Because we live on Phuket Island, many Thais speak a small amount of English.  One phrase they often use is “Same same.” On our trip to Phi Phi island, I was met with a prime opportunity to use said phrase.

As everyone knows, it’s a challenge to find an animal lover greater than I, and there are dog’s aplenty on the streets. However, on this particular day, I was very lucky to not only find a cat, but a cat that looked like my precious Nici!

I immediately bent down and started petting him until a lady tapped me on the head and shook her finger at me. Disappointedly, I walked around the corner and took the cat’s picture a few times.

I heard her tell someone else “No pet,” so I thought it might make her a little happy to see a photo of her cat’s twin. I pulled out my phone which contains a plethora of photos of Nici, and she told me, “No photo.” When I got the point across that I was trying to show her something instead of snap a shot, she looked at it and I could see her stone cold expression melt away. I told her that he is my cat in America, and she said “Same same!” She nodded towards her cat, indicating that I could pet her as she continued to look at my various Nici photos. Then she bent down, picked her up and lovingly placed her in my arms.

She kept repeating “Same same,” and I knew I had touched a little bit of her heart that day.