Michali's Story

There are few welcomes to Symi that are as warm and heartfelt as those I always get from Michali. He can't speak much english but that doesn't seem to matter, he's just so damn possitive and friendly. We shake hands, smile a great deal and make very small talk, often in different directions. But that in itself is quite something because I'm not sure he's entirely in touch with reality. When he was a young boy, his father took him and his brother out fishing  ......with dynamite. Out at sea their father managed to blow himself up, right in front of them, in the boat. I'm not sure about the rest of that episode but it scarred them both beyond repair. The state granted them a kiosk as a form of social security for life. And that was where I first saw him 29 years ago, he still stands there today. Only the kiosk is empty now, they no longer have exclusivity and some locals took advantage of their lax "credit" system - they've lost everything. It is plain heartbreaking but he still smiled, shook my hand and insisted that we have coffee tomorrow ....or the day after.