Tag: Romani people of Slovakia
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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: 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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We have to talk about Auschwitz
Auschwitz. How do I begin to speak about Auschwitz? The place fills my memory with snapshots. A doll’s chipped face lying next to its porcelain body A twisting metal sign promising work will make you free A mountain of shoes towering and spilling behind a glass case A sea of stoves stretching into the blue…
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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…