejela odgovor
Nefiksa. Prostovoljstvo na Nefiksu je zelo podobno mojemu prejšnjemu delu - delamo
z mladimi, jih seznanjamo z različnimi priložnostmi in jim pomagamo pri iskanju lastne
karierne poti.
Natančneje, moje odgovornosti vključujejo objavo informacij in člankov na spletnih
straneh, ustvarjanje grafičnih in video vsebin. Osebje organizacije mi je zelo všeč - so
mladi, simpatični in prilagodljivi ljudje, s katerimi je prijetno delati.
Odločala sem se med petimi državami, v katere bi se preselila in začela raziskovati
možnosti življenja in integracije v njih. Slovenija se je v marsičem izkazala za najboljšo
možnost.

At the moment I am a volunteer at the Nefiks institute in Ljubljana. After moving, I had
to adapt to the new environment. Of course, the best way to integrate into a new
society is to volunteer. This means new acquaintances, immersion in the social sphere
of a new country, and familiarization with systemic work. I started looking for different
volunteering programs and found out about the European Solidarity Corps, submitted
two applications to two organizations, and received a reply from Nefiks. Volunteering
at Nefiks is very similar to my previous work - we work with young people, introduce
them to different opportunities and help them find their own career path.
Specifically, my responsibilities include publishing information and articles on
websites, creating graphic and video content. I really like the staff of the organization
- they are young, nice and flexible people who are pleasant to work with.
I was deciding between five countries to move to and started researching the
possibilities of life and integration in them. In many ways, Slovenia proved to be the
best option.

Katere jezike govorite in zakaj se vam zdi učenje jezikov pomembno? / What
languages do you speak and why do you think learning languages is relevant?
Ruščina je moj materni jezik. Angleščino sem se učila kot vsi – v šoli in na univerzi.
Slovenskega jezika pa sem se začela učiti, ko sem se odločila, da bom zagotovo odšla
v Slovenijo.
Prvič, to pomeni integracijo v skupnost, v kateri živim. Drugič, to je spoštovanje do
ljudi okoli nas. In seveda je učenje jezikov krepitev delovanja možganov.
Russian is my native language. I learned English like everyone else – at school and
at the university. I started learning the Slovene language when I decided that I would
definitely go to Slovenia.

First, it means integration into the community in which I live. Second, it is respect for
the people around us. And of course, learning languages is strengthening brain
function.

Kakšne so vaše izkušnje, kako se je bilo navaditi na slovenščino? Ali je biti
prostovoljka Evropske solidarnostne enote v Ljubljani pomagalo izboljšati vaše
kompetence v slovenščini? Ali opazite razlike v znanju slovenščine pred in med
mobilnostjo? / What are your experiences, how was it to get used to Slovene?
Has being a volunteer of the European Solidarity Corps in Ljubljana helped to
improve your competences in Slovene? Do you notice differences in your
knowledge of Slovene language before and during mobility?

Ker imam rada slovanske jezike, mi je slovenščina šla dobro. Vendar je bilo zelo težko
z dvojino, slovnico za dve osebi. Katastrofalno. Skloni so zelo podobni, ampak ta
dvojina … Seveda je prostovoljstvo pomagalo! Bila je čudovita izkušnja komuniciranja
z različnimi ljudmi. In lahko sem govorila slovensko in se ne sramovala napak. Vedno
sem lahko vse vprašala in prosila za pomoč pri slovenskem jeziku. Žal mi je, da se
slovenščine sedaj zaradi pomanjkanja denarja ne morem več učiti pri osebnem
učitelju. Tam smo dali poudarek na slovnico. In vidim, da ljudje govorijo drugače kot v
učbenikih. To sem spoznala ob komuniciranju z ljudmi v živo. In seveda je to zame
neka nova raven jezika.

Since I like Slavic languages, Slovene did well for me. But it was very difficult with the
dual, grammar of two persons. Catastrophic. The inclinations are very similar, but this
dual ... Of course volunteering helped! It was a wonderful experience communicating
with different people. And I could speak Slovene and not be ashamed of my mistakes.
I could always ask everyone anything and ask for help with the Slovene language. I
feel sorry that due to lack of money I can no longer learn Slovene with a private
teacher. We emphasized grammar there. And I see that people speak differently than
in textbooks. I realized this when communicating with people live. And of course this
is a new level of language for me.

Kakšen nasvet bi dali nekomu, ki se šele pričenja učiti nov/tuj jezik? / What
advice would you give to someone just starting to learn a new/foreign language?
Ne pozabite, da obstajajo pravila. Pogovorni govor je zelo koristen, vendar je potrebno
znanje knjižnega ali pisnega jezika. Navsezadnje zato obstojajo pravila.

Remember there are rules. Conversational speech is very useful, but knowledge of
the written language is required. After all, that's why the rules exist.

Kaj menite o naši platformi eu academy, OLS (Online Language Support)?
Menite, da je uporabna, bi jo priporočali Erasmus študentom in drugim na
mobilnosti v sklopu Evropske solidarnostne enote? / What do you think about
the eu academy platform, OLS (Online Language Support)? Do you think it is
useful, would you recommend it to Erasmus students and others on mobility
within the European Solidarity Corps?
Zahvaljujoč svojemu drugemu prostovoljstvu v mladinskem centru sem imela
priložnost opraviti tečaj slovenščine v živo, tako da sem enkrat na teden hodila na
tečaje. Vprašala sem, ali moram opraviti tečaj in teste na OLS, a so mi rekli, da velja
ali eno ali drugo.

Thanks to my second volunteering at the youth center, I had the opportunity to take a
live Slovene course, so I was attending the courses once a week. I asked if I had to
take the course and tests at OLS, but I was told that either one or the other applies.

Ali je bila vaša mobilna izkušnja v Sloveniji vaša prva izkušnja za delo v tujini?
Kako dolgo ste že v Sloveniji, omenili ste tudi, da nameravate v Sloveniji ostati?
/ Was your mobility experience in Slovenia your first experience working
abroad? How long have you been in Slovenia, and you also mentioned that you
intend to stay in Slovenia?
Pred tem sem vedno živela in delala le v Rusiji. Prišla sem natanko pred letom dni, 1.
oktobra 2022. To je bila najtežja odločitev v mojem življenju. Toda to je moja izbira,
izbira miru. Na svojem področju imam veliko izkušenj in zdaj v Sloveniji začenjam iz
nič. Iščem delo na svojem področju - mladina, poučevanje, socialno delo, obštudijske
dejavnosti.

Before that, I always lived and worked in Russia only. I arrived exactly one year ago,
on October 1, 2022. It was the hardest decision of my life. But that's my choice, the
choice of peace. I have a lot of experience in my field and now I am starting from
scratch in Slovenia. I am looking for work in my field - youth, teaching, social work,
extracurricular activities.

Kako bi ocenili vašo izkušnjo programa mobilnosti? Kaj vam je bilo najbolj
všeč? Kaj vas je najbolj presenetilo? Je bilo kaj, kar vam ni bilo všeč? Katere
kraje oz. izkušnje/dogodivščine v Sloveniji bi priporočali drugim prostovoljcem
na svoji mobilnosti v Sloveniji? / How would you rate your mobility program
experience? What did you like the most? What surprised you the most? Was
there anything you didn't like? Which places or experiences/adventures in
Slovenia would you recommend to other participants on their mobility in
Slovenia?
Odlična izkušnja! Bilo je zelo podobno moji službi, ampak v Rusiji sem delala nonstop.
Najbolj mi je bil všeč odnos ljudi in razpoložljivost priložnosti za razvoj.
Presenetilo me je število mladinskih programov, ki jih financira EU. Ogromno
priložnosti za mlade, sploh ker nimate meja med državami. Edina stvar, ki mi ni bila
čisto v redu, je bila, da Slovenke nosijo težke stvari same. V Rusiji sem se nenehno
udeleževala dogodkov in vedno smo študente oz. moške pri tem prosili za pomoč.
Slovenija je zelo lepa dežela, kjer je lep zares vsak predel. Če greste kamor koli, bo v
redu. Moji treningi (OAT in MTE) so bili v Bohinju in v hribih – to so bili zame najboljši
treningi!

Great experience! My activities are very similar to the job I used to do, but I worked
non-stop in Russia. What I like most is the attitude of the people and the availability of
opportunities for development. I was surprised by the number of youth programs
funded by the EU. Huge opportunities for young people, especially since you have no
borders between countries. The only thing that was not quite right for me was that
Slovene women carry heavy things by themselves. In Russia, I constantly participated
in events and we always had male students or men to ask for help in this. Slovenia is
a very beautiful country, where every area is truly beautiful. Going anywhere will be
fine. My trainings (OAT and MTE) were in Bohinj and in the mountains - these were
the best trainings for me!

Kakšen nasvet bi dali nekomu, ki se na mobilnost v Sloveniji šele pripravlja? /
What advice would you give to someone who is just preparing for his mobility
in Slovenia?
Naučite se malo slovenščine vnaprej, vsaj nekaj osnovnih fraz. Preberite zgodovino
države. Vzemite s seboj vse za pohodništvo.

Learn a little Slovene in advance, at least a few basic phrases. Read the country's
history. Take all your hiking material with you.

Kako vam je izkušnja udeležbe v programu mobilnosti pomagala v osebnem
razvoju? / How did the experience of participating in the mobility program help
you in your personal development?
To delo v prostovoljstvu mi je pomagalo, da me ni bilo strah govoriti slovensko,
spoznavanje različnih ljudi, poglobitev v mladinsko politiko, prilagoditev po selitvi, kar
je bil hud stres. In seveda upam, da mi bo vse to dalo priložnost, da najdem zaposlitev
v svojem poklicu. Zaljubljena sem v Slovenijo!

This job of volunteering helped me not to be afraid of speaking Slovene, meeting
different people, delving into youth politics, and adjusting after moving, which was a
lot of stress. And, of course, I hope that all this will give me the opportunity to find a
job in my field here. I am in love with Slovenia!

Hvala za vaš čas! / Thank you for your time!
Z veseljem! Hvala tudi vam.

My pleasure! Thank you too.

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Vljudno vabljeni, da z odgovorom na ta blog vprašate Anastasiio vse, kar vas zanima!
You are kindly invited to ask Anastasiia anything you are interested in simply by replying to this
blog post!

Alenka, OLS Community Manager – Slovene