In Thailand, It’s More than Fun, It’s Sanuk

It’s a repeated refrain that Peace Corps Volunteers hear throughout their service:

No serious!

Mai dtong seriot!

Don’t take serious, na!

Tammai seriot?

Don’t serious!

Don’t serious about me!

Why so seriot? Mai seriot, na.

In case you couldn’t figure it out, taking anything seriously here is strongly discouraged. Even if it’s a serious topic. Especially if it’s a serious topic. The Thai way of life is infused with the concept of sanuk (สนุก). But what is sanuk? It’s most often translated as fun, but is so much more than that.

Personal Experience of Fun

In English, when someone goes to some kind of event or on a trip, we ask them if they had fun, or if they enjoyed it. When we ask this question, we are asking about the person’s experiences of an event. Something may have been fun – a carnival, a hiking trip, a night out dancing – but we want to know about that person’s interpretation of that experience, as any individual may find any one of those events not fun.

In Thai, the question sanuk mai, in a small way refers to the individual’s interpretation of the experience. However, I have never asked this question and received a negative answer. The question is generally asked when the answer is a foregone conclusion. A carnival, a hiking trip, a night out dancing are all inherently fun activities, thus they are automatically sanuk.

Fun as a Way of Life

But sanuk is more than just an adjective; it’s a way of life. Work should be sanuk, meaning that you should be able to smile while at work and have it not feel like a drudgery.  Conversations should be sanuk, filled with jokes and laughter. Learning should be sanuk, enjoyed by both the teacher and the learners.

Because of translations that happened long before I came, the converse of sanuk has been translated as “serious.” So when it appears that we are doing something that is not sanuk, we are cautioned against being “serious.” Pre-test and post-test to measure our efficacy and to have numbers to report to Peace Corps? Not sanuk, why always “serious”? Reading an article on deep analysis of systemic oppression? You look so “serious,” come, let’s do something sanuk. Confused about what is happening around you and that confusion shows on your face? It’s not “serious,” it will be sanuk!

Incorporating Sanuk in My Life

While these admonitions against “seriousness” and inquiries into whether something was sanuk, are initially frustrating, it has certainly opened my eyes and caused me to reconsider my take on life. Why shouldn’t I be able to smile and joke while working?  Don’t the little infusions of sanuk make the day more enjoyable? Just because something is a requirement – data collection, meetings, tedious work – doesn’t mean that it can’t be done with a smile, right? Learning to incorporate sanuk into my life outlook is still a work in progress, but the guidance of the Thais and their smiles in my life remind me of its value and encourage me to see things through new eyes.