Our story

Hi, I’m Pam Nivasch, one of the founders of Mahj on the Move.

 

My love affair with mahjong started long before I ever learned how to play.

 

I grew up in New York watching my parents spend almost every weekend playing mahjong or canasta with friends. I remember my mom setting out the snacks and drinks, but what I remember most is the sound. From my bedroom, I could hear the beautiful clinking of the tiles as everyone gathered around the table to mix them by hand.

 

There were no mats, no pushers, and no shufflers. Just hands, tiles, laughter, conversation—and that unmistakable sound. To me, it was pure music.

 

Years later, my mom finally taught me how to play. Some of my first games were as a fill-in at my mother-in-law’s table, where the ladies played FAST. They were patient with me, but I always felt like I had to keep up. Talk about being thrown into the fire!

 

Eventually, I found my own group of mahjong-loving women, and a weekly game became part of my life.

 

When my husband and I moved to Westchester, NY, with our two young children, I quickly realized how much I missed my game. So I started asking everyone I met if they knew anyone who played mahjong.

 

Eventually, I found my people.

 

It was a group of twelve women who came from all over, and every week we filled three tables. There were always plenty of snacks, plenty of laughs, and—most importantly—an immediate connection. Over the years, the group changed, but a few of us stayed together. Twenty-five years later, I am still close friends with two of those women.

 

That’s what mahjong has always meant to me. It’s never just been about the game. It’s about the people you meet, the friendships you build, and the memories you create around the table.

 

Fast-forward to a few years ago, when my husband and I decided to buy a second home in Florida. We eventually found our way to Lakewood Ranch, where I met Kerry and, a few months later, Danielle. They quickly became my ride-or-die friends.

 

And, of course, I needed a mahjong game.

 

So I posted on Facebook asking who played. The response was almost comical: a whole bunch of women who didn’t play—but desperately wanted to learn!

 

With a master’s degree in education and a lifelong love of the game, I realized I had found something I truly wanted to do. I began teaching a few people, and before long, I decided to become an accredited mahjong instructor through the American School of Mahjong.

 

Around the same time my accreditation came through, my husband sadly and unexpectedly passed away.

 

Life changed in an instant.

 

And once again, mahjong—and the people it had brought into my life—became part of my story. Kerry and Danielle, along with her husband, helped me pick up the pieces when there were far too many to count.

 

Through all of it, I have been reminded just how blessed I am. I had 38 wonderful years with my husband, three amazing children, and friendships that have lasted decades. Many of those friendships began with nothing more than four people sitting around a table, picking up tiles.

 

That is why Mahj on the Move means so much to me.

 

My hope is to share a lifelong love of mahjong with as many people as possible—and to create the kind of experiences I have been fortunate enough to have throughout my life.

 

Because when you sit down at a mahjong table, you never really know what you’re going to get. Maybe you’ll learn a new game. Maybe you’ll laugh until your stomach hurts. Maybe you’ll meet someone who becomes a lifelong friend.

 

And maybe, just maybe, you’ll hear that beautiful sound of the tiles coming together and understand why I fell in love with mahjong all those years ago.

 

Mahjong is part of my soul. And I can’t wait to share it with you.