City of Children

The setting is the Karloyi Istvan Gyermekkozpont or as the locals call it, City of Children in Fot, Hungary. The City of Children takes in parentless children, and also children whose parents cannot care for them. Gyermekkozpont is it’s own community, and those who live there have recreated the idea of family.

In May 2002 I visited with these children for the first time. In 2003 they extended an open invitation to me. Since then I have returned every year for 2 weeks. During these visits, I realized anew how much love, acceptance, and community means. Most of them remember living with their natural family and wish to return to them one day or to have their own. In the meantime, they pull together and find comfort and understanding in each other. When I returned in May of 2005 for my last visit I was three months pregnant. Much to my surprise one of the girls I had photographed at the dining table in 2002 just had her first baby.

My plan is to create a Family Album of the residents of the City of Children. As the first generation Hungarian born in America, hungarian was my first language. Speaking the language has enabled me to communicate freely and understand intricate complexities.

I’ve been going to Hungary since I was ten years old. I always had a camera with me to entertain myself while the elders talked about their youth, family and the future. These topics are exactly what concern me now as an adult. I want to explore how the idea of the “traditional family” has changed yet holds onto the most important values of love, understanding, and commitment. I believe the home is where our strength lies.