Multidirectional wandering and wondering

 

One of the most interesting cross-cultural exchanges is the seemingly simple request for directions. As a non-native, even if you are from the same country, you make yourself dependent on the “kindness of strangers”. The results are quite uneven. Some people prefer not to get involved for one reason or another while others feel happy or duty-bound to help you. The manner and efficacy of their assistence vary extremely. Fortunately, modern city guide applications are ready, available and far more reliable.

The attitude to helping strangers goes beyond individual character and reflects civil attitudes to a certain degree. Many cities are characterized by rather insular lifestyles, i.e., people mind their own business. For example, it is fortunate that Paris is at least 50% non-Parisians. The Chinese are not very forthcoming either. The reason for this taciturn approach is often language ability. Most locals may not be familiar at all with any other language aside from their native tongue. Thus, they don’t want to embarrass themselves. It may simply reflect a lack of interest, i.e., they don't care. On the other extreme, some cultures place a great importance on welcoming guests. As a consequence, they are both happy and honored to try to guide you to your goal. The lack of language and actual knowledge has no impact on their enthusiasm. They feel obligated to try.

Unfortunately, the results will vary. On one extreme, you meet the right person with all the required knowledge and time. For example, a friend of mine  just returned from Japan and recounted how a policeman guided him to where he wanted to go, even stopping traffic so that he and his wife could cross the street. Regretfully, such willingness to go above and beyond duty does not always reflect actual knowledge. Strangers will often take you in the wrong direction or a completely different location, of course, only with good intentions. Remember that a certain road was paved with those same intentions. Language issues can render simple instructions into a challenging puzzle. A hand pointed in a direction followed by the words “1, 2, 3, right” can be rather ambiguous as it is not entirely clear whether the numbers refer to streets, lights or traffic circles. In Israel, I have even had the experience of the addition of a truly cryptic bit of data: opposite where the felafel stand used to be. I found that one as amusing as it was useless. The most serious problem is that many people simply do not want to admit that they don’t know how to get there, as if confessing to ignorance would somehow harm their pride or ego. As a result, they confidently lead you astray. Thus, the level of willingness does not always reflect the level of knowledge.

Fortunately, modern applications have made travel so much easier. I am not the generation that automatically exudes joy over every new toy on the telephone. However, I have to admit that GPS-based city navigation applications allow me to enjoy two contrasting experiences when exploring a city: getting lost and arriving at my destination. I took maximum advantage of these capabilities during a trip to Paris a few years ago. Furthermore, I can err in terms of streets and even directions without fear of finding myself needing to ask a stranger for guidance. Moreover, they are fluent in most languages and even specify the names of streets. They even specify the noun after the “1, 2, 3”. In my opinion, the natives are as appreciative of these applications as travelers are. Not only do they spare them the embarrassment of not having to help lost souls but they also allow them to avoid the shame of having to ask others for directions in their supposedly home territory. Technology does have its benefits.

So, the next time you are a “stranger in a strange land”, just for the fun of it, try asking for directions from some apparent locals. It will be amusing to note their willingness to answer, the actual knowledge and the effort they are willing to invest to help you. After you complete that social science experiment, I suggest using a city navigation application. You can feel confident that you will arrive at your destination. As Serge Regiani sang (in a different context): bonne route.