I had a good time hosting one of the organists for the competition this weekend as I have mentioned before. He was a very pleasant young man as I have mentioned before, with only one small problem. Mine, not his. Being from Hong Kong, he spoke British English with a rather heavy Chinese accent. Generally, I had no trouble understanding him. Generally. The night before the contest he had been working in his room and came out and asked me if I had 'a razor.' I told him no. I didn't tell him that as a widow who lives alone I never need to shave. But then I remembered that I might have a razor in my travel kit, and I did. When I offered it to him, assuming he wouldn't mind using a lady's razor, he looked at me strangely, then laughed, apologized for his pronunciation, and made it clear to me that he was asking for 'an eraser.' He said that he had never really learned to pronounce 'eraser' well because in Hong Kong (and England for that matter) they call them 'rubbers.' We both agreed that I might not have understood that request at all. It's good to be able to laugh with your guest.
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