Plecita loves living in Belgium, where she has been working for the European Commission for more than 16 years. Does she miss anything? Definitely: 'The mountains'. The family travels to the Slovakian mountains at the end of every year. Not only to celebrate Christmas with the family but also to go skiing. The mountains help determine Slovakian culture. The villages owe their distinctive character to being separated from each other by mountains. Every village has its own folk dance group, for example. Plecita is optimistic. 'It is really encouraging to see how the younger generation is standing up to be counted and working with so much conviction to achieve a better future.'