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Vendor wishes: “My only wish is to be with my two kids and grandson”

In the last of our collection of vendor wishes, Tatjana hopes to be reunited with her family in the coming year. To read our unique survey of global street paper vendors’ hopes, fear and ambitions for 2017, click here.

By Tatjana Georgievska, who sells Surprise in Basel, Switzerland

My only real wish for 2017 is that my two kids and my grandson could move to Basel and that we could finally live all together. They were registered in another area, Zurich, when they came from Macedonia to Switzerland. It is very hard for me to be separated from them. Of course, I visit them, but I want to live together with them, take care of my grandson and support my kids in their everyday lives.

In order to be allowed to move to Basel, they would have to find a job here. And my grandson started school this summer, which makes it even more difficult for them to move.

I can’t move to Zurich, I don’t want to leave Basel now. Now I have regular customers here and also other small jobs. Moving to Zurich would mean to start all over again, it’s too hard. I don’t know anyone there.

To me, selling Surprise has become much more than just making money. Over the years, some of my customers have become real friends. I enjoy a good conversation, so coming to the Surprise office or having regular customers dropping by is a very good treatment for my loneliness. Sometimes, when I don’t understand articles because of language barriers, one of my customers explains it to me. I really wish my customers all the best and health for 2017.

I don’t have a special wish concerning politics. Actually, I don’t know anything about it. I do know about local stuff though. Small things, you know, but they are important: Where do I find a job, how do I sell best, where do I get help? Politics doesn’t help me.

Anyway, people in my situation tend to become humble concerning wishes in general. Even for Christmas or New Year.

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