Essay

How to get arrested jogging

By Kip Cates

Language and culture are intertwined. If you want to interact effectively with people from other cultures, it's not enough to speak their language. You also have to know the customs of the countries where they live. Sometimes, even small cultural differences can lead to problems.

I learned this the hard way when I was living in Paris. The year was 1974. I was 21 years old and sharing an apartment with a fellow Canadian.

We had come to France to master French and were determined to become fluent speakers. We were serious language learners and spent hours each day studying together. We even took a vow that we would speak to each other only in French and never in English, our mother tongue.

To take a break from our studies and to make sure we kept fit, we went jogging every day. Our apartment was close to the Champs de Mars, the famous park where the Eiffel Tower is located. Each evening, after a long day of study, we'd put on our running shoes, walk to the park, then jog around the Eiffel Tower. It was a great way to finish the day -- jogging together, speaking French and watching the Eiffel Tower shimmer in the sunset.

One evening while we were jogging, we heard a commotion behind us. Someone blew a whistle. A voice called out, "Stop! Thief!" When we turned around to look, we saw two French policemen rushing toward us, gesturing for us to stop.

The police approached us with serious faces. "Why were you running away?" they demanded. My friend and I looked at each other in surprise. "But, we weren't running away," we replied. "Then, why were you running?" They eyed us suspiciously. "We were just jogging," we answered. The police looked puzzled. "Jogging? What's jogging?"

It was the 1970s and the jogging boom in Canada was in full swing. However, this new fad hadn't reached Europe yet and the police had no idea what we were talking about. We tried to explain in our limited French. "Jogging is a custom in Canada. It's a way to keep in shape by running for your health. It's actually quite popular in our country." The police weren't convinced. For them, the only reason for anyone to run in public was to escape from the scene of a crime. It took us 10 minutes -- all in French -- to convince them that we were two innocent Canadians just trying to get some exercise. Finally, they let us go.

Now, of course, jogging is an international hobby enjoyed by people around the world, from Toronto to Tokyo and from Fiji to France. But I'll never forget that time in Paris when I was almost arrested because of a cultural difference!

Shukan ST: JANUARY 27, 2012

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