yes, i can speak english

for the nth time, i've been told by an american, that for somebody from another country, i can speak english very well.

duh! jeez, sometimes, i dunno if these people are just making polite talk (is it an automatic conversation line? sort of like, when you greet somebody with "how you doing", you would almost always here the reply "good"?). or maybe that they're just plain ignorant. still, i give them a surprised-yet-happy face (as if i've heard that comment for the first time), smile, and say thank you. yes, i also have manners. but i feel my humor/amusement may be waning thin.

however, i don't fail to follow up by informing them that english is the medium of instruction since gradeschool.

and yet they insist on saying "yes, but you speak english very well".

SIGH.....