My experience in Maribor in this first month of me being here has been definitely positive. I found accommodation in a private house in a very pretty part of the city. I am amazed by the birds that chirp every day in the city, as well as by the little squirrels that stroll on the pavements, from tree to tree. Nature is lush everywhere, those who enjoy a quieter life will find this place to be a paradise. The perfect mix of nature and civilisation, as I’ve always wanted.

The Faculty of Medicine and University Medical Centre of Maribor are truly modern, and the doctors are willing to teach me anything I ask for. So far, I have not received “no” as an answer. There are many Serbs out here, so you will feel as if you are at home. The Slovenian language is easy to understand, especially if the speaker knows that they are talking to a Serb (when they speak among themselves, understanding is more difficult), either way, almost everyone here speaks English fluently, and there were no communication problems so far.

The thing I would describe as a negative experience is the administration. Slovenians do everything by the book, so because of that the waiting period for some things is very long, and if you are missing even a single document, they will not let it slide just out of good will. On the other hand, the staff is very polite and have a great deal of understanding and with a bit of good will everything can be regulated.

The people here strictly follow the rules, which to me personally was quite tiresome in the beginning. For example, when the traffic light is red, even though there is no traffic found in the vicinity to wait for, you will still have to wait, except if you have a spare 100 euros on you. It’s not out of the question that you get fined by an officer in plain clothes, so beware.

Regarding the exams, The Faculty of Medicine does not accept any exams from foreign universities, so passing the exams here is practically a waste of time, but meeting new friends, hanging out, travelling in interesting regions of the beautiful country and the exchange of cultural values are priceless.

The last thing I would add is that everyday expenses are very high, and that you would be extremely lucky to find accommodation for less than 350 euros with utilities included. The dorm is substantially cheaper, but according to other Erasmus students, they weren’t very thrilled with the constant noise and sharing of bathrooms. Also, you will have to pay the whole semester in advance, so for someone like myself, who comes for a short period of time, such an option is definitely not worth it.

Slovenia is not a very country, that’s why everything is kind of close by. I kindly recommend that you visit Bled, Bohinj, Ljubljana, the coastal cities (when it’s in season), especially Portorož and Piran. Among the neighboring countries, Graz in Austria is very close (about a 50-minute drive) as well as a slightly more distant but no less beautiful Venice in Italy.