July 1st, 2011 Part1 @Belgrade, Serbia
“LiceUlice” has double-meaning; if you read it “Lice U Lice,” it means “Face To Face,” and if you do “Lice Ulice,” it does “Face of the Street.”
The conversation with a former play-wright and current editor-in-chief of the street magazine, Saki, made me feel like I was on a stage of witty play.
Dialogue went on like this;
Saki: Buying ‘LiceUlice’ helps many people, and reading ‘LiceUlice’ helps yourself.
Me: Wow, That’s the good one! I would love to steal it!
Saki: Help yourself!
When I mentioned the stylish graphic design of “LiceUlice,” Saki told me that design was like a Trojan horse. “The design is pay-attentioner and it makes people to come closer to the message we would love to convey.”
Saki said that they would love to put 30 percent of locals and 70 percent of international contents especially from former YugoSlavia countries, with a collaboration of Croatian “Ulične svjetiljke,” Slovenian “Kralji Ulice,” and Macedonian “Ulica.”
“Lately, capitalism and globalism is showing us the ugly face. We would love to pursuit some alternative ways of living, such as co-existing with diversities. Our message is always Humanity and Solidarity.”

June 30th, 2011 @ Belgrade, Serbia
How many people did I ask the way to the office of street magazine, “LiceUlice?”
The reason why I get lost easily here in Belgrade is due to Cyrillic alphabet. The map I have is written in English, on the other hand, the letter on the street sign is in Cyrillic alphabet…
The kindness of the people here, however, always saved my life. Everybody is nice enough to show me the way and I managed to get to the destination.
Nikoleta, a staff of the Belgrade-based street magazine welcomed me at the office. The Serbian media has just got birth in July 2010. As soon as a famous actor here spotted “Notabene” in Slovakia, he was eager to get launched one in his country. He came over to a social enterprise, SMartKolekvit and this mother organization created the first issue of “LiceUlice.” Most of the vendors are Roma youngsters, they say.
Nikoleta herself worked as a copywriter before, however, “It was the most aweful job I’ve ever experienced” she said. “Job here is worth doing because you can contribute to the change of a society.”

June 25th, 2011 @ Budapest, Hungary
A social worker of Flaszter, Csaba revealed that he wanted to become a sociologist when he was younger. Watching his heart-warming handshakes with vendors, however, made me think that he is more social worker than sociologist.
Called Pearl of Danube, this beautiful town, Budapest got launched a law, which put fine on sleeping in a park. “If you sleep on the street of Budapest, it will cost as much as a luxurious hotel along Danube river,” Csaba said sarcasticly.
Getting on a tram running along the deep river, I gazed at the surface of water.

June 24th, 2011 @Bratislava, Slovakia---Budapest, Hungary
I apologized for one hour train delay, and a social worker of Flaszter, Csaba and a vendor Zoltan welcomed me warmly.
Zoltan, who has been selling the magazine since 1996, said, “Because of alcohol, I lost, home family, job…everything.”
Thanks to Flaszter, however, he began renting a room and was able to meet his two daughters again. “Our mutual friend let my daughters know that I was not an alcoholic any more and got another job.”
Losing everything once, but piling up again. When talking about his daughters, Zoltan showed big smile for the first time.

June 22nd, 2011 Part2 @Bratislava, Slovakia
Seven o’clock at Bratislava. Went to watch a theater called KUKA PACA with Zuza, a staff of Notabene.
As soon as the curtain was unfolded, a shadow appeared in darkness, shouting “Life is a game.” Six people spilled their own proverbs and the light came onto the viewers, with a line, “And where are you?”
Proceeding the opening, there is a conversation of a couple at a stage of annui, a dialogue with a mid-aged woman and a dog, a heart-breaking rap by a youngster, and so on. Life mosaic by various people was depicted.
KUKA PACA, whose actors are all homeless people, has just celebrated fifth anniversary in this May. Jelka, who is a vendor of Notabene played a role of a woman who revealed her feeling only to a dog. “What I played is what I am. I’m still afraid of speaking out what I’m thinking to others.” “But…,” Zuza interrupted. “Jelka wrote the script of next show.” WOW…Brilliant!
Patrick, who has been involved with this project says, “Their way of expression is direct and simple. I feel like they know how to survive their lives. All the lines of the show, including the rap were created by themselves. It’s so amazing that I could witness their process of creating.”
After thirty minutes’ performance, all the actors were in a conversation with viewers.

June 22nd, 2011 Part1 @Bratislava, Slovakia
A vendor of Slovakian street paper, Notabene, Vlada has been selling it since the beginning. Raised at an orphanage, he said, “I have never experienced love of parents.” Though he was working at a factory, its laid-off made him jobless and homeless at the same time.
Having gone through trials on the street, such as some attacks by youngsters, the life as a rough-sleeper never brought him a peaceful moment.
The happiest moment in his life was the encounter with Notabe, he said. Though I asked,"What was the hardest moment during working," he answered, "Nothing hard. The Previous life was much more harsh."
Living at a garden cottage with his friends, currently, Vlada seems really enjoying the precious friendships build here in Notabene community. “I don’t have any dreams now, but I just want to live to the fullest,” Vlada said.

June 21st, 2011 @Bratislava, Slovakia
The birth year of Notabene is 2001. “Ten years! Time really flies!” Sandra kind of shouted. “My work is so related to my life. I have learnt almost everything from my work.”
She took one of the examples. Six years ago, there was a social issue here, which was twenty homeless people died on the street. Back then, there was an alcohol test before allowing to stay at the shelter, and the only place where people who rejected could go was frozen street.
“My coworker Nina and I was tackling and campaigning this problem, but some people were so cold-hearted. I almost gave up, but Nina said, ‘How can we allow people to die on the street in 21st century?!’” Sandra said. Nina’s belief moved peoples’ hearts and a shelter permit all the people even under the influence to stay in. “I witnessed your belief would move people and the situation itself. Since then it has been one of my mottos. ‘You need to believe in what you are doing!’”

June 20th, 2011 @Bratislava, Slovakia
March 11th, 2011. An email from Sandra with Notabene, a Slovak street magazine got to The Big Issue Japan, about three hours after the earthquake happened. Next email from her said that she decided a monthly profit of Notabene would be donated to the Japanese one. I wanted to express our gratitude to this Madam Solidarity.
An editor Dagma, fundraiser Zuza, Social worker Ivan and some vendors welcomed me at the door. Talking to a vendor, Ivan, “Thank you so much for your empathy,” and he responsed “The smile of Japanese people encouraged me a lot. I also try smiling at my pitch. I’m so sure that the severe situation will be getting be better, because so my life was!”

June 17th, 2011 @Prague, Chez Republic
Jaroslav has been selling Novy Proster since 2003, at the station of Náměstí Republiky. Having Worked as a gardener, however, he got laid-off in winter when the demand tended to be decreasing.
“I want to get back to a gardener in the future. I really love greenery things,” he said. “And one of my dreams is going to see the ocean someday. I’ve never seen it before…”

June 15th, 2011 Part2 @Prague, Chez Republic
The editor-in-chief of Novy Proster, Tomas joined lunch with Dasha and me. “I’ve watched a documentary ‘Mechanical Love’ by Danish director, Phie Ambo on the other day, and the movie gives me a new Japanese word, ‘Sonzai-kan,’ meaning ‘presence.’” he said. “Do you think homeless people in Japan have Sonzai-kan?” Hmmm…it’s an intriguing question!
Never thought of it, but Sonzai-kan might be a clue to solve all those social problems in Japan, such as 30,000 people killing themselves per a year, Hikikomori, and depression. I sometimes feel pressure to show my Sonzai-kan in the society if I want the membership there. This intangible “aura” thing might make us worn out. The conversation with him brought me a great opportunity to see Japanese society from the different point of view.

June 15th, 2011 Part1 @Prague, Chez Republic
Dasha with her one-month baby girl in her arm welcomed me, when I visited a Chez street magazine, Novy Proster.
The birth of this magazine was a dozen year ago, December 13th, 1999, with a help and an advice from INSP, “Z!” in Amsterdam, “Straat Nieuws” in Utrecht, and “Flaszter” in Hungary.
Most of the media people and social workers said to them the possibility of failure is 100 percent, however, the result was against the odds. The 11.5-year-old street magazine has circulation of 15,000 fortnightly, with 150 vendors in 9 cities.
Similar situation to Gazeta Uliczna in Poznan, drastic change of society in 1989 made many people fall into homelessness here. According to Dasha, at the start, most of the vendors were in their 50s but getting be younger since the global economic crisis in 2008.
Over the yummy Chez lunch and Kofola, the conversation went on and on.

June 11th, 2011 @Poznan, Poland
One of the purposes of this trip is attending THE wedding. Whose? The beautiful lady from Poland, Dagmara’s.
Wedding ceremony at the medieval church was splendid enough to bring me into tears. Wedding reception was unexpected enough to surprise me!
12-hour banquet, bunch of dancing, eating yummy Polish food and drinking vodka, really entertained all the participants.
People kept blessing this new-born couple all night long.

June 10th, 2011 Part2 @Poznan, Poland
The editor-in-chief of Gazeta Uliczna is a poet and journalist, Dominik Gorny. “Everybody who is working here has various backgrounds, however, we have one same passion. It is so amazing to me,” he says. Adding that witnessing vendors’ positive changing are so encouraging. As soon as he told that, Zanetta who was overhearing by the side said jokingly, “Dominik also changed! You tend to think about ‘flying’ all the time but getting to the ground!”
I’ve heard that some of the staff also said that this community brought them positive change. People with various social backgrounds influence each other, that is the very peoples’ power.
The young poet told me earnestly. “I sometimes have arguments with senior poets, saying we need to mention not only trees and sky but also this society too. Poem has a responsibility to be a voice of a society.”