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Working with the Roma
(Hi! This is a little late. Although I wrote
it almost two weeks ago, I haven't been able to get to an internet
connection. Better late than never?) Rachel Norton - Letter #10 (June 24, 2007)June 24, 2007 Dear Family and Friends, For an exciting change of pace, I'm writing to you not from home, but while returning from a seminar! "Exciting" being a relative term, of course. For me this past month has been filled with traveling, and so I am both pleased and exhausted.But before I begin my interminable travelogue, let me share some excellent news from Nagydobrony. BČla, about whom I wrote last time, has decided to return to the preschool next year after all! He will no longer be formally affiliated with the Roma Mission of the Reformed Church of Transcarpathia, but he will continue to help next year's volunteers. Because there will, in fact, be volunteers here next year! Our preschool programs will not die when Alma and I leave this place, but will be carried on for at least another year. I can't express how relieved I am about this turn of events, and I thank all of you who were thinking and praying about this work. June started with a visit from my Uncle Todd and Aunt Janie. They had been thinking for a while about seeing some of Poland, and since I'm close by, now seemed like a good time! They came first to Nagydobrony and met my mentors and saw the preschools in both camps. And then they took me as their guest on a tour through Slovakia and Poland! Did you know that Slovakia is an extremely beautiful country filled with mountains and forests and castles? I hadn't known either, but I'm glad I found out. Furthermore, it turns out traveling with a Western couple on vacation is significantly more luxurious than traveling with other volunteers. We had a really nice time together, and I was sorry to see them go. I said goodbye to my aunt and uncle when they dropped me off at the final Roma Gadje Dialogue Through Service Initiative (RGDTSI) seminar near Kosice, Slovakia. The major topic we tackled at the conference was Roma identities and the effects of these identities on political policy. There are many distinct groups of Roma people throughout Europe. Their various moments and paths of arrival on this continent created several different languages and diverse levels of traditionalism among the groups. This, in turn, has lead to varied degrees of wealth and acceptance by majority societies. Not surprisingly, there is tension between different populations of Roma people. This means that though some people are trying (through both political and cultural means), it is really difficult to create a pan-Roma identity and organization. If all the Roma in Europe were able to band together, they could more effectively fight for their rights. As it stands now, however, there are too many barriers to cooperation. Just a few days after the RGDTSI seminar, I came to the final ÷nkČntes DiakŰniai Šv (÷DŠ) seminar, in a tiny village in Western Hungary near the Austrian and Slovenian borders. This conference was focused on supporting we volunteers, and helping us prepare for our return trips home. Many of the volunteers are finished with their service, and are headed back from whence they came this month. The question on everyone's mind seems to be, "What the heck am I going to do now?" Fortunately I've been thinking about this very question for the entire duration of my service, so I have a pretty good idea about what I'd like to do. (Whether or not it's feasible is another matter, and it's something I'll find out soon enough.) I'm more concerned about the reverse culture shock that may accompany my arrival in the U.S. How will I handle the pressures of such a deeply consumerist society? To what extent will I succumb to superficial greed for things? Where will I demarcate the boundary between too much and not enough? In lieu of answers to those anxious questions (because I don't have any), I will share with you a particularly beautiful prayer from our final worship service.
I hope all of you are well. This next month will be a little crazy for me. I'll be headed to Kiev in the first week of July. Then I will move everything out of Nagydobrony, and start helping at summer camps for two weeks. Then I'll maybe take a quick trip to Lviv before going back to Budapest and flying home. All of this is to say that I don't know when I'll write again. But know that I'll be thinking of you. Much Love to All, PS. As always, should you wish to contribute to the fund that
supports my work here, you can! Just make out a check to the PC(USA)
with my name and ECO number, 074436, in the memo line, and mail it to:
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