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A place to live
22 February 2010
Petr is 15 years old and lives in a residential institution in the Czech Republic. This is his story:
My name is Petr. I’m 15 years old. I’ve lived here since the age of two. I’m happy here. What’s important is that I have a place to live.
I enjoy everything here. Sometimes I like it at school. Sometimes I don’t. It depends. For example, I hate Czech.
I can’t wait to be out of school, and to go to apprentice school to do the training. I want to be a cook and work in a restaurant in Prague or something.
I have three brothers, and one sister. My aunt placed me here because I was too small and my mum and dad couldn’t look after us all. So they placed me here in this home with my brother. My sister was adopted. She went to another place. My other two brothers live at home.
I saw my sister when I was small, but other than that, we don’t see each other. She lives in some other place. I don’t know where it is. I know that she’s 14 years old though. My mother and father don’t see her either.
I can’t go home for a visit. I want to, but the social authority doesn’t permit it. They would do crazy things with me again.
My brother, Lukas, used to live here. He left here when he was 18.
So I’m on my own here now. But I think I can make it.
