Gypsy Galore
Chapter, I have no idea, tell me if you’re keeping count.
The Secret
Soo… My brother have a son, as you guys already know. Said little sweetheart (the son not my brother) is turning two in November. All good except for some small issues, for example the thing that his girlfriend refuses to follow any of our traditions because her kid is not a gypsy. Now they’re having a second child, in June. More exactly their second has arrival date on June 19, five days after my 11 y/o birthday. So they might share birthday,I shared birthday with my grandfather.
Nothing wrong with a second child, that’s awesome. And I wish them the best of luck. Family is not impressed thought because my brother and his girlfriend has somehow managed to keep it a secret, despite the fact that they are seeing my parents at least once a week. We all thought his girlfriend still had some extra weight from the last pregnancy. And no one said anything about it because it’s not a big deal, and we all have different weigh and body shape when life changes. He told everyone the big news last week. He also revealed that this child is going to be a girl. Besides everyone getting upset about the fact that they’ve kept it a secret, it sparked heavy discussions about piercing the still unborn girls ears when she’s born.
If you’ve followed along you know that within our tradition kids get earrings, gold earrings because it means good luck. Boy or girl doesn’t matter, we still get our ears pierced by birth or shortly after and get golden rings or small golden studs. To make the good luck follow us in life. Also we give the babies a golden bath. My brother has his ears pierced to even if he does use his earrings more than for gatherings nowdays because his work doesn’t allow them. One of my boys have his ears pierced as well. The youngest one the 9 y/o doesn’t he has really thick earlobes so we didn’t do it when he was a baby because there was no earrings that we could fitand he doesn’t want it now when he’s bigger. So he’s on exception, and usually wears a golden necklace or bracelet instead.
My brothers girlfriend refused to give her son earrings, and ofc she refuses for her not yet born daughter to get earrings as well. I’m buying that, I know it can be a little controversial to give babies earrings. But the family is upset, they could take that the boy didn’t get earrings, after all we’re still in Sweden it’s not that common. But y’all know it was discussions about that to. Especially when she also refused the traditional golden bath for future good luck. But there’s no chance in hell that a girl baby is getting away without earrings. My parents are upset, I don’t know if it’s the secrets or the earrings that bothers them the most. One of my sisters refuse to talk to my brother and have called his girlfriend some ugly things in their family/sibling chat which I kindly refused to be a part of years ago because I’m done with all the drama.
My aunt is upset and my uncle is grumpy about it to.
That also means that they are all calling me whining about it. And my brother has even been called to come and meet or Puridai (Puridai is gypsy language for an old wise woman, and traditionally she’s the boss of the family, no one does anything without her having a word about that that used to be my grandmother, but when she passed away her sister took over) to discuss everything. It’s crazy, and in my opinion it’s not a big deal. Personally I do feel like his girlfriend would earn some points being a little more smooth about things. They’ve been a couple for years she should know how this family works by now. I’ll update you some more when I get more information.
Full House
Every since my brother got his first born he’s been trying to buy my parents house, my brother lives in an apartment in the middle of a city, my parents have a huge house in our hometown village out in the countryside. My Pa wants to rent it out to my brother and go and buy himself a Vineyard in Portugal or some other warm country. My Ma have refused just like my brother, my brother wants to buy not rent and my mother doesn’t want to get thrown out of her own house even if she would love to live somewhere warm. Recently she changed her mind and took my fathers side in renting it out. My brother had almost convinced them to sell instead when my uncle had to get involved. And told my sister, the sister who currently doesn’t speak to my brother. That if my brother is buying the house he needs to buy all of us other siblings out of it. I’m having my own house (which I’m renting from my Pa) my other sister also have her own house, and the grumpy sister recently bought an apartment with her new boyfriend. None of us have any interest in my parents house, two of us doesn’t give a dime and the third one says that my brother has to follow the law, or she’ll give him a fuzz about it. I kindly reminded her that when my other uncle bought our grandfather’s house he didn’t have to buy my mother out because she didn’t want it and they never had an issue. But apparently they will if my other uncle gets through with his idea about selling the house. I told my brother he could have our house, but for him that’s in the wrong village and more far away from his job.
Happy Holidays
In a few days, honestly it’s more like a week, we’ve got the Swedish spring celebration Walpurgis eve coming up. And in a few more days it’s Ederlezi/durdevan romano (gypsy new year and spring celebration) for us all holidays and celebrations means family gatherings, which I mostly stay as far away from as possible because it always ends up in heated discussions and sometimes something similar to bar fights. Ma thinks that we should gather for either Walpurgis or Ederlezi, I’ve kindly said no this far. Because my brother and his family, just as my sister was at the last family gathering for Easter. My two sisters had a fight, one of my sisters got mad at my brother because he wanted them to keep quiet so his kid could sleep. And my parents and my uncle drank way to much. My mother and uncle was adopted by missionaries (that would be my grandparents on my mother’s side) when they where kids they’re from a gypsy family but not the same kind as my fathers family. Anyway us kids haven’t heard much about the adoption during our existence, it’s just been a fact and not much more about it. During Easter my Ma and Uncle started to talk old memories, and my uncle brought up his memories from the orphanage and when they first came to Sweden. Then they moved on talking about my fathers side of the family and my brother asked why none of my parents or my uncle bothered to learn gypsy language, he didn’t get an answer. They kept talking for a while but eventually my uncle got darker and darker until he was at the point condemning that he ever got here. My Pa got mad at him and went to bed and my mother and uncle stayed up until my brother got seriously mad and made them go to sleep. Ever since he’s been a little mad at my uncle for being ungrateful that he ever came. And decided to not go to any more family gatherings either. It’s a little sad, because I love all of their stories and I’ve never seen this side of my uncle before. He’s usually happy-go-lucky so I would love to know some more. But I’m not sure that’ll ever happen.
This summer me and my husband celebrates 10 years as married. When we got married 10 years ago, we didn’t tell anyone, we didn’t invite anyone, we where young and broke, living something similar to a hobo/traveller’s life selling thing’s like pots. We got married on a street fair market, it was heavy rain, I had flip-flops and a dress from H&M that almost didn’t fit because I was pregnant. His ex (tweenies Mom) was there trashing the moment by trying to get my husband to sleep with him. And our boss ended up not paying for the hotel he had booked for us so the police came. We talked about renewing our vows but I didn’t want to do it unto we had something real to celebrate. So for our 10 year anniversary, and the fact that we despite everything still stays married we’ve thought about inviting everyone to a renewal. Family is still mad that they didn’t get invited and has been for 10 years, so this is the moment to make up for it. However with everyone getting mad on each other and the circus that usually follows and the fact that old dark memories seems to come up with age I’m not sure it’s a good idea anymore. But I guess that if I don’t do it family will spend another 10 years being mad. In fact my cousin has already started to plan for matching outfits. Unfortunately this is the same cousin who canceled her own wedding because she couldn’t get the cake, the chairs fabric and the dress to match. I’m sensing a small disaster.
Extended family last chapter
My childhood friend, you know the guy who started doing drugs again,yep him. Is having troubles with his son. He keeps telling stories about my friend in school that isn’t true. Social service is contacted just as the child psychologist, but it’s slow and things keep escalating. On top of that his Ma has terminal cancer, is laying on her death bed and he needs to coordinate at pick up half of his family in the Northern parts of Norway. So now he’s asked me and my husband to babysit his son until Monday. I neither have the energy or the willpower to do that. But I probably don’t really have a choice. If I say know I guess he’ll just drop the kid here anyway. And I sure hope they get all the help they need to straight things up.
To be continued…
I’m pretty stoked to be going hiking with friends I haven’t seen in over a year who live just a few miles from me! What a wild ride this past year has been. It’s going to be a lovely day in nature with my guy, my Miss Lupe (who doesn’t know what she’s in for, she’s gonna love it) and a group of really swell individuals. I call them friends, well, the fact of the matter is we are still acquaintances since we had been starting to get close before the pandemic and you know that story. We have tried to keep up some communication but it’s hard. I’m hopeful we can pick things back up where we left them and connect through the shared struggles we’ve all faced this past year. It also feels really healthy to spending time outdoors together than what we tended to do, which was meet at a brew pub and I’d get drunk while they sipped on pints. I like this new plan 
Much love amigos! 
Sorry your dreams were stressful. Sometimes our brains just need to blow off steam, I think.
! I’m already loving it lol I don’t have to do much to it huge plus!! Lol
