Ugrás a fő tartalomra

Letter to my 14 years old self


If you had the opportunity to talk to your 15-year-old self, what would you say? What would you say thank you for? What would you warn her about? What qualities would you be proud of? What advice would you give to your younger self?

Dear Kinga!

I’m writing you this letter because today afternoon we have talked about heroes. I was asked who I consider to be a hero in my life and why. Immediately I wondered if I can be my own hero – why not? This letter is to my 15-year-old self, with lots of love. There are a few things that you don’t know yet (you are good at writing poetry, rollerblading is not for you, it was a great decision to dye your hair) but I do already. And to this very day there are a few things that I learn from you.

I know that you like to be comfortable, too, there is something very warm and reassuring in being safe. But this is not enough for you, you leave your comfort zone again and again. You stand up for yourself, for other people, for your principles and truth, for everything you believe in, maybe this is the most wonderful thing about you. You do not compromise and you do not resign yourself to anything. You are an active person who is ready to act for what she considers good.

The career of “superheroes” begins at a young age, in primary school. Big things always start small. There was a very nice Roma girl in the school: Melinda. She was a good student, she came from a good family but she found it difficult to settle in the class. She joined us at the beginning of the schoolyear. Weeks went by but nothing changed. The children often talked behind her back and pointed out that she is a Gypsy. I could never understand that, at that age we had no idea what it meant to be Roma yet we harassed her. That’s nonsense. You knew that you had to do something, you couldn’t let this continue. Anyway, it is so stupid to bully someone because the colour of her skin…

But what would happen if I spoke up? Would I become an outcast too? You were afraid that after that you would also be picked on. I know that you are afraid, I am afraid too, even today, but we can’t stay silent. One day during a recess, you put an end to all this, you opened your mouth: that was enough of this! Stop commenting on her, we are one community and we can’t exclude anyone! The class must accept the new student and help her as much as we can! Everyone was a bit surprised in the room, even I myself but I did it and everything changed after. There were no more whispering and by the end of the year the children even got to like Melinda.

I am proud of you for speaking up for her. I am proud of you as you helped me to become who I am today. You thought me how to be brave and stand up for those in need. I hope that in a few years I can be proud of my present self, too.

The letter was written at the Roma Heroes workshop of Independent Theater Hungary.


Megjegyzések



  1. We Can Be Heroes
    We Can Be Heroes is an upcoming American superhero film written, directed and produced by Robert Rodriguez, serving as a stand-alone sequel to The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D (2005).
    It is scheduled to be released on January 1, 2021, by Netflix.
    please directly add this event to your local calender by clicking below
    link: calendarcode

    VálaszTörlés

Megjegyzés küldése

Népszerű bejegyzések ezen a blogon

Camp Hero

Is media for or against us? In what way does the media affect today? How can an article which is written for help change people's destiny? “The neighbours of the Roma camp in District X brought to our attention that for a few weeks now the people in the community have stopped using the public fountain which was the only water source they had. We went to the camp to investigate this mystery and found out that Viorica, ¨the man of the day¨, built a pipe system that fuels every household with water. The authorities should know, because this is an illegal act and the Roma are basically stealing water from the tax-paying citizens.” - Rome Daily The journalist goes to the camp to show Viorica the article she wrote and to congratulate her for becoming the camp hero. Viorica: But in this article you say that we are doing an illegal thing. Journalist: Yes, but I also helped you get to the authorities and made your problem public. Nobody would have done this for you....

The Perfect Grandma

We all need role models, heroes in our life whose acts and qualities serve as examples. Sometimes it takes time to realize that real heroes are all around us. Find your own hero! Oh, my darling granny. She loved us, her family, she did whatever she could for us. She was a vibrant ball of energy. She rushed from one grandchild to the other whole day long. She helped with household chores, made jam, cooked our favorite granny-cakes like no one else. She often told us about our badass grandpa and she kept loving, loving and loving. Words cannot express what she means to me even today. No doubt she had a huge impact both on my mother and me. We got the love and solidarity of the family from her. She lived her life with sacrifices and an everlasting smile on her face, she lived for us and for our happiness. We learned only after her death that besides everyday care, she had a secret that she never told anyone. A stray paper found after her death revealed this secret. My grandm...

I am too young to be ‘your Gypsy’

Everyone has an important role in modern day societies to challenge the stereotypes of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers, regardless of nationality, we all have a collective responsibility. Furthermore, it is the duty of Romani people to preserve their identities and I acknowledge that it means something different to every single one of us, as we are Europe’s biggest and most diverse minority group! I was brought up with my mother and my siblings in a small village called Simonfa in South of Hungary. Before starting primary school, my mother told me that I had to study twice as hard than any other child in the classroom. Her advice has stuck with me since. I knew from a very young age that I wanted to become a lawyer, because I wanted to help vulnerable people to provide a platform for their their voices to be heard, to deliver justice to them. At the age of 14, I moved to Budapest to start my secondary education in a Christian high school. Shortly after my final...