That's the phrase I never understood in my first week in the States. When everybody said "hi" and then said "how're you doing?", I couldn't figure out how to answer such a question. I have been learning English for years and I never faced the question. As far as I know, if we meet someone for the first time, we should say "how do you do?". And after that we ask "how are you?" But here, they ask me "how're you doing?"

I worked out how to answer this question in the second week - the answer is "I'm doing good" or "very good". It's very easy now, but in the first week I thought "what???"

(Eko, ELIPS student)

Don't forget to declare any food you bring into Australia. I recently travelled to Darwin and didn't tick the form to say I had food in my luggage. I was stopped upon arrival and a dog sniffed my handbag as I had a packet of peanuts in it. All you need to do to avoid problems is tick the box and declare the food at the customs desk.

(Siti Hajar, teacher, IALF Bali)

In Australia I couldn't get used to drinking water from the tap, especially the tap in the toilet. In Indonesia people use tap water for washing clothes and dishes, cooking or watering plants. We have boiled water for drinking, but I found that Australian tap water is hygienic and safe everywhere.

(Siti Hajar, teacher, IALF Bali)

This edition of DPDF has lots of letters from you, plus a section which takes a look at cultural differences in teaching and learning styles. Don't forget to have a look at the DPDF forum on the IALF website, and feel free to post a comment, question or story yourself! Thanks to everyone who helped with this edition of DPDF, especially Indah and Bundhowi, and a very big thank you to all students, past and present, at IALF Bali who have contributed.

Featured Topic - Cultural Differences in Teaching and Learning English

How're You Doing?
Customs Declaration
Tap Water
Letter from the Editor