Ferry Faux Pas

‘Hello - we can get a train from the station?’

Obviously, I thought, but he asked me so earnestly I swallowed my sardonic reply and gave him the good news —‘yes’.

He looked like a tourist, so I added directions for good measure. It was a humid Sydney day, his face was bright red and he had a toddler in tow, decked out in her tutu.

Good deed done, I turned to continue my harbourside walk as he followed up with another question.

‘The boat train? Station?’ and he pointed down to the famous harbour, not up the hill to the train station where I had helpfully directed him, or so I thought.

Come again? I looked at him in confusion. He pointed to the wharf through the trees.

‘Oh!’ The light dawned. ‘A ferry – the ferry wharf!’

Photo Credit: Jacinta Cubis

We both laughed at ourselves in delight at our mutual mistake.

If you’re quicker on the uptake than me (not hard) you won’t need me to spell it out. But if not, a ‘boat train’ was a ‘ferry’ and the ‘station’ was the ferry wharf.

What a logical and literal translation. It made perfect sense. Trouble was, I heard it literally too. I didn’t take the context into account. We were right on the harbour after all.

With just a little imagination, I might have been able to give him the help he needed faster.

Every question offers a chance to educate both the person asking it and the person trying to respond. In our fumbling exchange, we managed to create some clarity, and connection, out of our mutual confusion.

I’ll I remember the ‘boat train’ next time I’m asked a question that surprises me or when I think the answer looks obvious. I’ll take a moment to consider the context, who is asking and what might be behind their words. That’s (fl)awesome.

Have you ever had a ‘boat train’ moment? How did it turn out? I’d love to hear – just reply to this email.

Be (fl)awesome!

P.S. Turns out my good deed was not so helpful. Recounting this story later to my parents, Dad pointed out that no ferries actually stopped at that wharf. I pictured this Korean dad and his toddler, waiting on the wharf in the heat for that mythical ferry. I reckon he would have twigged and asked the fishermen on the wharf where he could get a ferry, or at worst, at train.