Meet Liceulice vendor Nikola Repec

Nikola plans his rhythm in advance, without much idle time. Medication, coffee, breakfast. He begins every day that way, in that order. Before going out to sell, we met in the editorial office, where he comes to get as many magazines as he needs for the week. He carefully counts them, puts them in his backpack, and heads to his pitch. He only puts on the blue and orange vest when he gets there.

First he visits the cafés. He knows the regular guests, the waiters and the owners. There are almost no unfamiliar faces for him.

“These are all my friends. They buy so many magazines every month that I do not know what they do with them. They probably give them away,” he says with a smile. He adds that it does not upset him much even if he sells nothing during his first round through the café terraces. He always makes several rounds, since the people at the tables change quickly. In the end, he always manages to sell at least a few copies. Behind that is a lot of effort, since he sells even on cold and rainy days, as well as during hot summers.

After selling a few magazines, it is time for a break. He always sits in the same local café. Coffee is mandatory. He drinks as many as five cups a day. After resting, he returns to his pitch. He makes another round through the terraces, after which he positions himself on the pavement among the trees. There he continues offering the magazine to everyone who passes by, calmly and consistently. Selling, he says, requires time. He is used to relying on patience and knows that persistence in this job always pays off.

It is approaching 2pm. Nikola finishes selling for today and hurries onward. His English class at Prostor is about to begin. The association works on empowering and supporting the recovery of people with mental health difficulties. Although it is only a few minutes on foot, he insists that we take public transport. He loves riding trams. For him they are a symbol of Belgrade. He also avoids walking uphill because his back hurts.

We arrive at the class exactly on time. Nikola is prepared to miss the first five minutes in order to make another coffee. The teacher Mina waits for him nonetheless. Today’s topic is “Friends and family”. The text is read in a circle, each person reading one sentence. The group is supportive and no one hesitates to ask questions if something is unclear. They clarify everything together, without pressure or haste. Even those who at first answer uncertainly quickly become more confident.

Nikola says that every class is different. They play association games, solve tasks in pairs and describe pictures, among other similar activities.

After an hour of concentration and learning new words, everyone asks for a break. During the pause, Nikola greets friends whom he did not manage to speak to before class. They talk about drawing, upcoming exhibitions of works, and poetry.

Nikola has been writing poems for years. When I ask him what they are about, he says, “about life and whatever comes to my mind.” He also says that during the previous four nights, he did not get much sleep because he kept getting up to write down verses that came to him each time he lay down in bed.

So far, he has written several hundred poems. Some of them have also been published in Liceulice. Besides a collection of poems, Nikola also has a collection of drawings, which he has been developing for years through art workshops and groups.

After the break, everyone returns to the classroom and the class continues. Time passes quickly. When it ends, Nikola does not stay long in Prostor because a meeting at Videa will soon begin. The association gathers users of psychiatric services and professionals who support them, working together on preventing stigmatisation and marginalisation. Today, there will be socialising with juice and snacks.

Nikola never misses a session. Every day he goes to at least one association: Prostor, Videa or Duša, where various activities are also offered for users of psychiatric services and their families.

Nikola packs his things and moves on. He is used to changing locations and tasks, so moving quickly from one activity to another feels completely natural to him. His day is not over yet. Socialising awaits him, along with writing, and perhaps another spontaneous sale along the way.