Heading to the grocery store, I turned the corner and there was Mohammad smiling. We greeted one another and he told me how he's so busy, he's working everyday now. Mohammad. In theory, Mohammad is a painter – but increasingly he has been taking on more work as a lower budget general contractor.
Mohammad is one of a small group of Egyptian tradesmen who have come to Patmos over the past 15 or so years. Patmos, being a small island of 13 square kilometers and 3,000 permanent residents doesn't always have enough professional and tradespeople for its needs – especially given the growth in tourism. After all, how many of those 3,000 are going to be plumbers or electricians? So, carefully controlled immigration of tradespeople was allowed and for whatever reason, they seem to mostly be Egyptian. Mohammad is among those who have been here longest – something like 18 years. His English is okay – and always better in-person – but his Greek is astonishingly good.
Whatever prejudices the locals may have had about Egyptian immigrants, Mohammad has won them over. Mohammad walks through town in his paint-splotched shorts and t-shirts smiling and in-turn receiving warm greetings. Locals have running jokes with him, shake his hand and call him over to chat about this or that. I have heard from several people on more than one occasion, "Mohammad is a really good guy."
And he is. I've met his family as they stroll the town on warm summer evenings and seen him with friends who are always friendly and welcoming.
Greek tradespeople on the island are in high demand – especially in summer when tourist-related businesses have critical needs. You can't leave a restaurant without working electricity or water when something breaks. Patmian tradespeople – perhaps rightfully – prioritize Patmian needs and businesses. Foreigners with summer homes are good payers, but lesser priority – besides which, they will wait their turn because they have no other choice. Their goodwill and appreciation is worth less than the Patmian members of the community of which tradespeople are themselves a part and see all year – not just for 8 to 12 weeks.
A painter on Patmos and a carpenter by training in Egypt, Mohammad knows a lot about construction and remodeling. Because of his quick, detailed work delivered with a smile and a reasonable bill he is the most sought-after painter on Patmos. However, beyond that Mohammad seems to have figured out how to fill a hole in the marketplace serving foreigners with summer homes who are frustrated by the system. Since he is not a proper general contractor and holds lower standing in the community than a Patmian, Mohammad offers better prices, more attention and is far more responsive.
The result: he has a number of people like me whose projects keep him busy year-round and from whom he gets ongoing work in future years – like now I want to have the window trims painted a new color and the exterior of the house will need repainting this winter.
Today, after our quick chit-chat Mohammad quickly turned to business. I'ts been days of trying to get Prokopis the plumber to get the water flowing to my dishwasher. Prokopis did the plumbing for the bathroom and kitchen remodel and was the bottleneck for a lot of Mohammad's work. Being frustrated with an uncommunicative and unreliable Prokopis is nothing new.
After failing to reach Prokopis by phone, Mohammad got frustrated and tried Dimitris the appliance repair guy – also without success. He then tried Theologos, another plumber – also unsuccessfully – which isn't surprising given it's Sunday. Mohammad then made his biggest reach yet and called Talgus, the island's newest plumber. Not yet fully trusted, but able to speak English and responsive on a Sunday – Talgus was Mohammad's Hail Mary play.
Unfortunately, the dishwasher that isn't getting water isn't the top issue for the house – it's just the one that doesn't have a resolution yet in sight. Thursday afternoon – after much prodding from Mohammad – Yorgos the electrician stopped by to install the new light fixture un the bathroom. He saw the toilet paper holder I purchased and kindly decided to install it so long as he was there. Yorgos found a good spot and drilled into the concrete and stone wall, only to hit a water pipe. The ensuing leak caused him to urgently entreat Prokopis for aid who in turn dispatched an apprentice to handle what initially appeared to be a minor issue.
At 8pm Michelle and I walked in to Greg the apprentice crouched in the bathroom surrounded by tools, water and shards of clay and stone. The power to all rooms by the bathroom had been cut off and he told us we might not have water at all until the next morning. It was clear to all three of us that Greg the apprentice was in over his head. He called for backup and thankfully, Prokopis showed up. Michelle and I each had calls at 10pm and hadn't yet eaten dinner. We let them know we would need power and internet at 10 and Prokopis went outside and turned the electricity back on. Michelle and I quickly changed from beachwear into something passable for going to dinner (which honestly isn't that much of an upgrade) and got out of our new friends' way.
When we returned at five minutes to 10pm, the plumbers were gone, the house and electricity and water and the bathroom was a half-cleaned mess. Most significantly, there was now a giant rectangular hole in the wall with the exposed repaired pipes right where the toilet paper dispenser was meant to be. From there, many texts ensued over several days. Mohammad was unaware of much of the happenings and therefore what I first reported to him didn't quite make sense. It all took some time to sort out, but in the end, I was not charged for anything and Hassan, the mason who did the bathroom walls in the first place was brought in the next day to assess the situation and develop a plan.
To ensure the issue got taken seriously, I told Mohammad my mom is coming in a couple of weeks and I need this done before she arrives. I get the sense that while that is seen as important, Mohammad and Hassan were equally upset at the state of affairs – the beautiful bathroom they worked so hard on had been torn up – and they weren't having it. Today, Mohammad told me Hassan will return tomorrow.
That's the thing about this house on Patmos – everything seems two steps forward, one step back. Every success has been tempered with new challenges until finally I get where I want to go. Identifying the resources from tradespeople to furniture sellers was an initial challenge, getting things to show up came afterwards. Deliveries and service people rarely come on time if at all. Even packages can be delivered to Patmos via the Post Office or one of five private courier offices and it's not always clear which to visit for your parcel.
This summer has felt much lighter and easier with so much work already done and the house much more in place. But apparently, we're not completely done.
The good news is Talgus came relatively on-time and got the dishwasher working. I'm not sure either of us knows exactly what he did to make it work – it may have been the valves he turned, perhaps the hose he unscrewed and checked – or maybe just how he readjusted the inflow and outflow lines… still, something worked and I am happily running my first dishwasher load as I write.
To celebrate, Michelle and I might even clear out the random items and debris from the built-in barbecue!
As frustrating as it can be sometimes, turning this house into something I enjoy and can share with others has been extremely rewarding. I've never owned a house outright before. And of those I have owned on finance, none of have ever been mine alone. Certainly, I've never owned a property in a foreign country on another continent before (although I have leased). In the story of my divorce – a significant and turbulent chapter of the story of my life – this house on Patmos will play a significant part. It has been something I've thrown myself into, a source of both frustration and joy – and a labor of love. While the future is never certain, my hope is this house will be a place of joy and refuge for not just me and my kids, but family, friends and even Airbnb guests who hopefully all appreciate blue at least partially as much as I do.
