Friday, May 11, 2012

Fiji's love of letters

from w A great letter in today's Fiji Times spells out the confusion that can arise in Fiji because of the love of shortening titles to just letters. Looking all over I came to Fiji after 45 years of sojourn overseas. With no car, no relatives and no friends in Fiji, finding a flat to rent and setting up everything is a bummer. I had to go to SCC to meet someone who had a flat near CWMH for rent but mistakenly I went to PSC. The PS said I was at PSC which wasn't the right place and I should go to SCC but it was raining cats and dogs and I could not hear very well. Half an hour later I found myself at FSC but someone there said it was a place for sports matters and I was probably looking for the other FSC. I stopped a taxi and asked the driver to take me to FSC that is other than the sports one. He gave me a broad smile and said, "FSC sugar mill, Lautoka, Oh sure". I quickly decided to walk and let the taxi go. Minutes later I interrupted a young lady who was walking by with her mobile phone glued to her ear and asked her where SCC might be. She pointed at a dark-blue building and kept right on walking and talking. At that dark-blue building a rather good-looking girl said I was at FBC and she pointed at a larger building across the street which turned out to be TLTB. During the next two hours, I remember I knocked on the doors at FNPF, FWCC, FCOSS, FEA, FNU, FICAC, FMF, QEB, APCO and ASCO. Someone said try USP but I told him I knew USP couldn't be SCC. I think I saw ANZ, ATH, FHL, DHL and AFL along the way to MHCC where I stopped to catch my breath. At MHCC I heard two boys incessantly talking about having to go to see a Mr SS and MBSS and a Ms M at MGM after seeing a Mr N at NZPTC. We have only 26 letters in our alphabet and with everyone trying to shorten everything on their mobile phones and everywhere else, life is quickly becoming a real bummer. S. CHANDRA Suva

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