March winds and madness

Hello Friends,

March came in like a lion! This is really good news because this guarantees a great trip into April. We got a good taste of March winds on Friday. Whew! And then we got some some more snow. March is characterized as being the classic kite flying month. Be sure to try it.

March kicks off a bunch of great traditions. Being Hoosiers, we are very excited about March Madness which means college basketball tournaments. Be sure to join us for our March Madness picks at International Friends. March often is the month for spring break for college students. There is a great migration of young people on road trips to the beach. They are exchanging with the snow birds who are heading back up north with the great weather.

March is the great beginning of getting out and about. I had a great day (on Saturday) getting out and visiting places I don't usually go and running into old friends. Carmel isn't a big town. It is so absolutely wonderful for reconnecting with people you haven't seen during the winter.

International Church Services: first Thursday of the month, 12:15
It was good to meet and listen and sing with Pastor Borg. Our next service is April 6.

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100
We read Acts 12.  Peter was sound asleep in prison the night before his trial. He was bound with two chains. He was guarded by sixteen soldiers. Would you be able to sleep under those conditions? Most people wouldn't have slept a wink. Peter's faith in Jesus gave him such peace of mind that he was not afraid of what the future would hold for him.

An angel released his chains, led him past the sentries, opened locked doors and gates and led Peter to a familiar street near a house that the believers often used for their gatherings. There he knocked on the door until a servant girl named Rhoda came. When she recognized Peter's voice, she got so excited that she ran back to the group of believers who had been praying for Peter's release, leaving Peter standing at the unopened door! When she announced, "Peter is at the door!" they told her she was crazy. Think about it! They had been fervently praying for Peter's release from prison. God had answered their prayers, but at first they couldn't believe it. Eventually they did go to the door and let Peter in. Hilarious!
March 7: Please join us as we read and discuss Acts 13, an account of the beginning of Paul's missionary journeys. 

International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100
We enjoyed a delicious Cajun/Creole lunch for Mardi Gras at Mudbugs. We tried gumbo, etouffee, jambalaya, red beans and rice, dirty rice and so much more. It was fun to get out and brave the holiday crowds. The line was out the door for the lunch rush, but we heard that things died down for an hour or two late in the afternoon before picking up again for the evening.

March 8: Join us as we learn to make delicious and nutritious smoothies and juices with Lupita.

Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 201
We listened to and then discussed the poem by Robert Frost The Road Not Taken. We enjoyed deciphering what particular words meant: were we to take them on face value or was Mr. Frost implying something else? We liked the image of a "yellow wood": did that mean in the early fall (late in life'season) or young trees? We talked about whether our decisions are permanent or if we can go back and try a route another time. How many do overs can you get in life? In this poem, Mr. Frost doesn't think he will ever really come back and take the road not take just because life is like that and it isn't a bad thing. What do you think about how he ends this poem? I will quiz you! Look out!

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

March 9: We will talk about the appointment (or not) of Judge Gorsuch from the Easy English News and current events. Bring a poem to share.

English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms
I enjoyed meeting with each of the classes. American Accent Training had a fun exercise where they read the following: 

Yes, English can be weird.  It can be understood through tough thorough thought, though.

Go ahead and practice these words on your own. Ask your teacher to help you if you have questions.

March 10: Join us as we meet to talk about interesting thing in English. 


a great trip: no, we aren't traveling...we are talking about moving forward in time
a good taste of: in this case we aren't talking about eating, we are talking about experience
classic: something that is typical or usual
kicks off: a great football idiom meaning "begins"
road trips: traveling in the car with a destination in mind, but not necessarily a schedule
snow birds: senior citizens who travel to warmer climates for the winter; Midwestern retired people are snow birds
out and about: leaving your usual home territory
running into: meeting by chance
sound asleep: deeply sleeping
trial: legal proceeding to determine guilt or innocence as opposed to a difficult period in life
would not have slept a wink: unable to even close your eyes for a short rest; this is always used as a negative (I didn't sleep a wink last night because of the storms/baby/dogs/traffic/worry/coughing)
peace of mind: calm
sentries: soldiers stationed at a place to stand guard
fervently: having or showing great warmth or intensity of feeling, spirit, enthusiasm, etc.
hilarious: extremely funny
so much more: et cetera
brave the holiday crowds: go to something even though there will be many people there
nutritious: full of good vitamins
(lunch or dinner) rush: popular time to attend
picking up again: get busy

take on/at face value: direct meaning 
were/was: were (plural) because of the "we"; "was" (singualr) because of the Mr. Frost

implying: hinting at another idea
image: mind picture

do overs: kids will use this to have a second chance in a game where the game is restarted at a certain point so that new opportunities can happen

quiz: ask you; a little test
go ahead: when someone says this they mean that you have permission; parents will tell their kids that they can go ahead and have more cake!