Bohemia feels like home

PRIBEHY: SO HAS, SO HIN (STORIES: WHAT WAS, WHAT IS)
A Workshop Script by Robbie McCauleyin collaboration with Ethela and Ilona Ferkova, Ondrej Gina, Margita Reiznerova, Hana Syslova, and Miroslav Mencl
First performed in Czech and Romany at the Roxy Experimental Space, PragueOctober 12, 13 and 14, 1995

BOHEMIA FEELS LIKE HOME
ILONA and ETHELA speak to each other in front of the audience.
ETHELA:
I’m interested how it was when that you came to Bohemia.
ILONA:
The first Romanies were from Tocemes. It was old Andres with his wife and children. Then Stefi came, and then us.
First we lived on a farm for half a year. But my father wanted to live in a town. So we moved to Rokycany, and he got a job in a bicycle factory.
ETHELA/DAUGHTER:
You’ve told me that Grandfather wanted to go to America.
ILONA:
Yes. My father was an excellent violinist. A Czech man who really liked his playing often came to see usagain and again to encourage him to go with him to America. My father wanted to, but my mother was against it. She had two children, and couldn’t imaginesettling in a strange country. The Czech man thought father could go ahead of us and earn money until we came.
Some Romanies had gone to America, but that was a very long time ago, and we hardly knew anything about them. It took my mother a long time to persuade my father to stay, but she finally succeeded. Finally that Czech left by himself. My mother said, “I was happy that we stayed here: it feels like home.”