The Basketball Diaries

When my friend Jesiah and I began teaching and nurse recruiting in Taiwan in 2003, we found ourselves completely helpless. At least at that time, Taiwan was a thoroughly Chinese country/"dissident province of China" (wink wink). There was minimal English signage, few websites with English versions and in Hsinchu where we began working – very few people who spoke English. The school for which we taught provided us an apartment in a building it owned and in which there were other apartments of resident foreign teachers. We were relieved of the process of finding housing or even signing a lease.

The furnishings were adequate and there was no decor to speak of. Making simple enhancements like adding lighting and a rug were not easy. It took time, questions, investigations to even figure out where we could buy what we wanted and how to get there. After two or three weeks of asking MANY people, we learned there was a Home-Depot-like store on the outskirts of town to which an illegal taxi driven by a man using the English moniker "Tony" could take us. There, my graphic-designer and artist friend who was quite picky about his decor selected some halogen track-lighting with cool cobalt-blue accents and bought multiple colors of bulbs. It was about two weeks of work to yield six halogen light bulbs – not an amazing ratio.

While I had many good times and experiences in my year-and-a-half in Taiwan, it never captured my heart. In fact, I returned only once, running into Taipei for a few hours during a long layover between Singapore and Los Angeles. In large part, this was because Taiwan tired me out – for many reasons – not least among them that so many simple things felt hard. Had an applied myself to learning Chinese, I'm sure it would have been much easier. Still, at least at that time, it was not a society organized around the efficient flow of information and infrastructure to simplify transactions.

Patmos is more enjoyable than Taiwan in more ways than I can count. However, it's one big similarity is the lack of information infrastructure. In the process of buying and improving my house, I have found myself on lengthy intelligence-gathering missions for things as simple as getting an electrician and removing old furniture. People speak English well and they're very happy to answer questions and help. It's just that so much of how things work is common knowledge among 3,000 Patmians and hasn't been codified in any way. There is no Yelp or even Yellow Pages and few businesses have websites. On Patmos, if you know, you know… and if you don't, well it's going to take some work.

Getting Sennen into local sports games has been surprisingly challenging. There have been hints and rumors of evening pick-up games – which make perfect sense – but then he hasn't found them the couple of times he's gone to the soccer field. Hesitant and nervous because he doesn't speak Greek, Sennen easily gave up – even though he welcomes the exercise and the idea of having local friends.

I decided this must be a surmountable issue. So, I began networking. I've come to conclude the fastest way to a solution on Patmos is by having as many leads as possible. It's a numbers game. Ask enough people, get enough referrals and something eventually happens. 

I began working on the Sennen sports issue even before bringing the kids here. Without going through the entire history of conversations and inquiries, Sennen and I are supposed to go to the newsstand at 10:30 am today to meet with the owner and his son who coach a group of twelve-year-olds in summer recreational basketball. Coach Thanasis of the local gym says the group usually meets at 7pm – most, but he's not sure how many, days a week at the town basketball courts. Only, when Sennen went Tuesday evening, the coach – I believe the son – didn't speak much English and there was confusion about Sennen's purpose there. So, Sennen exited and returned home. Coach Thanasis didn't have the basketball coach's number – but said to go over to the newsstand to figure things out. This I did yesterday evening and the coaches' respective wife and mother explained and told me to come back with my son at 10:30 the next morning.

Meanwhile, I reached out to Michalis who owns the laundry to see if I could introduce Sennen to his twelve-year-old brother-in-law who is strong in English. I let him know Sennen wants to join the local boys in soccer or basketball – to which Michalis' wife, Theologia, had said weeks ago her brother would be happy to act as a conduit to getting Sennen involved. I didn't hear back from Michalis for several days after my text outreach and figured that this is his busy season and I may not get a response anytime soon. Then, yesterday as Sennen and I were walking to the produce shop, Michalis pulled up next to us on his motorscooter and said his brother-in-law, Ulysses, will be helping at the laundry in two days – and to come at noon. Then they can introduce the boys. So Friday at noon, Sennen and Ulysses may – if all goes well – meet and that could provide Sennen a social gateway and possibly a new friend.

Thanasis also told me that Yiannis, the elder son of Christos, our neighbor who owns Cafe Mostra in front of our house, coaches soccer and could be a good resource. Sennen has chatted with Yiannis many times and of course I have met him – neither of us knowing he was the local soccer coach. Yesterday evening Yiannis was standing in front of the cafe and I went up to him to talk soccer and we were joined by who I assume to be his wife. Yiannis had a number of questions, but thought the best thing was for Sennen to go to the soccer field on any evening at 7pm to join in a local pick-up game of five-on-five. His wife let me know most of the kids know enough English to communicate with Sennen – they may just be shy or hesitant – and not to let that deter Sennen. That's yet another pathway – and a resource we can return to if something goes awry.

For the past two years, Sennen has had the goal of being "a Greek boy". Like Fame, this is where he begins paying, in sweat. 

I'm under no illusion we've solved any issues or reached a happy conclusion. Each contact, each conversation is a step along a path that may, eventually get Sennen in front of a ball. I've learned enough to know not to count on what appears like a solution actually being one in and of itself. But rest assured, we are in pursuit of a sports game and local friendships that will be so sweet once achieved. And I can honestly say I've never had an appointment at a newsstand (how many newsstands are even left these days?!) – let alone to talk about joining a basketball game.

Luckily, Sennen has maintained a great attitude and seems to look at it as an intriguing adventure. Which it is.

Meanwhile, Ailyn continues her local life working for Eirini at Nektar. She reports at 11am and works for about an hour and a half. So far, she has been filling plastic bags with bulk items – like nuts and spices. Yesterday she came home covered in oregano. In the past, Sennen has typically been asked to work two days a week. On her very first week, Ailyn has been asked back for a third day. "Eirini says she's getting a lot of deliveries tomorrow and needs my help," Ailyn said. Eirini's no fool – Ailyn is a hard worker who will do as instructed, stays focused and has a very pleasant personality. There's a strong chance – in part because of her focus and dexterity – Ailyn becomes more of a fixture at Nektar than even her brother who has been stamping bags for them for the past two years.

I'm still trying to find some kind of sports or social activity for Ailyn's evenings, but it has been more elusive. Patmos appears to expect boys to play sports more than girls. However, there are groups of girls who hang out around town or at the beach. I'm hoping to reconnect Ailyn to the bilingual kids of the owners of Agora (formerly Alas Grill). Through them, she made a local friend two summers ago. The family is very nice and I'm sure we can reconnect the kids.

Thankfully, neither Ailyn's work nor Sennen's prospective life as a Greek boy interfere with afternoon swimming. We spent yesterday afternoon at beautiful, aquamarine Livadi Geranou beach and swam halfway to the little island off-shore before Ailyn thought better of it and we turned back. Sennen remains determined to swim all the way – which perhaps he and I will do together in the near future. This afternoon the kids want Agriolivadi which in my mind is the best for appealing to both adults and kids. Sennen and Ailyn swim for hours – usually at least four if not six and sometimes eight.

This year, both kids are finding their balance of vacation and community involvement. They do not want to be seen as tourists or outsiders, but know they aren't Patmian insiders. Their ideal status seems to be something along the lines of "those cool American kids who sometimes live here". I can't blame them, I'm figuring out how to be the "cool American guy who sometimes lives here".  There's something irresistible about Patmos. Even if you have to meet a man at the newsstand at precisely 10:30 about a basketball game you may or may not be able to get into. If my kitchen is any indicator, the length of the journey makes the results all the sweeter.