Category: Europe
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Travel and Privilege
Košice, Slovakia 5:28 a.m. Tuesday June 10, 2014 I could begin this post with clichés about the journey being better than the destination and about how wanderers must lose their way to achieve fulfillment, but I’ll spare you the scrolling. You’ve heard it. Instead, I’m going to talk about privilege. Now privilege is a buzz…
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What am I doing in Slovakia?
What am I doing in Slovakia? Slovakia is a small Eastern European country, nestled southeast of the Czech Republic and south of Poland, above Hungary with a sliver of the Ukraine to the right and Austria to the left. The main language spoken here is Slovak. The Republic gained its independence in 1993 and was…
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Preparing for Auschwitz
Before visiting the Roma Cultural Museum in Brno and Auschwitz in Poland, I stayed in the Slovak town of Kežmarok: a village boasting a 13th century castle and vocational school for Romani. I learned from the English guide that during WWII, the castle had been used as a prison for Jews in the village before…
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Romani in Slovakia: Cooking Class
After spending the weekend at the nonprofit Hope for Roma in the little village of Rankovce, I hustled back to Košice to meet Kristen’s friends Kathy and Rebecca. They were going to visit the small village of Vitkovce about an hour away by train.I loaded up with Kathy, pregnant Rebecca and her two young daughters. They’re…
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Who are the Romani people
The identity of the Romani people(s) is complex with differences not only ranging from continent to continent and country to country but as magnified and particular as village to village. Some villages have kept to themselves and don’t associate with outsiders while other places are more open to strangers and the wider world. As with…
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Romani in Slovakia: Issues in Education
“Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world.” Issues in education are widespread throughout Slovakia, but they especially affect Romani communities. I’ve spoken with Romani parents as well as leaders from Slovak, Romani and U.S. groups who have cited a lack of care for Romani students in schools. Others have acknowledged that teachers…
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Slovakia’s Botanical Gardens
P. J. Šafárik University Košice, Slovakia July 2014
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Romani in Slovakia: Search for Identity
The sun is setting over the colorful storefronts and Gothic cathedral on the main road in Košice, the second largest city in Slovakia. Slovak children run up and down the road, playing in the singing fountain which is beginning to change colors as night falls. Slovaks are enjoying beer and wine at street cafes, and the…
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So I met a guy on the plane…
I met a man on a flight to Frankfurt, and I think it may change my life. We were crammed in seats so far back you couldn’t see the moist towelettes and eye pillows of first class, browsing through movie selections and trying not to make awkward elbow advances across the center rest, when a…