Escola do Mato

On one side of the school - cigano community

It was the holidays so there were few people about and we walked round the periphery. The school is set outside the town itself. On one side is an open field where the gypsies who have houses there hang out and where the protesting gypsies have built houses (protesting for not having one of their own). As Paula pointed out, these are the first houses where gypsies have been relocated which also have a tiny bit of land.

The houses have a great air, some with cabbage planted outside and some with buganvilia. There are very wide spaces between the rows of houses. Paula had some great stories of how families live in one room, using the other rooms in the house for storage - of course. And about intimate noises that can be disconcerting for non-gypsy neighbours. The noise of having sex is a public affair as the more noise there is the greater sign you have of the virility of the man.

posted by bev trayner @ 4:15 da tarde