A few weeks ago I was in Singapore on my way back to Jakarta. I enjoy being in Singapore. It is a beautiful city-state. It is clean and orderly. And, it is the only place in Asia where one can drink the water out of the tap and not become ill. I also have a number of friends in Singapore. I wanted to find a certified watch repair shop to repair a special watch I had bought in Singapore several years ago. I finally obtained the phone number from Singapore's Directory Assistance service. I called the repair shop and was told that they were located at a certain address on "Abbott" Road.
Before I go further, one must understand that Singaporeans speak a language that is often referred to as "Singglish." It is a combination of British English and a few other languages put together (Chinese and Malay primarily). Emphasis is often placed on syllables that are not necessarily correct, and there is often an interesting "lilt" when they speak. And, it is often spoken very quickly which sometimes makes it hard to be understood. One should also know that Singapore was at one time under British rule, and the English most often spoken has a definite British and Australian influence in it. Singapore also has many streets and lanes named after many people and places that are British in origin.
I went to the concierge in my hotel and showed him the address. He tried to tell me where he thought the building was located. I then entered a taxi and showed the taxi driver the address and we started off. I was very curious as to where this repair shop was located because I thought I might never have been on that road before. We drove around, and finally, I saw a sign. Suddenly, it dawned on me that the young lady who gave me the address had not spoken as clearly as she could have, and I did not understand her Singaporean English (Singglish) as much as I thought I did. I have often had to interpret for myself what I think a Singaporean is saying. In this case, I was way off. The street was actually not "Abbott" Road, but "Albert" Road. And, the building was a location I knew very well! If one thinks about it, one can see how easy it would be to make such a mistake.
Sometimes we may not be speaking as clearly to others as we think we are speaking. Or, we may not be listening as closely or carefully as we should when others are speaking. In some cases, this may have eternal implications.
"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:" --James 1:19.
Jesus said, "Take heed, therefore, how ye hear:" -- Luke 8:18.
SPW
