More Silly Questions - On Place Names and Directions

Problem
People ask you silly questions. How do you answer?

Answer
Politely.

Stories
Singapore and Singlish
Where is Singapore?
When I first went to Singapore I did not know where it was. Many people in the UK and USA and elsewhere have heard of Singapore but don't know where it is, unless they stop over in Singapore on their way from America or Europe to Australia or New Zealand, on Singapore Airlines or an Australian airline.

There's even a book title about not knowing where Singapore is. "Is Singapore somewhere in China?"

For your information, Singapore is an island, city state, or both a city and a country, south of Malaysia (which in WWII was called Malaya).

The majority of the people are Chinese by race and they mostly speak Mandarin which they are taught at school, as well as English which is taught at school and used as a common language, for conversing with tourists, and the minorities who speak one of the four official Singapore languages, Indian language Tamil, or Malay. (Singlish is English spoken by people who are translating from Chinese, so that the grammar follows Chinese and drops past and future tenses, the words a and the, and adds la at the ends of sentences.

Where Is Sixth Avenue?
I got off a bus and asked a passer-by, "Do you know Sixth Avenue?"

She replied, "No, where is it?"

I was flabbergasted. "I don't know," I replied, "That's what I'm trying to find out."

The reply I was expected was either yes, (followed by directions), or, "Sorry, I'm not from round here."

Tips
Don't rely on local people to give you directions. If you need directions, ask somebody who is walking a dog, pushing a shopping trolley, or working nearby, of the local race and language, rather than a foreign visitor. Other good bets are people carrying maps, smart phones which might have GPS, groups at bus stops or in line.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.