I got to know the theme of professional parenting when my sister moved from Košice – a town in
Eastern Slovakia, into a small village called Krasnohorské Podhradie. My sister did not find any work in the village. Tackling various jobs, she but ended up working as a cashier in a small shop by day and working in the pub by night. My sister had a little daughter, that she did not see much during this time. After some time, she got to know her neighbour, who was working as a professional parent. She enrolled in an obligatory course and got her Psychological evaluation. She was frequently visiting children’s homes and one day came back home with two children of Roma origin, without telling the rest of the family. My sister’s name is Ingrid, same to the name of the film’s main character. After becoming a professional parent she had time for her daughter and herself, but the opinions on her work were varied.
In eastern Slovakia there is a strong stigma against the Roma population and the conflict between does not seem to be ending. Both groups try to avoid the other as best they can. An iconic example of racism against the Roma population in Košice is a bus stop of bus line 11, which segregates the stop into two parts: A Roma part and a part for the white people.