This is Christie: gypsies

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

gypsies

(so i'm at school right now during my first lesson of the week. i am, however, in the teacher's room because all but 3 of my students are taking the érettségi. that is like the national final exam. it's a big deal, with good reason. there are many of these tests, one in each subject. when a student is scheduled to take a test he is permitted to miss school in the days before so he can study. i was told these tests would last a few day but we are now in the third week of days when kids just aren't in class.)

this morning when i walked xander i saw a family of gypsies outside my apartment building. there was a mother, a learning-to-walk baby, and maybe a 2 year old. they were pushing around a stroller and divying up what they just got out of the dumpster. it was so sad. it kind of reminded me of aladdin when aladdin and abu stole food in the market and then shared it with two little kids. the whole state of gypsies here is a big mess and it looks like it will only get worse. they are uneducated for the most part (don't speak proper hungarian, don't know how to avoid disease, incest, common birth defects), unemployed for the most part (some are street sweepers or have other non-sustaining jobs), live off of government aid (like welfare) for the most part, and steal or go through garbage to get what they need for their families. they have a lot of kids so the government will give them more money and with those kids the whole cycle starts again. most hungarians are scared of, tired of, annoyed by, or just plain hate gypsies. while many hungarians appreciate gypsy music or culture, i haven't yet found one person here who admits he feels bad for them or for their situation. in fact on my apartment building there is a sentence spray painted: death to the gypsy.

note: i am certain there is a TON about this situation i don't know but this is how i see it right now. i learned about gyspsies mostly from my students. that is where i saw the callous attitude of intolerence and indifference most clearly. that is particularly disappointing since my students are 17 and younger. they are the next generation! maybe because i come from a country that has been trying hard for decades to overcome such prejudice and has already endured segregation, integration, riots, affirmative action, etc. it's easy for me to see this detestable injust cycle. i can that change is needed but not necessarily coming in hungary - and that makes me sad.