Translated from the Hungarian by Sára Szakál

English editing on Eszter Tarsoly's translation seminars by Hayley Anderson, Joe Bates, Richard Hayward, Mihály Köntös, and Simon Watson

In 10 years, I will be an independent, confident woman. I would like to find employment in law enforcement. I will achieve more than my parents and I will leave high school with a diploma. Alongside my job, I will also study psychology, so that I can help the mentally ill, but I will become a police officer because then my presence will give a sense of security to people. I suppose readers have already formulated the question as to why I want to help others. My answer is that helping others brings me joy and this way I help myself too. Since I rarely received help due to my heritage. Because of this I often felt like I was lacking. I will move from where I live now to another city. But I will often return to the Magiszter Primary School, where I will also give a presentation to the students, encouraging them to dare to dream to step out of their usual environment and not to be intimidated by racism. That’s enough about my career.
I will have a nice big house surrounded by nature, I will grow my own vegetables and fruits, which I will take to my grandparents when I visit home. I will have a big garden where I will write my poems and sometimes have get-togethers with my new friends. I would love them to stay around so that we can still be together in ten years. We will continue to run the Roma Girls’ Youth Club, helping girls who are disadvantaged like us. I hope that Erika, our teacher, will be proud of us, and I also hope that we will stay connected so that she can see the progress of the club she started.
I don’t know what sort of shape my relationship will take if I have one at all, but I leave it in God’s hands. I certainly want my relationship to be with a man of Roma background sothat we can carry our culture forward. But even if he’s not Roma that’s okay, because at least I can prove to non-Roma people that we, the Roma can and will make a difference! I will also provide a completely better life and future for my children financially so that they won’t have to experience racism and be judged simply by the colour of their skin or be lumped in with the worst of the Gypsies. Because this prejudice can completely change a child’s mentality, that is their way of thinking. There are two options in this; either they will struggle and study to be better; or they will simply feel that those who judge them are right and that they are just a Gypsy. And that they are just not enough to be considered human beings and to live a normal life, so everything is in vain. And then they consider not studying and doing all the stupid things to be normal. I hope that all Roma children will be able to dream and set goals for themselves, which they will achieve in the near future – like we do! And I promise to be the best mother! I am not ashamed of my heritage! And yes, I am a Gypsy.