Miskolc

As the sun began it's descent, we made it to Miskolc. Miskolc is the second largest city in Hungary, and the area we went to seemed right out of a movie. It is a gypsy slum which I can only closely compare to scenes I've seen of slums in Africa, India, or Brazil.

In this photo you can see the degree of segregation in the gypsy slum. Behind the fence, there is a brand new chain gas station representing the development of the city of Miskolc. However, in the foreground the garden of a family barely getting by struggles to flourish.

Here is somebody's yard. Notice the lawn which is a combination of grass and dirt; the laundry line with minimal dirty clothing; the guard dog; the sporadic gutter; the crumbling facade and the holes in the exterior.

The grave in the foreground which says "fiam," meaning, "my son."

Notice the house behind these kids: the fence is made up of miscellaneous pieces of wood or plastic and there is no coverage in the space for windows. Also, I thought it was interesting that there is a satellite dish. I asked my guide about this, who has also done extensive ethnographic work in Chicago's south side, and he compared satellite dishes to fancy cars. He was basically saying that somebody might need food stamps but somehow own an Escalade, just like how people in this slum will need welfare but find the cash to pay for digital cable.

After arriving, we were approached by a man with one and half legs in a wheelchair that looked half his age. He told us about how difficult it is for him to get around his neighborhood because of the gravel, dirt and cracked cement roads and floors. He brought us to a couple of other people, all around the age of 60 but nearing death due to lack of necessary means for taking care of themselves. One woman is blind and has to maneuver herself around conditions like these, thus causing her to constantly fall and break her bones since her living space is deteriorating around her. She has no means of getting to any hospital, let alone any way to call them, so all she can do it wrap herself up and hope everything heals okay. Another woman is suffering from heart disease, and she ran out of money for medication and can't find a suitable means for getting any more. Not only do the people of this slum have to deal with their worsening health conditions, they also have to pay to live in these "homes."

Probably the most shocking event in the slum of Miskolc for me was when I was approached by a slew of giggling young girls asking me, through a translator, to take photos of them. Of course, I happily agreed, and as I set myself up to shoot away I found that the girls were posing for me as if I were doing a spread for Hustler. It was weird and I felt dirty doing it but I couldn't stop because they made it seem so normal.

These girls haven't been to school in years and likely spend their days watching satellite television. I assume this is how they learned these poses, and with a lack of cultural capital it's no wonder they are subject to sanctioned ignorance towards social cues understood by most of the world. I showed them the photos directly after I took them, and it was like they were seeing their reflection for the first time. It's the most hopeless feeling to think that what I experienced during this trip is just a small representation of what people wake up to everyday. Upward mobility is so limited in this part of the world based on forces that are beyond the control of citizens, humanitarian organizations, and sociologists that it was so hard to leave knowing the most I can do at this point in my life is try my best to understand.