Running
Yesterday, while driving to a wonderful birthday party for my friend, Katlin, i noticed 2 skinny little white girls jogging down the road. They were chatting casually and listening to their iPods at the same time (i’ll never know how that works). As i drove by these joggers i was reminded of my friends in China.
One day in China while i was walking near one of the soccer fields and running tracks i was making small talk with a few students and the idea of exercising and jogging came up. As the sun was setting and it was gradually getting darker i noticed a few more joggers starting to emerge from the darkness. My friends went on to tell me that most girls will jog at night because it’s dark and they don’t want people to know they are trying to lose weight. And sure enough, when we left 30 minutes later, it was fully dark and the running track was swarming with college girls enjoying their daily jog. Some of them chatting and listening to iPods at the same time.
This small incident shows me an interesting cultural difference. College girls in China (not ALL, but the ones i saw and talked to) jog for exercise and weight loss and don’t want to be seen doing it. College girls in Auburn (not ALL, but certainly many) jog to see and be seen. Jogging in Auburn is for social interaction, even if it’s a silent interaction between the pretty jogger and the college boy staring at her while he drives by. This is an interesting difference in exercise habits and motivations. i wonder why girls in Auburn will jog down the busiest street in town when they could go to a smaller area and jog in secret. Is it for the exercise or for the social factor?
As i begin processing more of these cultural differences i will share them with you. I personally think it’s very interesting to notice the small differences…
stephen proctor said
am July 15 2008 @ 9:58 am
i do, too.
very interesting observation…
of course, when I jog/run, it’s usually b/c it’s the only time in the day to do it.
bek said
am July 15 2008 @ 10:30 am
i have a comment that could be a post in itself…
first, this reminds me of back in the day when we would be driving down the road and you would honk at the girls running, while shouting out the window “just leading to your brokeness!” and for those who don’t get the thought process behind that, it started with a conversation about girls who jog in public for people to see them…so they probably want attention (you can usually tell the ones)…and you figured if you overwhelmed them with attention, they would realize their issue and get over it…hilarious! i love that it has come full circle.
second, me and mal got up at 7:30 this morning because we are both desperately wanting to get back in shape. we got up early so it would still be cool, ran in a low key place and i was still embarrassed by the like 3 cars that saw me walking. i think a lot of this, however, is due to my pride and the fact that i used to be an in shape athlete who can’t even run 2 miles anymore. even though walking is legitimate excercise in itself. also, before we started running we were talking about how we don’t like to work out in front of people because the essence of working out is not attractive…its ugly, and you huff and puff, and you shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking. this conversation had started with a story about a girl mal saw doing the splits at the student act in her attempt to stretch to run on the eliptical…completely unnecessary. but i bet it got her attention.
whew…told you that could be a post.
biscuet said
am July 15 2008 @ 10:37 am
Rebekah - That’s hilarious. I forgot about those days. But yes, the i-work-out-for-attention girls get on my nerves and i hope they will realize their silliness and move on with life. Thanks for your thoughts.
Rachel said
am July 15 2008 @ 11:00 am
Ah yes, I do as well. I like seeing the difference in the culture of my friends, considering we’re quite the awkward/diverse bunch. Sometimes I wonder how we all spend so much time together. The unifying factor is Christ, which is beautiful.
As far as the motives for working out and/or jogging, I can relate. I don’t jog (anymore) but showing up at the aerobics center at my college a few months back made me realize what I status thing it could be. It’s always bothered me that guys tend to take to girls who work out a lot. Yes, it’s great to be healthy and active. But some of my (God love ‘em) guy friends need to get a clue.
I think I’ll go take a turn about the track now…
Matt Johnson said
am July 15 2008 @ 11:55 am
I gotta say, it’s the same way in Old Cloverdale. Girls jogging together. Couples occasionally. The motivational factor is there, but its also always at the same time of day. I think a lot of how that happens is just pattern. People start (and quit) exercising at the same time every year without thinking about it. Self-esteem is a migration.
Check mah blog. I linked to you. It’s a constant work in progress but there is a lot of old and recent art stuff. (sorry for the shameless plug.)
http://mattjohnsonart.blogspot.com
sam said
am July 15 2008 @ 6:33 pm
this post reminded me of a funny story about my little sister, liza. she just made the jv cheerleading squad in may and has since can constantly be heard whispering cheers and half-way going through her cheer motions at clear 1 minute intervals. in other words, she believes she has found her calling. anyway, a few weeks ago she decided she was going to start running to get in better shape even though she is 12 and is tall and skinny as a pencil. so she left the house to run at about 11:15 and comes sprinting in the door at 11:21. huffing and puffing she explained that she had gotten one street away from our driveway and saw a “scary man” and sprinted all the way back home.
so ended liza’s jogging.
-i support private jogging as well
mom said
am July 15 2008 @ 7:29 pm
Love your observations. You gotta care first and the rest comes easy. Love you always…
jen said
am July 16 2008 @ 4:05 pm
so i jog…
sometimes alone and sometimes with a friend, usually around the rose bowl with everyone else in pasadena. so, my situation is not the same so as to be seen because the rose bowl is a destination, not a passageway.
i do both for exercise, but the later in order to catch up with ones i do not see as often.
what i do not understand, though, is jogging together while listening to your ipod. sure, i can multi-task, but i just want to ask such people, “what is the point? what is the point in meeting someone for a run when you have absolutely no interaction with them…or limited interaction? are you listening to your ipod or your friend? because i would be pretty ticked if we met for a run and i was sharing some heart-to-heart–or even just catching up–and you had those dumb earbuds in your ear. in fact, i think we couldn’t run together anymore.” i just can’t figure it out…so i remain baffled, and somewhat annoyed.
bek said
am July 16 2008 @ 4:21 pm
i will say this about the friend/iPod run…
i like to run with people but i have my iPod. because i like to run with someone for motivation. its easier when you have someone going through the same thing and you can push each other. and i can’t chat and run, too much heavy breathing for conversation.
but if we do slow to a walk and start talking i just simply tuck the buds in my shirt. best of all worlds.
Ericka Gonzalez said
am July 19 2008 @ 11:17 pm
you know i had a friend (fellow english techer in china) who did his midterm on hobbies. and he asked his students (2 at a time) to just tell him about their hobbies and be prepared to answer some questions. he said he was really surprised at what they said. he was mostly surprised because no one said “i play ping pong because it’s fun!” or “i like to dance because i feel free” they all had answers like: i like doing (whatever) b/c it is good for my mind, or develops my skills, improves myself, good for discipline, etc…
so, i think this just goes to show that chinese have a totally different way of thinking… but of course they do, every culture does…
observing cultures…so interesting…