To say Bruce Janis has a flair for languages would be an understatement to be sure. Born in America’s Midwest, he spoke Italian before English thanks to his parents and is also fluent (or was he says) in French. After university, he specialized in a career of product design and engineering before opening up several factories in China in the 1980s when work visas for Americans were readily available.
Knowing that speaking and writing the local lingo is often they key to business success, he learned Cantonese before leaving for Thailand following the 1989 Tiananmen Square student-led protests and subsequent massacre. “Actually,” he confesses, “I found Thai with its five tones easy to pick up as I had already successfully tackled Cantonese with its eight or nine.” His Thai husband, Somsak, says Bruce is a natural linguist for both speaking and writing. They were married in America.
Initially, Bruce lived in Bangkok before moving to Chiang Mai where he hosted an “immigration therapy” chatgroup online to help expats confounded by the visa rules and regulations. “In the late 1990s, the paperwork needed for your longstay visa was actually heavier than today. I have always enjoyed community liaison and see a role for me informally bridging the gap which often exists between expats and Thai bureaucracy.” He adds that Chiang Mai is still very different from Pattaya in ethos: the fall-off in the number of western expats is less pronounced in Chiang Mai than in her sister city.
Over the past year or so, Bruce has been working in Pattaya on a major You Tube project called Let’s Live in Thailand. Running over four hours, there are 14 videos of about 20 minutes each devoted to the pros and cons and ifs and buts of living in Thailand. Mostly already uploaded, they are being publicly released one a week on Sundays. Bruce says he was encouraged to produce the videos – all his own work without outside help – by the mediocrity of similar attempts on the internet.
“It’s amazing how much rubbish is out there, written by people who don’t understand the differences between international and domestic insurance or the best way to open a bank account if you are looking for a longterm visa.” The videos are professionally produced and include popup messages, pictures and icons to keep you engaged. Subjects include (amongst many others) moving to Thailand, the world of visas, communication and language, security and health issues. There’s also a tantalizing All The Secrets You Missed. Many rumors and myths are dispelled.
As regards contemporary Pattaya, Bruce believes the city still offers the facilities and services for almost any lifestyle and has a zest for life which is unique in his experience. “The resort has undergone so many changes in the last 30 years and will continue to evolve in its own way.” Perhaps that’s the key to the Pattaya success story.
https://YouTube.com/@LetsLiveinThailand
