Drag me to Ukraine

I lived in a Ukraine from the July of 2002 to the July of 2004. While there I ran into a group of people that I had only had knowledge of from TV and film, Gypsies or Roma. Director Sam Raimi is releasing a film titled "Drag Me To Hell" and it focuses on a girl who will be dragged to Hell in three days because of a Gypsy curse. Now in my first week in Ukraine, I was sitting in a cab with a friend of mine. The cab driver had left to take care of something before we departed. We waited with the doors open, my friend in the passenger seat and me in the back on the passenger side.
We were suddenly approached by two Gypsy women. There tended to be groups of Gypsies around train and bus stations. Unfortunately, they were usually there to ask travelers for money or on occasion steal from them. I hope that doesn't sound hateful, but I knew quite a few people who had their wallets stolen by Gypsies at train stations.
Anyway, the women approached us and began speaking to us. I hardly spoke any Russian and understood less. My friend was preoccupied with the other Gypsy, so I was left to my own devices to communicate with this woman. After a couple of minutes of neither one of us understanding one another, the woman pulled a hair off of my head and poked out triangle patterns on my arm with it. Then both of the women turned and left.
I asked my friend, "What just happened?"
He replied, "They were asking for money. They said if we didn't give them money they would curse us with bad health. That's why they pulled out the hair."
I said, "So I was just cursed by a Gypsy?"
"Yep. Cursed with bad health."
"Huh."
Happily, I wasn't sick for over a year and a half after that. Also happily, I haven't been dragged to Hell either.