Mohammad already knew the spots on the right side and back of the house that needed paint repair. Houses in Patmos aren't just painted, but covered in thick layers of white wash protecting the stone framework underneath. Paint here is not just an aesthetic, but a critical part of a house's infrastructure. Mohammad primarily works as a painter, though he was trained as a carpenter and sometimes plays GC with smaller projects. He showed me the key spots that would need paint this winter – which ironically, is what I asked to meet with him about. He hadn't looked on the left side of the house and frowned at a spot where the paint was bubbling up and flaking before his face changed to an expression of resolution as if he had solved a problem.
Like a doctor who had figured out a treatment plan, Mohammad said. "Ok, I will do all of this in March. It will be done in March, by the end of March."
We agreed.
Unlike most houses on Patmos, mine has a steep metal staircase on the side to access the flat roof. Roof access is cool and one of the surprising pleasures of the house with the monastery, Hora, giant moons and star filled skies available on the other side of our ceiling. Many homes and multi-unit dwellings on Patmos make use of their flat roofs for everything from hanging laundry to hanging out. Some have what I understand to be illegal canopies to make the roof a social space. I surmise most roofs are accessed via some internal path like our 2019 Airbnb that had something akin to a hatch through the ceiling of an attic-like space.
Whoever decided on a staircase for my house clearly felt the safety implications of making a roof so easily accessible and built a metal railing around it. Then they painted both the railing and the stairs a very bright blue that has over time chipped and peeled. Of the Patmians I've had look at the house for various reasons from plumbers to architects to civil engineers to gardeners to Mohammad – and even Nichola – each one wants the railing gone. It stands out and disrupts the aesthetic in an almost gaudy way. I too was put off by it the very first time I saw it. Only upon inspection, Mohammad's face grew frown and concerned, then his head began shaking side to side.
"No, Eric. No. I'm sorry. This can't come off without taking off the stair,." Mohammad said as if he informing me of a chronic condition – clearly and rightfully assuming eliminating roof access was not a good outcome.
"I think we paint it white. It will be very cheap, very good. I think it will make it better,"
While I'm not sure white paint solves everything, it certainly seems like an affordable first attempt. We can always pivot later.
As he scanned the left side of the roof, Mohammad's face crunched up again. The overgrowth coming from the neighbor's yard – including some very leafy, fuzzy-flower dropping branches were not acceptable. "When Michaelis (the gardener) comes, you must have him remove this. It is not good," Mohammad pronounced.
So long as we were slating our "winter" work (meaning the entire non-summer low season), we decided to repaint the window trims the same Lulaki (Greek blue trim which literally means lilac) as well and to make the off-white kitchen cabinet faces match the blue ones from the new counter with the oven and stovetop. Nothing big this year – a lot of it just paint. One thing I appreciate about Mohammad – and from what I understand so do many people around Patmos – is that he tries to find the most affordable solution and approach to everything.
In that way, Mohammad is like the mechanic my family used growing up. Stan was always honest, never overcharged and gave a range of cheaper and more expensive options for everything (like after-market vs factory parts or making things work for now vs doing the big fix). Whatever Stan might have forgone per transaction, he made up in volume as people stayed loyal and recommended him to their friends. Now Stan's daughter Jan and son-in-law, Kelly own the business and operate it just like Stan did. I still go to Kelly for anything I can.
Trust is a hard commodity to earn and easy to lose. People like Mohammad and Stan are rare gems.
In fact, the one last piece of business with Mohammad was my cracked kitchen window which broke the other day when the cleaning lady left it open, but unfortunately forgot to anchor it with the hook. The wind banged it around. Mohammad came by today, grabbed the windows off its hinge and returned it less than an hour later. The new glass was 20 euros and he didn't want anything for helping. I was expecting much worse – both in time and money. I'm thrilled to have that solved before my first Airbnb guests arrive Sunday.
This morning seemed to be the time for taking care of all matters related to house maintenance. Michaelis the gardener banged on the door at 10 am. I was surprised only in that he was about four days late. In many ways Bali and Patmos are similar – people come when they come. Sometimes they march right into your home as Mohammad did to get the window (he has a key and comes in the kitchen door).
Michaelis brought what I assume to be his wife to assist with communication – only she doesn't speak English. The goal of the meeting was to hammer out an arrangement for maintaining the yard, improving the barely living lawn and trimming away the neighbors' overgrowth that had bothered Mohammad. The situation clearly called for Google Translate.
Only when I started using it did it become clear what Michaelis' wife's role was. Michaelis doesn't read. So the three of us worked together to figure out a plan in which Michaelis will maintain the yard monthly so that it doesn't develop overgrowth and need a major trimming in spring. He'll take care of the overgrowth that scrunched Mohammad's face. And the lawn he feels is fine – it just needs a lot more water. He's happy to water it no charge. If I understood right, he'll just flood the shit out of it periodically and that will sustain it without the need for sprinklers. Luckily, my house is on well-water and I don't pay for it. Maria and Ioannis, the previous owners, told me they used to maintain a lush garden and there has always been plenty of water for it. Here's hoping….
In the end, Michaelis offered extremely reasonable prices and I felt good we had a clear understanding. I'll drop some money off with Christos to pre-pay, which I think got me a discount. Now we see what happens. Luckily, Mohammad can keep an eye and let me know if there's any problem.
When I first noticed some of the paint issues around the house, I became a little annoyed. I had just spent good money on remodeling and furniture – having remaining issues was disheartening. Then I realized, every house has issues and homeownership is a never-ending job. If the maintenance is smaller – like within the scope of paint – you're doing well. I can't pretend the house doesn't exist or need care when I'm away.
More than anything, the challenge has been learning how Patmos works. If Mohammad hadn't been so kind to grab the window and walk away with it, I would have spent a lot more time figuring out who sells the glass, where they are, when to go, which kind of glass was needed – and most likely wouldn't have assumed I could just carry a window to the shop and left 20 minutes later with new glass installed. There are no websites or apps to find resources here. It's a network and people inside it know what to do. No one is trying to keep foreigners out as I sometimes used to feel in Bali. It's just no one is making their system highly accessible. That's why Prokopis at the hardware shop spends a fair amount of time acting as the home-improvement advisor, helping foreigners find their way.
At least now I have a few key service providers and the furniture and homewares shopping is done. This year I also have a cleaning person which I was too late to get last year. Immanoula cares for properties when people are away for the winter – so she'll occasionally air out the house and keep it from getting dusty. She's also happy to help when there's an Airbnb guest. My network is growing – and each person in it can help me connect to others. I may not be an expert, but I'm in. That's a much better place to be than starting out last summer!
One thing I hadn't considered when buying – but makes perfect sense – is having a house on Patmos means rooting and connecting. In America, we often like a certain amount of anonymity that gives us more power and choice as a consumer. By and large, we hope around, interview, get the best deal - and that process of getting bids or comparing service providers is understood by all. On Patmos, choice is less important than relationship. Shopping around and consumerism around services is understood and certainly with big projects expected, but it also has an edge of being distasteful in some settings.
For example, Michaelis is my gardener because he's Christos' gardener. Last year when I didn't know I had a gardener and yard was seriously overgrown, I went searching for one. The gardener I sourced was initially discouraged from taking the work by Christos and then flat-out wouldn't take the work when he learned Michaelis – a friend of his – was the gardener he was up against. In theory, I could have forced my position and hired another gardener. But that comes at a significant social cost. Christos is close, friendly and supportive neighbor. I would have lost goodwill for reasons probably not worth it.
In turn, when Michaelis threw out my outdoor storage bin this spring at the behest of some idiot contractors, we worked out the issue and I paid him promptly thereafter. Now, he's giving me a good price on the maintenance work for the year. There's a give and take that greases the wheels and being forbearing in one situation comes back to you in another. The issue with Michaelis turned out to be a little like what customer service professionals call '"service recovery" – resolving a situation when something has gone wrong.
Studies show customers actually have more appreciation and loyalty for a company after successful service recovery than they do if everything goes perfectly. At our core, we value how someone deals with us under adversity more than we do the service itself. That's why one time circa 2005 when United delayed a flight I was on from Seattle to Tokyo, but the plane repaired in less time than they promised and handed everyone a $300 airline credit voucher when we boarded, I became a much more dedicated customer and tell the story to this day. United has more than benefitted from its $300 investment in me.
It may well be that my graciousness with Michaelis has fostered more relationship, kindness and loyalty to me and someday, he'll probably solve some problem for me that makes me more of a fan of his. Or at least this is now an opportunity for us.
Also, Christos knows what happened and how I handled it – which he was pleased with, strengthening the relationship with the person most able to watch over my house when I'm away most of the year.
Investing in my network is probably of more value than some potential marginal savings. My network fixes my windows, watches my house, repairs holes in my bathroom walls , floods my dead grass back to life. Does it matter if some other gardener were easier to communicate with or slightly better in some way? Probably not.
Nichola wanted to know who I used for the bathroom and kitchen work. So did my property manager friend, George. Both were pleased – Mohammad and Prokopis the plumber/contractor are known for their good work and honesty. Both were clear it's all about WHO does the work and both had Mohammad in their networks.
I don't expect Patmos will ever have the ease and convenience of home where I can call one service person and if they can't see me in a short period, I can just work my way through a list until I get someone who can. Not everything is full-service. In some cases, like appliance repair – there's one very well-meaning dude and he's ALWAYS busy in the summer. But he likes me and I have a short of getting some level of priority on a bad day.
Each of these people are part of our community here. I see them around town or with their families on Sundays getting gelato or dining at Ktima Petra. They're not just my network, they're my neighbors – and we both will see each other time and time again. At minimum, it's best not for anyone to shit where they eat.
It turns out the house I bought is not just a house, or a home, but a passport to a community that comes with all the wonders and complication of extended family and small towns. As time passes, the stories of what made our house what it is – whatever it becomes – will have all of these people and the humorous, challenging and heartwarming memories built-in, and occasionally whitewashed over.
