Once again, we found ourselves in a new land with no knowledge of the language. We were completely dependent on our brother-in-law and his wife to guide us for each and every thing. The script is english and many words are a simplification of their english counterpart. Mobil means car. Diskon is discount. Apotik means pharmacy (some vauge link to apothecary??). And so on.
There was a doctor's sign Doktor Gigi. And later on I found similar signs every where. Perhaps this doctor had a flourishing business? No. Actually gigi means dentist!
Then suddenly, a word would crop up on a bus, on a board, reminding us of our shared heritage not so long ago: Widiawati (Vidya wati), prapanca (c is pronounced as ch), dirghaayu, jaya...familiar words many with similar meanings. Each time I saw a new one, I felt so thrilled.
But one word had us in splits: "Susu". It means milk. I had gone grocery shopping with my sister in law. And I had a fit of hysterics in the mall. Chocolate susu, soya bean susu, low fat susu, full cream susu...(for those who are not aware of it...susu is the common term for urine in hindi).
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