Paisanos in Phuket

Paisano means “brother” in Italian, and is used to call people that come from the same country as one does. It is equivalent to “homie”.

When I moved to the States a fellow aupair from Germany, who spoke great English, advised me not to talk to anyone in Spanish in order to become as fluent as she was. Therefore, when I met my first Argentine friend, Lorena, I warned her that we would speak only in English. Fourteen years later, Lorena and I still laugh at that ridiculous idea. As years passed by, a handful of countrymen/women became some of my best friends.

I never expected that to happen in a remote place as this crazy island in Thailand. But I have to concede that it is easy, if not necessary, to connect to people that truly know where you come from.

Through Couch Surfing I met David, a Spanish man who was temporarily working in Phuket, only a couple of weeks after moving to the island. He was terribly lonely and unhappy here. Sort of like me. We became good friends and I was sad when he left. David introduced me to Antonio, his countryman whom he met through Couch Surfing, also. Antonio told me: “I work with a guy from Argentina. You both should meet.” Although I was slightly curious, I had not crossed the whole world to desperately meet people from my native country. I gave my telephone number to Antonio to give it to this guy, but he did not call me.

A few weeks later I was walking up Rang Hill and saw Antonio coming down. He said he had lost my phone number and asked me for it again. A few days later the guy from Argentina sent me a text: “Are you online?” He found me in Facebook. Gejo del Cerro, a made up name.

We met in November on Loy Kraton, a celebration in Thailand in which people send floating candle-lit offers into the ocean and lakes and release paper lanterns into the sky to purify their spirits. The next time we met was at Nai Harn beach (at the same location as the first time, actually) on the King’s birthday holiday, in December. The third time was a charm: we met again at the end of January and became “culo y calzón” (very close).

Although I did not think we had much in common at first, this man who was born a few kilometers from the same place as me – ten years later, however– has made me think about our home country in a new light. His influence in my life has probably changed its course in ways I still cannot imagine.

Gejo lives at Marcelo's house. Marcelo is a man from Argentina, too, who has lived for many years in Phuket, although he spends most of his time in China, for business. They met in China and a few years later Gejo decided to move to Thailand and became Marcelo’s house-sitter. Marcelo likes to gather people and has a special magnet to find the few Argentineans that are in the island. Both Gejo and Marcelo were at the beach one day when Federico heard them talk and approached them. Federico is also from Argentina. The three of them became friends.

Federico and I started our friendship shyly. He was able to make me play tennis after more than twenty years of hating it and slowly developed a deep affection for each other. We talk about many things, mainly about Dolina’s philosophy.

At the beach, also, Marcelo met Laura, a woman from… Yes, Argentina, too. Laura moved to Phuket with her boyfriend, Leo, from Sweden. Marcelo thought she would be a suitable friend for me and arranged for us to meet at his house during a fish barbecue. He was right. Laura and I connected very well. We do not see each other a lot but love each other.

The last Sunday I was Kata beach with Gejo. We were waiting for Federico and talking, when I noticed a couple of people that looked familiar. I did not know them but there was something recognizable about them. I told Gejo I thought they were paisanos. I could not hear them talk but I saw it in their moves and their expression. I approached them and asked them, shamelessly, if they were from Argentina. Si! It was a couple of siblings, Andrea and Hugo, who were staying in Phuket temporarily. Andrea comes from working in Australia and Hugo from living in Denmark. Hugo left but Andrea will be staying here a little longer.

That is how last night I had dinner with three paisanos: Gejo, Federico and Andrea. And, although we are all people that traveled and lived abroad for several years, together we felt the comfort of being home.