diff --git a/projects/pip.pypa.io/package.yml b/projects/pip.pypa.io/package.yml
index 185c78ab..647c52b5 100644
--- a/projects/pip.pypa.io/package.yml
+++ b/projects/pip.pypa.io/package.yml
@@ -15,10 +15,7 @@ runtime:
 build:
   dependencies:
     curl.se: '*'
-    gnu.org/patch: '*'
   script: |
-    patch -p1 <props/user-install.patch
-
     curl -O https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py
 
     test -d bootstrap || mkdir bootstrap
diff --git a/projects/pip.pypa.io/user-install.patch b/projects/pip.pypa.io/user-install.patch
deleted file mode 100644
index 47f89e43..00000000
--- a/projects/pip.pypa.io/user-install.patch
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,64 +0,0 @@
-diff --git a/src/pip/_internal/commands/configuration.py b/src/pip/_internal/commands/configuration.py
-index 84b134e..c7e6775 100644
---- a/src/pip/_internal/commands/configuration.py
-+++ b/src/pip/_internal/commands/configuration.py
-@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ class ConfigurationCommand(Command):
-             "--user",
-             dest="user_file",
-             action="store_true",
--            default=False,
-+            default=True,
-             help="Use the user configuration file only",
-         )
-
-diff --git a/src/pip/_internal/commands/freeze.py b/src/pip/_internal/commands/freeze.py
-index 5fa6d39..e7f5891 100644
---- a/src/pip/_internal/commands/freeze.py
-+++ b/src/pip/_internal/commands/freeze.py
-@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ class FreezeCommand(Command):
-             "--user",
-             dest="user",
-             action="store_true",
--            default=False,
-+            default=True,
-             help="Only output packages installed in user-site.",
-         )
-         self.cmd_opts.add_option(cmdoptions.list_path())
-diff --git a/src/pip/_internal/commands/inspect.py b/src/pip/_internal/commands/inspect.py
-index 27c8fa3..6058356 100644
---- a/src/pip/_internal/commands/inspect.py
-+++ b/src/pip/_internal/commands/inspect.py
-@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ class InspectCommand(Command):
-             "--user",
-             dest="user",
-             action="store_true",
--            default=False,
-+            default=True,
-             help="Only output packages installed in user-site.",
-         )
-         self.cmd_opts.add_option(cmdoptions.list_path())
-diff --git a/src/pip/_internal/commands/install.py b/src/pip/_internal/commands/install.py
-index b20aedd..d2151e0 100644
---- a/src/pip/_internal/commands/install.py
-+++ b/src/pip/_internal/commands/install.py
-@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@ class InstallCommand(RequirementCommand):
-             "--user",
-             dest="use_user_site",
-             action="store_true",
-+            default=True,
-             help=(
-                 "Install to the Python user install directory for your "
-                 "platform. Typically ~/.local/, or %APPDATA%\\Python on "
-diff --git a/src/pip/_internal/commands/list.py b/src/pip/_internal/commands/list.py
-index 8e1426d..1e269dc 100644
---- a/src/pip/_internal/commands/list.py
-+++ b/src/pip/_internal/commands/list.py
-@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ class ListCommand(IndexGroupCommand):
-             "--user",
-             dest="user",
-             action="store_true",
--            default=False,
-+            default=True,
-             help="Only output packages installed in user-site.",
-         )
-         self.cmd_opts.add_option(cmdoptions.list_path())
diff --git a/projects/python.org/package.yml b/projects/python.org/package.yml
index 1eb7bafc..3b877008 100644
--- a/projects/python.org/package.yml
+++ b/projects/python.org/package.yml
@@ -53,6 +53,9 @@ build:
     make --jobs {{ hw.concurrency }}
     make install
 
+    # customize `pip install` locations to tea defaults
+    cp props/sitecustomize.py {{prefix}}/lib/python{{version.marketing}}
+
     # provide unversioned symlinks
     cd {{prefix}}/bin
     for x in python idle pydoc; do
@@ -60,6 +63,11 @@ build:
     done
     ln -sf python{{ version.marketing }}-config python-config
 
+    # we provide the binaries in a separate package
+    # but we don’t use --without-ensurepip because stuff expects python to
+    # come bundled with setuptools
+    rm pip*
+
     # older versions use a different config dir
     if semverator satisfies '<3.8' {{ version }}; then
       confdir=$(echo $confdir | sed -e 's/\(config-{{ version.marketing }}\)/\1m/')
@@ -76,11 +84,6 @@ build:
     sed -i.bak -e 's|{{ prefix }}|\\$(shell tea --prefix)/python.org/v{{version.major}}|g' $confdir/Makefile
     rm $confdir/Makefile.bak
 
-    # we provide the binaries in a separate package
-    # but we don’t use --without-ensurepip because stuff expects python to
-    # come bundled with setuptools
-    rm {{prefix}}/bin/pip*
-
   env:
     ARGS:
       - --prefix="{{ prefix }}"
@@ -129,6 +132,31 @@ build:
             # be assumed that no additional -I,-L directives are needed.
 
 test:
-  #TODO test all modules eg zlib module
   script: |
-    python --version
+    # Check if sqlite is ok, because we build with --enable-loadable-sqlite-extensions
+    # and it can occur that building sqlite silently fails if OSX's sqlite is used.
+    python -c "import sqlite3"
+
+    # check to see if we can create a venv
+    python -m venv myvenv
+
+    # Check if some other modules import. Then the linked libs are working.
+    python -c "import _ctypes"
+    # python -c "import _decimal" #FIXME
+    python -c "import pyexpat"
+    python -c "import zlib"
+
+    # Verify that the selected DBM interface works
+    python $FIXTURE
+
+    if which pip; then
+      exit 1
+    fi
+  fixture: |
+    import dbm
+    with dbm.ndbm.open("test", "c") as db:
+        db[b"foo \\xbd"] = b"bar \\xbd"
+    with dbm.ndbm.open("test", "r") as db:
+        assert list(db.keys()) == [b"foo \\xbd"]
+        assert b"foo \\xbd" in db
+        assert db[b"foo \\xbd"] == b"bar \\xbd"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/projects/python.org/sitecustomize.py b/projects/python.org/sitecustomize.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b26aff52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/projects/python.org/sitecustomize.py
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+import site
+import sys
+
+# tea considers /usr/local the “πglobal install” location
+# setting this is kinda nuts but brew does the same so
+# we’re assuming they vetted all options
+sys.prefix = "/usr/local"
+
+# enable automatic user installs if pip makes the decision
+# that this is good idea. eg. if /usr/local isn’t writable
+# this is what it will do
+site.ENABLE_USER_SITE = True