I can see some similarities to my personal experience growing up being a part of the G/R/T community to my mother’s but also differences as well. For instance, I also stayed in trailers, especially when we were shifting which was mostly spring summer time and we would always shift in a trailer. I always loved being out shifting some of the memories I have being out in the trailer were being out in a camp that was a field somewhere in Aberdeenshire, I made friends with this other lassie in the camp and we use to go out playing and build dens. Another memory I have is that we shifted to a camp that was on a beach and I made friends with this girl and her brother, we loved going to the beach and collecting the crabs and then scare her little brother with them! I spent most of the days outside playing in the camps and making new friends. I was fortunate enough to not experience a lot of racism and discrimination growing up personally but I do recognise and know of others who have unfortunately have had them negative experiences and got bullied for being a traveller.

I don’t really understand why people in my community are treated differently because of who we are. We have cultural differences and different lifestyle choices (such as shifting out in the trailer) but that doesn’t take away the fact we are still people. My hope for my culture’s future is for us to be more appreciated and accepted in the wider community and to be able to have more opportunities in education and work experience that is tailored to culture needs.