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Translated by Eszter Tarsoly

In the first role play, a Roma grandmother takes her teenaged granddaughter to the doctor. The granddaughter is pregnant. The doctor’s assistant is a young Roma woman. The four participants of the scene face the dilemmas concerning the fate of the pregnancy and of the young mother-to-be.
The second role play takes place in the office administering the state-sponsored public works scheme. A middle-aged bilingual Roma woman from the Széles út segregate would like to find a solution to her difficult situation by asking for work. Her insistence holds up the queue and the Roma woman behind her, who is from a different segregate, intervenes.

It was a strange feeling to step into someone else’s shoes. I was glad I didn’t have to do the role-play myself; I was just there as an observer. But even that was pretty difficult because my daughter had to take on a role on a particularly sensitive topic. I found this role-playing exercise both interesting and useful. At the same time, it was a mixed experience. On the one hand, the actors reenacted a situation that was quite realistic and, for me, uncomfortable. On the other hand, while it was reassuring to know that this was just a role-play, it was also heart-wrenching to realize that similar situations can actually occur in our own lives. But it was precisely this realisation that gave us the opportunity to learn from our reactions. This experience taught me, for example, that even dire situations can be made easier, for instance, with humour. This was not reflected in the dialogue, but it could have been a possible direction.

As for personal attitudes, I was surprised by the standpoint of the Roma girl playing the medical assistant in the doctor’s office scene. It was not so much the perspective she portrayed in the role, trying to persuade the other young Roma woman to opt for abortion, but rather the intense emotions with which she played it. And the fact that she later said she genuinely believed what she said was the right decision in real life as well. I could have imagined more peaceful solutions. In this situation, the young expectant mother could have been presented with more alternatives. It would have been better to reassure her that whatever she decides is her decision, and that the doctor will help her—even though the doctor may have her own opinion.