Alright, so for those of you who watched "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding" last night...how amazing was that?!? Now do you understand my fascination with these people? I was very pleased to discover that the show featured actual Travelers and that they seemed to have quite a few things in common with the gypsies here that I am somewhat familiar with. What I find perhaps most interesting is the lack of information available about Travelers and the lack of people living here that are totally unaware of their existence! They have managed to fly under the radar here in Ft. Worth very well, so it should be very interesting to see if any local gypsies reply to the casting call that TLC is currently having for a show called "Gypsyville". We shall see... but, in the mean time, as I promised yesterday...some gypsy spotting tips! I will first tell you a little about my Traveler spotting experiences and how I even knew about them in the first place. I vaguely remember seeing a "20/20" or "Dateline" a LONG time ago, (I may have been seven years old...) and they had an undercover journalist document their time within a Traveler community. I remember being very interested in the little girls that were dressed up with tons of makeup and big ol' hair (big ol' is an actual adjective here in Texas) in sequined dresses trying impress the families of young boys so their marriages could be arranged. Looking back, I wish I had been older and really able to recall all I that was featured that night! I did not hear about the gypsies again until a high school sociology class. I had a professor (whom I'm assuming strayed from the lesson plans thank goodness) to spend a day or two of class telling us everything she knew of the local Travelers. If I remember correctly, her neighborhood had been one in which the Travelers had targeted for a roofing scam and she had a bit of a vendetta with them. Shortly after this of the record class lesson, I had my first gypsy encounter while hosting at a local restaurant. I remember seeing a group of women pour out of a very nice, extended cab, truck and walk through the doors. They were hard to miss...6-8 women, all attractive, all dressed in flagrant designer duds, even the younger ones who couldn't have been more than 12 years old. Now, when I say flagrant, I mean like Gucci boots in the double "G" print up to their knees and "LV's" covered just about everything else! (That is a little dramatic, but I am trying to paint the picture for you!) Anyways, after they finished eating, one of the younger ladies in the group walked up to the bartender for change and out of her LV purse, came and LV wallet, and I watched her shuffle through several $100 bills before pulling one out for change. I guess the bartender saw the surprise and curiosity on my face because he gave me a "wait a second and I'll explain" wink. Once the girl had gone back to her table, I raced to discuss the young girl with the pretty bag and the big bills! "Gypsies," the bartender calmly stated. This particular bartender had worked at this restaurant for at least 15 years and was happy to share his gypsy experiences with me! Here is what I was told to look for...
*Since they have strict beliefs that the men should work and the women should keep house, it is most common to see a group of the women out together.
*They will most likely all have a similar look. This "look" is hard for me to put into words, but kinda pretty, elfish I guess is how I would describe them. Brownish, reddish hair, somewhat fair skinned (but maybe with a tan) attractive, and they very obviously take great pride in their appearance. I have never seen a sloppy gypsy!
*They dress to the nines. I don't always have their same taste, but I am able to recognize that they put thought and effort into their outfits and outward appearances. The younger girls tend to dress more maturely and wear more makeup than is typically accepted by "outsiders". A friend of mine once commented that the young girls looked like the girls on "Toddlers and Tiaras" or one of the other kiddie pageant shows.
*They speak with an interesting accent that sounds to me like some sort of Cajun meets Southern mix.
These are kinda the basics of spotting Travelers here in Ft. Worth, but to really train your eye, I will probably be most effective telling a few more of my run-ins with the local Travelers. (I may have to spread them out because this could take me a little while.) I'll leave you with one to end the night...So, my sister had taken a job working at a Dillard's here in town and had told me the gypsies had been up there a few times, so naturally I had her document every sighting and went to visit her at work more often than I probably would under different circumstances. On one such visit, I was luck to have a GREAT spotting! As I was looking over the new arrivals, my friend and I heard a very large herd of hollering children heading our direction. As they neared, I glanced over to see a group of at least 20 children all running around like little hoodlums and knew at once what I was witnessing. "Gypies," I told my friend as I grabbed her and tagged along discreetly behind them. (It has been speculated that this is a tactic used by the Travelers to steal from stores at times. Basicallly while everyone is so caught up in watching this large group of loud children, a select 2-3 may break off and use the others as distraction. I am not stating this as fact, as a theory I have heard from others more than once, explaining this behavior.) My friend accompanied me as we followed along for a few minutes but was confused as she had never heard of the gypsies! I asked her the last time she had seen a group of children that all looked like they could be siblings, that all had adorable outfits on, and that all had designer bags. After she took note of those visuals, I told her to listen to their accents...she hadn't heard a similar one before. The group soon departed the mall, but myself and a few others standing around had no doubt that we had just had a pretty darn good gypsy spotting. I don't interfere, I just observe as I don't think they would respond very well to being integrigated. I do wish there was more information available on the Travelers, but I suppose they may not seem quite as interesting if that was the case. So did you watch the show last night? What were your thoughts? Were you previously aware of Travelers/gypsies and if so, have you had any experiences with them? I would love to hear all about it if so! I have a few other experiences I will share this week, so until then, check out two of the few articles I have been able to find on the local Travelers and have a great night!
Inside the World of Irish Travelers
Unwelcome Stares at Quiet Clan
(Both super interesting!)
Taylor
