Isabel TS #8

Tutoring Je-won - Session 4

Date/Time: Wednesday, July 30, 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM EST (9:00 PM-10:00 PM KST)
Location: Google Meet 
Topic: Greetings and Introductions

Today, we talked about greeting someone you have already met. I presented a slideshow about the spoken greetings and gestures people use in America. I differentiated the formal greetings and informal greetings for him and the different gestures people will make. There were some similarities with Korean behaviors, at least between friends, such as exploding fist bumps. 

I also talked about the etiquette of asking someone how they are doing. I told him it was polite behavior to ask, not necessarily a genuine question. Then, we went over a couple of ways to respond to questions such as, “How are you?” and “How’s it going?” The small talk conversations were quick and simple answers whereas the genuine conversations with friends and family lead into full discussions of one’s wellbeing. 

We also went over the value of positivity in American greetings and small talk. The baseline for Americans in small talk is that everything is fine. I related it to Korean humbleness in that regardless of one’s honest feelings, there is an expected response. He understood this enthusiastically. 

Throughout our sessions, I check that he understands everything we’re discussing. We practiced some simple small talk, and I clarified that the greetings may be similar but the responses given to acquaintances are different from the ones given to friends and family. 


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