What does education mean for you? Did you know that the tradition of marrying early and starting a family at a young age is still alive in many communities? Early marriage and early parenthood due to family pressure is an existing phenomenon and the youngsters at Pásztó have experienced that in their own environment too. Their firm opinion is that they do not want to start a family while they are studying. But what can one do if he or she already has children and wants to take care of them despite the difficult circumstances? Youngsters from Kövicses Part group, Pásztó, discussed parenthood at Roma Heroes workshop and they performed the below described scene. The hero of the youngsters is a single mother who raises several children while taking care of her elderly mother. She did not finish school because of her early marriage; the family lives in poverty despite the fact that the children work and help in many ways, too. It is very important for the mother that the childre...

How easy to say but to live up to it – sometimes that can be hard. Has it ever happened to you that you judged someone by first impression? Based on his or her clothing and looks? Have you ever heard the phrase "I'm open-minded and liberal but..."?  I’m telling you a story on meeting a homeless man. I'm standing at the station and I see a desperate man in ragged clothes. His face is tense and soon I learn that he lives on the streets. We start a conversation and I feel that I would like to help him. Me: How did you end up in this situation, if I may ask? Homeless man: I had been living happily with my wife for long but some time ago everything changed, we got divorced and I ended up on the streets. Me: Why were you the one who had to go? He: I felt that it was my fault that things went wrong. I wanted my children to live in a peaceful environment; divorce in itself hurts them enough. Me: And where are you heading? He: I would like to go to Gy...

I'm sitting on the train. I'm going to some fancy art exhibition at Szentendre. A messy guy puts a porcelain angel and a postcard depicting Székesfehérvár on the windowsill above the bin and moves on without saying a word. I take out my headphones and stop the music. I prepare a coin because I know what this is about. He comes back and holds out his hand. I give him the money readily but I add that he can keep the knick-knacks. He smiles, sits down next to me and starts talking. He tells me honestly about his checkered life, his past and present, and his words seem so true and real that I start to feel sorry for him. He is very cheerful and this is exactly why I feel less and less comfortable. I ask if people give some money to him? He shrugs embarrassed, not so much. I say all right, I'll go with you for one round. I'm good at marketing, I will easily collect a bunch of money for this guy, I think. We hardly walk two meters, the porter says to our litt...

Has it ever happened to you that your life seemed perfect but suddenly everything collapsed? When things go wrong it turns out who you can really count on. It is important to have someone to rely on, no matter what difficulties you come across. After high school, I continued my studies in Pécs. I loved student life, the big city, the vibe, my mates at university and my new flat. I was very enthusiastic and in excitement, I was preparing to move. I think this is the time when we have to grow up. You get off the family home and you have to solve everything alone. I remember my first big challenge: at the beginning of September, I got some money from my parents and we agreed that I shall live on that till the end of the month. Needless to say, it was more difficult than I expected. A few weeks later, I had to call them and tell that I could not keep my part of the deal. Despite all difficulties, I loved to be there and take care of myself all on my own.  I was lucky as I...

My mother always insisted that our family was cursed, as if we were born in a Márquez story. My great-grandfather arrived to Ohio in the '30ies with a group of Hungarians, or as they were called, with the 'Hunkies'. He became an industrial worker in a factory then he started a family and he no longer wanted to go home. Here, he could aspire to somewhat more than in Europe. They were poor in the US too, but not pauper. He could never purchase a house, he moved from rented apartments to rented apartments until he died. My grandfather did not want to live like this, without any stable points in life, he wanted to find his absolute zero point to which he could return no matter what happened. Finally, this wish manifested in the form of a trailer, so what he longed for came true in part. My mother was born here, they have been straying around with the moving sardine can – as she called it – until she became 17 years old and they managed to save enough money to buy a house....