Gypsy

Gypsy

Being broke in France I was at a shelter for the night when a farmer came in and was looking for people to pick grapes. He brought me to the vendage but there was no place to sleep so I slept in a car with another worker. It turned out the workers were gypsy . Soon the work became very difficult as often it was raining and the workers were Turing on me. One wanted to cu my hair with knife.

For breakfast we were given some chocolate and later on we met in a shack to get a regular meal. I say regular it turned out not to be regular food later on. I did not speak any French and to communicate I made gestures and noises of what I thought I was eating. First is was Mooo as in cow. And then chicken one day we were served something that had a very strange texture, and did not taste good . I asked what it was and I got the reply of meow. Yes we were being served ca for lunch!

The work environment got continually worse every day and then on the seventh day I wanted to be paid. I was given the equivalent of $10 so I then went to the police. Nothing was done though a nice police lady came to the boss and witnessed the situation. I then quit and somehow contacted my parentis in America who sent me 100$ at my request. From France I made it to Holland some how where I cashed in a plane ticket return that I had not used. I then got a job in a Tulip factory and from there somehow got to Tel Aviv and volunteered on a kibbutz.

It was later in life I witnessed how gypsy were treated in Romania as well as was familiar with the photographer, Josef Koudelka who published a book “Gypsy.” I had seen some Gypsies  performing on the streets of India. While I was. At a hotel I woke up hearing some music. Outside looking through the window was a a young almost baby tied to a pole in a balancing act . . Then. Later the gypsies had a arranged a performance tat showed that one of them would jump through a hoop full if daggers. The demonstration looked very dangerous as the knives on the hoop formed a circumference not must larger than the persons width who was to fly though this hoop. Quickly people came to witness the show as moneys exchanged hands.

As the girl was ready to jump and fly through the hoop full of knifes, the assistance then removed two of the knives and then the show went on.

Yes the gypsies are the ultimate survivors. They have immigrated to to Easter Europe from India and like so many immigrants have a history of being abused.