Welcome to March!

Good afternoon, Friends.

We have all been looking forward to the end of winter. Especially after missing so many meetings due to weather and cancellations. It's funny that most of the school delays occurred on Tuesdays and Thursdays...

This Sunday is March 1. There is an old proverb that if March comes in like a lion it will go out like a lamb (and vice versa). Sunday, March 1 has a mixed forecast: It will be 34° and they are predicting snow. Is that fierce weather like a lion or is is mild and fluffy white weather like a lamb?

March 8 we lose and hour of sleep and "spring forward" for daylight saving time.
March 17 is St. Patrick's Day. Everyone is Irish!
March 20 is the first day of spring. Is that six weeks from Groundhog Day?

March Madness: fill you your bracket!
March is also a month famous for wind. Get your kites ready to fly!

In Wednesday, Conversation we went over greetings and conversation starters in our excellent new text Conversational American English. We also watched the opening scenes of the pilot for Beverly Hills 90210 on Hulu. It was fun to see the rad fashion and scary to find out that what was teen-speak has become part of our regular, daily English.

On Thursday at our English Classes we had slim attendance. For those of who missed because of the weather, every class had a delicious treat. Lupita brought kale chips and taught the class about a healthy and balanced lifestyle, Heying brought Chinese New Year cake to sweeten the year of the goat. Samah brought in Jerusalem Palestinian favorites that included cheese filled bread, grape leaves stuffed with rice, chickpeas and spices and flatbread topped with minced lamb with spices. What a delicious day to enjoy English!

I am looking forward to a full and warmer March.
Carolyn

Tuesday, March 3
International Bible Study, 9:00-10:30, room 100: Let's read John 6: 60-70 and 7:1-13
Things are really beginning to get exciting, and sad, for Jesus. People are beginning to desert him.

International Friends, 10:30-12:00, room 100: Let's try for parlor games (again). The weather promises to be terrific, so we should be able to meet.

Wednesday, March 4
Conversation, 4:30-6:00, upstairs classrooms: Let's finish watching the pilot to Beverly Hills 90210. Wendy should be back with stories of her adventures in the Dominican Republic.


occurred: happened. Notice that when you add the -ed to occur you also add another r.
...: when you see three periods at the end of a phrase or sentence (an ellipsis), it means that you can pause and finish the implied thought. When it is in the middle of a sentence, it means that information is left out. The
vice versa: reverse the thought. In this case, if March comes in like a lamb, it will go out like a lion!
fierce:raging, powerful, violent
Hulu: a computer site where you can watch television programs that have already aired on demand (when you wish)
rad: 1980's slang for happenin'
desert: leave someone in a time of need (not to be confused with dessert, a delicious sweet or desert: a place with little rainfall that doesn't support life)

I hope that you are celebrating this weekend! This is the year of the goat. This is the year of the sheep. It is both and maybe even gazelle! CNN tried to clear up this question by asking scholars and the man on the street which is correct.

I missed seeing everyone in English Classes on Thursday. It is hard to get out in all this winter cold. I think I had ennui. But, the snow today is very beautiful and it actually feels warm!

At International Bible study this Tuesday we read two devotions from the books offered for use during Lent. We talked about the common practice of giving something up for Lent, and

We celebrated Mardi Gras at Mudbugs as International Friends. The food was delicious and a little spicy.

We watched a few sketches from Saturday Night Live and an episode from The Office in Conversation on Wednesday. Both of these popular American shows feature adult humor and satire.

Carolyn

Tuesday, February 24
International Bible Study, 9:00-10:30, room 100: Maybe we will read John 6...maybe we will go for three and read another part of the Bible!

International Friends, 10:30-12:00, room 100: Let's chase winter blues with some parlor games!
We will enjoy some fun, social games to while away the time as we wait for spring.

Wednesday, February 25
Casual Conversation, 4:30-6:00, upstairs classroom: Join us as we watch an episode of Beverly Hills 90210 in English!

Cable News Network. The American basic cable and satellite television channel that offers 24-hour news service. 

clear up: explain or solve, put something in order
man on the street: a random individual; someone to represent the opinion of a community
ennui: feelings of boredom, tired without any cause
devotions: prayer and private worship
Lent: the Christian season of reflection that begins on Ash Wednesday (which is 40 days before Easter, not including Sundays)
sketches: short, funny performances
satire: using humor and exaggeration to show people's stupidity usually in politics or social issues
blues: sadness
while away the time: fill our time, spend time

Classes are cancelled

Our classes are cancelled today, February 19. 

Stay warm on this record cold day!
Carolyn

P.S. The average temperature for today is 41!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope that your day is filled with love and romance. I enjoy hearing the little tokens of love that couples give to each other: one friend always gets malted milk balls from her husband, another friend gives her husband jelly beans. These aren't traditional, but they are small tokens of affection that are appreciated.

Love,
Carolyn

Bon Appetite, International Friends. We are continuing to eat our way through February. We enjoyed two delicious fondue treats: cheese fondue and a chocolate fountain. Everyone brought their favorite "dipping" items. I was shocked to find out that the current chocolate fountain recipes call for oil! ICK! You can find the two easy recipes that we made at the very bottom of this post.

Tuesday, February 17
International Friends Bible Study, 9:00-10:30, room 100: Meet to read John 6:60-71 and John 7:1-13. Things are heating up for Jesus!

International Friends, 10:30-until we are full!: Let's celebrate Mardi Gras!
Join us for lunch at Mudbugs Cajun Cafe, 20 W. Main Street, Carmel for a taste of the South and to celebrate Mardi Gras. Meet at the church to caravan over 10:40. Park just off Main Street in either the North or South parking lots or in the parking garage North on 1st Avenue NW.

Wednesday, February 18
Conversation, 4:30-6:00: Join us as we watch some prime time TV and learn some American culture, slang and conversational English.

small tokens of affection: little gifts to show love
call for: requires
Things are heating up: becoming intense
caravan: drive as a group
ICK!: exclamation of not good
prime time: broadcast television programming that occurs in the middle of the evening. This broadcast is usually fairly family friendly.


Beer Cheese Fondue (our recipe)

1 clove of garlic

1 bottle/can of beer
2 Cups Gouda cheese, shredded

1 Cups of Mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp sweet Bavarian Mustard
Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Rub the inside of the pot with the garlic clove. Set it aside for other use or discard. Bring the beer to a boil over medium-high heat in a fondue pot or a medium heavy saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium-low so the beer is gently simmering.

Toss the cheeses with the cornstarch in a medium bowl. Add the cheese mixture to the beer one large handful at a time, stirring the cheese in a figure-eight pattern until completely melted before adding more. Stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and paprika, and season with salt. Serve immediately. The fondue can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days and then rewarmed over medium-low heat, stirring in a figure-eight pattern, until the cheese is melted and hot.

Chocolate Fountain

Basic recipe:

1 pint of cream

2 cups Semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups milk chocolate chips

1-2 t vanilla 

You can spice things up with your own add-ins

Heat the cream over medium low heat. Add the chips a hand full at a time to melt.

Tip: as your chocolate fountain begins to thicken add a tablespoon or two of milk or half and half.

half and half: Half cream and half milk

Hello Friends. Do not reply to this mailing...

Hello, Friends.

I found out that people reply to this mailing. This Update comes from our "publisher," so if you reply to send me an email it goes no where. You can tell who gets an email by clicking on the name in the "To:" field. When you click on International Friends you see "noreply@blogger.com". In other words, you can not reply. To see our entire site (blog) be sure to visit:

indyinternationalfriends.blogspot.com

All of our updates are published there as well as information about our meetings and classes and resources for learning English and for living in Indiana. You can also post additions and comments on those pages, so if you find something really cool, let the rest of us know. You can email me at:

indyintlfriends@gmail.com

Did you know you can learn any language in six months? Here are some tips:

• Prepare your mind: you can do it. If you think you can learn it, you can.
• Learn the characters of your target language. 
• Use spaced repetition software to make your flashcards (FlashCards++ and Brainscape Smart Cards are two for your iPad or iPhone) write your vocabulary in native sentences. Don't worry about a word to word translation. Just translate the feeling/meaning in your home language.
• Complete immersion. In order to learn a language quickly, you have to spend every day in it. Use that language on the internet, listen to it on the radio or TV. You are lucky, English is very available to you! Turn on the closed captioning on your TV when you watch English then you can read along (in English) to hear and see the words. You can read English books and listen at the same time. 
• Choose material to study that match your interests. 
• Never stop learning. Keep working on your vocabulary and practicing your skills in public.

I hope that you get out this weekend and see that the groundhog wasn't totally right...

Carolyn

We got to attend a master class in International Bible Study when we read John 6:25-59. Jesus was teaching the leaders and His disciples in the temple. He teaches them that He is the bread of life. This is very significant for the church leaders, since they had no income except from the offerings from the people...see Deuteronomy 18:1-8. What Jesus is teaching could put them out of a job!

We celebrated Setsubun on Tuesday with the International Friends. Thank you to all of the hosts for this fun and delicious holiday. What better way to bring in spring but with a giant ehomaki!

I really enjoyed sitting in on the Level 2 class to hear about two movies: 12 Years a Slave and The Help. I haven't had a chance to see either of these movies all the way through.

Tuesday, February 10
International Bible Study, 9:00-10:30, room 100: Let's read John 6:60-70. Things are beginning to get tough for the followers of Jesus. They will be much more difficult for Jesus.

International Friends, 10:30-12:00, room 100: Let's enjoy fondue!
Fondue has a reputation for being a romantic meal. Why? Let's enjoy the two most popular types of fondue: cheese and the chocolate fountain! Bring your favorite food to dip, I'll bring the fondue.

Wednesday, February 11 , Conversation Class, 4:30-6:00: Let's play cards.
Wendy will show us how to play some social card games. Since I am card impaired, I will learn again!

found out: discover
reply: answer
publisher: a company that prints and distributes written material
closed captioning: written words at the bottom of the television screen that let you read along with what is being said
match your interests: something you like to do
haven't had a chance to: not had time or the opportunity to do something.
all the way through: finish