PLAYING THE TOURIST

Today, I was supposed to go for a trip. A whole day trip to Bled and Bohinj. Two lakes, mountains and that stuff. If there will be a place in the van. Finally, there was no place in the van left for me, and so I stayed here. Perkele! The weather today is really fine. I have also felt a bit depressed in the past days; I would really need to free my mind with something totally different. The trip would be all about future job-possibility, though. Would one ever get a decent job as a dramaturg? Heh?

It seems I have been given an option to use my Finnish language skills. This big Slovenian travel agency has been looking for Finnish speaking people being interested to work as tourist guides for the Finns. And there is not like lots of us, Finnish speaking Slovenians. Thanks to Finnish teacher Matti, I received an e-mail. So I answered to this mail, got a phone call, and went to the meeting.

First, I have to follow some tourist guides doing their job. Too see how things go. If there is a place in the van for me, of course. Nevertheless I have already managed to participate in one trip - the Ljubljana sightseeing.

An experience indeed. There was a group of approximately thirty older English-speaking tourists. A young Slovenian lady as their guide. It was very good for me to see how a guide actually works - but it was even more interesting to hear all that touristic stuff about my country. And my city, the capital. Well, those tourists happened to utter ''oooh'' and ''aaah'' quite often.

Oh, did you know Slovenia is the only country in the world that has a word love within its name? How sweet! Well, Finland as Suomi has suo, the swamp...

I really like to travel - with Lonely Planet in my bag. I like to see the cities, I like to get some stories about the cities, even more I am fascinated with the nature. I also notice something when I happen to live abroad for a longer period. I always want to feel the spirit of the city. I start to feel it, then I sort of melt with it. Playing the local. In Finland, for instance, this being-a-local went very well... even unintentionally.

Back to Ljubljana sightseeing. Living all my life in Ljubljana... I have spotted some touristic stuff I have never heard neither thought about. I have seen my city in a different light. I have heard some facts I have had no idea before. For some moments I have felt as I have also been a foreigner. I have started to observe Ljubljana with the ''eyes'' I usually use when travelling abroad.

Oh, did you know we have our main square named after our greatest poet? Not some soldier or a politician - a poet. We seem to be so poetic, arts loving nation. How sweet! (Weepers we are indeed - and drunks too.)

Now I will see how my ''career'' as a tourist guide will continue. Can't say more on this yet. If I want to get an official license, I will have to attend a pretty hard exam. History, geography, ethnology. But I would really like to make my Finnish skills more useful. And get some additional income.

Few days after the trip I went to take some photos of Ljubljana. Playing the tourist. But still... I have never been really attached to my city. Neither to my country. Your home is where you feel good, I once was told. And I feel good in some other places as well.