Zdena Grundziová

"I went to camp once. It was from social services. Back then they gave - like now, when you have vouchers. They used to give vouchers like that. It was from the social services, but they were collecting from Králův Dvůr, Počaply... they were collecting Roma women from the Beroun district. We were at the camp, but they were also instructing us. Doctors went there, a doctor from gynaecology. We learned... She drew us what it looks like in the belly, where the baby is. When it was born... We had a bath, we bathed the doll, we changed the baby. They'd ask us what kind of powder we'd wash the diapers in. If we remembered. What we didn't know, she'd explain what to do, what to watch out for. That's how they taught us. We were from different districts. We had some art classes, we had a seamstress, we did embroidery, we learned stitches. We embroidered on the canvas. That was a kind of net that you embroidered on. We for instance drew something on paper and embroidered it. We were also given printed fabric to embroider on." - "How old were you then?" - "I was eleven at the time. I guess I was picked out because I could talk, they picked me out of that social office... There we checked the rooms, who cleaned up how, how the girls kept their hygiene. It was a lot about hygiene. If the girls brushed their teeth, we checked for lice. We were from different districts. A couple of girls got lice because they borrowed combs. It was the women's fault... they should've checked their heads. Then the girls were walking there in hoods. There were only two of us from Beroun."

"The teacher was so strict. He was my class teacher. When we had classes in the afternoon, I used to see the kids, the girls from the special school. There was a special school near the elementary school by the church. I used to talk to them. He walked through there and in an arrogant tone told me what I was doing there among them, that I had no business being there. Told me to go to school, to class. We had afternoon classes, there were still few hours left. I was so disappointed. I said, what does he want? And he repeated it to me in class in front of the kids. So rude, so arrogant. I was scared, I didn't understand him. He was shouting something. And instead of saying: ‘Excuse me?’ I said: ‘What?’ And he said I was vulgar. He had this thing for gypsies. He didn't literally say it, but he acted that way. I don't know what went through his head. Maybe he was like that, I didn't know him that well. I came home crying, told my dad. He asked me how it went at school. I said: ‘That teacher is weird, he snapped at me in front of the kids. Our Roma girls were there too. And he scolded me that I had no business being around them.' And dad said: ‘No way. Nobody's going to be rude to my daughter! I will go to the school.’ I begged him not to go. He said: 'No, no, no!' He took his cap and went to the principal. He asked him why he came, what was going on. Dad held my hand, took me to the principal's office. I had to repeat it. Then they invited the teacher on the carpet and I don't know what they said to him there. Then I was in class the next day. I forgot some pencils to draw with. The teacher said he'd lend me the pencil. Suddenly, he was very kind. I guess the principal scolded him, told him not to make differences."