Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so we organized a traditional Slovenian one in our office, welcoming American students, who will spend six weeks in Slovenia, and their mentors from AmCham Slovenia.

On the table there were bread, butter, honey, milk and apples, and in the air many expectations and a desire for new experiences. American students arrived to Slovenia for a six-week program and traineeship within the European Experience in the Green Heart of Europe.

Undergraduate students from American universities have come for an opportunity to connect, educate, expand their horizons, test the acquired knowledge in trainees' waters, gain experience in their field and socialize with young talents of the first global green destination, Slovenia. Ajša Vodnik, MSc, CEO of AmCham Slovenia, welcomed the students and kindly emphasized that they should enjoy the given experience and remember that "Slovenia is the only country in the world that carries love in its own name."

Where do eight students come from? Marlton, New Jersey; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Norwich, Vermont ; Kirtland Hills, Ohio; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Freehold, New Jersey; Missoula, Montana; Vancouver, V6K 3N1; Mounds View, Minnesota.

And what do American students already know about Slovenia. Everyone knows the first lady of the US, Melania Trump, know which countries Slovenia has borders with, and how many kilometers of the coast we have. Why did they choose Slovenia for their European experience?

Eliana Ondrejko, Case Western Reserve University

The first thing that drew me to the program was its international nature and progressive business values. I do not know much about Eastern Europe, so I was interested by the prospect of learning more about the country of Slovenia itself. Besides becoming more familiar with the country, I am excited to be immersed in an environment of international business. Having already learned about the diversity and vibrancy of the Slovenian economy in my first several days here, as well as about some of the more famous landmarks in Ljubljana, I cannot wait to see what happens next.

Matthew Leskovar, University of Vermont

When I look how Finance and Accounting involve looking into many different businesses which is exciting to me. It would be especially exciting to start a business of my own. I hope to apply business course concepts to real life jobs, learn about Slovenian culture (my dad's family is Slovenian), and better undersand international business.

Joshua Cardinal, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Even before I enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, I knew that I wanted to pursue a professional career that was internationally focused. However, it was not until my semester abroad in Riga, Latvia, during my junior year, that my current ambition to work for the US State Department came to fruition. Ever since then, I have catered my professional career to developing the skills I need to achieve my goal. For the past 2 years, I have worked in the fields of education, community outreach, and youth development, but would like to further my understanding of business, economics, and finance. All three fields that I chose for the internship are sectors that I am interested in as well as hold significance to my future aspirations.

Eight US students will spend four weeks of mentoring and traineeship in partner companies of the European Experience program. We would like to thank the following companies for their cooperation: ABC Accelerator, Circular Change, Droga Kolinska, LanguageSitter, Lenis farmacevtika, MBILLS, Petrol and Visionect.

What are the facts that tourists do not know about Slovenia, which were pointed out by mentors? They emphasized the linguistic diversity of Slovenian dialects, the last change in the height of Triglav, the hospitality and friendliness of Slovenes as hosts, and some great men, such as Prešeren and Plečnik. And, last but not least, Slovenia is not a small country, but just the right size.