Sennen awoke at approximately 6:45, went outside to check if Gingos (the kids' idea of a Hellenized version of Ginger) the cat at the food they left out for him. Gingos had. After a quick burst of excitement, Sennen returned inside and got dressed in athletic wear from the waist-down and a white button-down cotton-linen blended shirt from the waist-up. He was ready for work and counting down the hours and minutes until 10:00 when he was to begin his "shift".
I knew about Sennen, Gingos and the white shirt because I woke up at 5:30 am to chair the Temple Etz Chaim Board of Directors meeting at 5:45 am – aka 7:45 pm Pacific Daylight Time. To avoid disturbing anyone, I set myself up on the front patio where originally, it was just me and Gingos in the early morning light.
While the Board and I discussed matters that took too long in Sennen's eyes, my mom also had trouble sleeping and got herself up and dressed. By the time I came back inside at 7:30, even Ailyn was awake, if less ready for the day than everyone else.
Despite a lack of a spatula, an insufficient number of forks, a knob that was stuck leaving the oven inoperable and a microwave that started smoking when turned on, my mom managed to make a Leftover Gyros Scramble with sweetbread stuffed with a Nutella-ish filling from a package kindly left by Manos the attorney. My list for the day immediately grew to include figuring out how to free the oven knob, buying missing kitchenware and replacing the microwave.
Sennen, however, stayed focused. He busied himself with bracelet making to pass the time until 9:30 when he wanted to show up for work early. First impressions are important. We settled on walking the 100 feet to his new job at 9:45. Eirini wasn't there yet. Her husband, Alessandro said that Eirini was the boss and to come back when Eirini arrived later. Sennen and I ran home, ran a quick errand and returned only to find Eirini was not showing up for her 10:00 shift. Alessandro suggested we return later. It is Greece after all and punctuality is no one's virtue.
Instead, we decided to show my mom around the island and all hopped in the car for a drive through the north side of Patmos. Naturally, my mom was awed by the blues of the water, the views, the goats, the trees, the driving – all of it. Ailyn's stomach was less excited about the windy roads of the more rural parts of the island – so after going all the way to the northernmost tip, we returned to Skala, got Sennen a quick snack from a bakery and took him back to work where this time Eirini was present. After finishing with a customer, she took Sennen to his "office" – an off-to-the-side table at the restaurant across the way – where she set him up to place her store's stickers on paper bags. I asked her when I should return for him. Eirini said that they didn't receive their big shipment as expected – so just a half hour for his first day to get him oriented.
My mom and Ailyn headed back to the house and I went in search of needed household items – coming back mostly successful. Watch out calcium and rust deposits in the dishwasher!
However, Sennen was still hard at work when I returned. I let him be and went to kill some ants. When I returned 20 minutes later, he was still working away. This time I asked him how much longer he thought he might be working.
"I don't know, I'd have to ask my boss."
I let him be and instead my mom, Ailyn and I went to the Mostra Cafe next door where we got beverages, connected to their internet and waited for Sennen. After 20 minutes, Sennen came over to us and said he was on his lunch break. He didn't want to go too far so he could return to work quickly. So, we decided to eat at Yiamas, the same restaurant with Sennen's office. Only Sennen's hopes for a speedy return to work were dashed when Eirini came over to chat and mentioned he worked a long time and to come back tomorrow for his next shift – and they would discuss money then.
So after the working boy's delicious lunch of Yiamas cheese balls with spicy fig jam and tzatziki, we went for a ride around the southern part of the island – with much discussion about which beach we should go to tomorrow (after work, of course).
By the end of the afternoon, my mom was ready to stroll the town while two tired kids wanted some downtime. So, I did my work from the porch while the kids did art, watched a tv show and relaxed inside.
I also tried running a load of laundry learning the washing machine works great and the dryer doesn't seem to start. I can't tell whether it's user error or not because there are no written labels on the machine nor is there an instruction guide. I texted the very nice woman who sold me the house to ask if I was missing anything on how to operate this unusual dryer. "Actually, I can't remember because I didn't use it too much! It is very expensive! I remember one year I used it but the electric bill came in very high and I never used it again!"
So, my only path forward is to consult the people at the one appliance shop on Patmos – which apparently does repairs. Only, when I stopped by around 3:30, even through they post hours of 9-5, they were closed. I'll try later – because time is only a vague construct.
I may be back to using the excellent professional services of Michaelis and his family who own and operate the island's only full-service laundry. On the upside, Michaelis is one of the nicest people in the world.
In other home improvement related news, the carpenter called me back today with the help of someone who spoke better English to say he'll come back to look at the bathroom door between 9 and 9:30 tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, the son of the Cafe Mostra people who knows someone who will scythe the lawn – possibly to use as goat feed – will call me tomorrow. Or the next day. Soon. That's fine. I'm in no hurry. Gingos seems to like the tall grass.
Tonight, when I get a break, I'll finally follow-up with Manos, the attorney to get my utility bills, learn how I pay my property taxes and get the name and contact of his cleaning lady. Manos works a few hours in the morning, then takes the afternoon off and returns at 6pm to work most of the evening.
Perhaps we're all adjusting to Patmos life. My mom went for a walk to the supermarket and ended up almost everywhere else – until someone eventually helped her find it. Eventually she stumbled onto one of my favorite bakeries and happily came home with galactabourekos and some kind of very chocolate cake slices.
And apparently Gingos put the word out that our house is a cat food paradise. This evening, Little Gray and Caramel showed up for dinner after Gingos already had his fill. Sennen and Ailyn are thrilled to be "rescuing" the local cat population and are taking great pains to start a slow relationship with the cats. "They're feral – so they aren't going to trust us, especially if we come at them quickly."
"Daddy, how do you like us giving the cats food? Because I think it's great."
Tomorrow we're getting another bowl for water.
