How are you?

アメリカ人は、知らない人でも会う人会う人、目が合えば、必ず、Hi!, Good morning!, How are you? などと声をかけます。私は、日本人なので、How are you?をどうしても、ご機嫌いかが？ととらえてしまって、ご機嫌と言われても・・・別に。。。とちょっと困ってしまいます。最初は、あれ、この人、知り合いだっけ、などと考え込んでしまってましたけど。でもやっぱりHow are you?と聞かれたとき、Good とかFineとか答えるわけですが、いまいちなんて答えていいかわかりません。で、よく考えたら、あたしからHow are you?って言えば、いいわけね、そしたら答え方もわかるわけね、と思ったんですけど、知らない人にHi!, How are you?とは、まだまだなかなか言えないです。

Americans always say to me “Hi!”, “Good morning!”, or “How are you?” whenever they see and catch my eyes even if they don’t know me. As I am a Japanese and I learned it in the school that if people say “How are you?”, I should answer them “Fine thank you, and you?” But I think there might be a better answer. Initially, when I was said "How are you?" by Americans, I wondered if he was my acquaintance. However I still don’t know how I answer when I was said “How are you?” Then, I considered it. If I say to American “How are you?”, I can hear the answer and I can know how to answer. But, it is hard for me to say “Hi, how are you” to strangers.