how are you doing?

many people when they learn a new language stick to the basics. they know a couple of phrases and that is all. that is totally fine with me. as many of you know with my struggles with spanish, i can easily empathise and i understand this completely

sometimes when i am walking home i will have some random stranger try to talk to me to practie their english since i am a foreigner. i love having the interaction with people, and see how they respond when i understand them. (i totally understand this feeling when i try to speak korean to someone and they understand my very basic and rudimentary english)

now as further backdrop to the story . . .
when you ask someone in korea "how are you doing?" you get the very basic "i am fine thank you how are you?" they have memorized this. i once had this funny exchange with a 7 year old boy with tova
boy: how are you doing?
me: great, how are you?
boy: i am fine thank you how are you?
me: great, how are you?
boys: i am fine thank you how are you?

this went on for a while, he was just so used to repeating that phrase. again completely understandable. i only know a couple of korean phrases myself

so in my class i want to push my students, so EVERY class i ask them how are you doing, and i do NOT take "fine" as an answer. instead on my powerpoint i have many words: happy, sad, depressed etc. to get more information from them.

this was a funny exchange yesterday in my class

me: how are you doing?
student: i am ashamed
me: why are you ashamed?
student: uhm, elevator 20 minutes
me: what?!
student: yesterday, elevator broke, me in elevator 20 minutes
me: yesterday you got in the elevator and it broke, and you were in the elevator for 20 minutes?
student: yes, that is why i am ashamed

HILARITY! i love my job, and my boys they are hilarious