Torsello, Davide - Pappová, Melinda: Social Networks in Movement. Time, interaction and interethnic spaces in Central Eastern Europe - Nostra Tempora 8. (Somorja-Dunaszerdahely, 2003)
Interaction, migration and change
Property, power, and emotions 247 Mixed feelings in the village The above should not give the wrong impression that all villagers regarded Hulshoff as a dangerous threat. To get a better understanding of the contradictory feelings Hulshoff’s activities evoked among and possibly also within distinct villagers, it is interesting to focus on the opinions of members of the Príhoda family. Honza and Jifina Príhoda had moved to Vesnice in the nineteen-seventies. Jifina had two sons from an earlier marriage, and together, the couple had two daughters born in 1988 and 1993. Having worked on the state farm until its privatisation in 1992, they decided to use their acquired skills and try their luck in private farming. The couple bought five milking cows which they kept in a small stable behind the house, and rented the adjacent field from the Pozemkový fond. Honza dreamt of expanding his business but found out that he was restricted by strict environmental regulations which did not allow him to build bigger stables. The few cows he had did not provide enough income, and he was forced to take on another job as a road worker. A heavy drinker, he frequently cursed and lamented his fate. Not surprisingly, when Hulshoff entered the scene and managed to set up his hunting lodge in a relatively short period of time, Honza became even more bitter and cynical. Jirina’s oldest son Petr was also irritated by Hulshoff’s increasing presence in the village. Jifina, by contrast, reacted quite differently to Hulshoff’s presence. She argued that she did not really mind him buying property in the village. At least he was repairing the school building, and his shoot might create some jobs for the villagers. Her perception was partly affected by the fact that her marriage with Honza was on the verge of breaking down. Some months later, she planned to move out, and was desperately looking for a place to live and a job to secure her financial independence. I knew Jifina quite well, and knew that she had been trying to find employment in Tachov. Yet unemployment was on
