Vaccinations are now open for ages 30+.
Wednesday, March 31 vaccines will be available to all Hoosiers 16+.
Or call 211
After April 6
Hello, Friends.
Get ready to wrap up March this week. We had a great sampling of wind, hail, rain and snow this month (which is March's claim to fame here in the Midwest). We have seen the lion and the lamb. How will we end the month?
April 1: April Fool's Day is a fun holiday for pranking and practical joking. Here are some fun pranks that can turn your house upside down that are fun for kids or adults. Stay alert and ready to be pranked.
And wow, what a week of weighty questions! We had a lot of legal type questions and discussions this week. Be sure to know your rights and read all contracts and terms and conditions. Most of the time you may not have a choice to disagree to the text of the terms.
Spring Break
We are looking forward to our Spring Breaks after a year of learning. International Friends follows the Carmel Clay Schools.
We are breaking March 3 through April 11.
Classes and meetings resume on April 12.
School District Vocabulary
In Indiana and most of the United States each public school district is governed by school board members elected from the community. These members do not have stated political party affiliations. The Superintendent of schools directs the the overall school district while principals are responsible for individual schools in our district.
Carmel Schools are redistricting or reassigning where children will be attending schools in the fall. In Carmel, our schools are "neighborhood schools" which means that children in the same neighborhood are assigned to specific elementary schools. These decisions are based on the numbers of children in the households in our community (including apartment complexes) . As people move and housing is built, the counts change. Elementary schools feed into one of the three Middle Schools. What schools All Middle Schools feed into Carmel High School.
March Madness
True to form, the underdogs have risen to the top. Everyone has had their bracket busted! What does this mean for our competition? Everything continues to be very exciting because now no one can brag!
What was the awww moment? How about Sister Jean meeting Blue, the Mayor of March? Blue is the mascot of Butler University. Sister Jean is the team chaplain for the Loyola Ramblers. She is 101 years old and having gotten her COVID vaccination, she pleaded her case to come to the dance.
Add Hoosier Hysteria to your basketball vocabulary. Hoosier Hysteria is our excitement for High School tournaments.
COVID-19
Happy news for us here in Indiana on the COVID front. As vaccinations increase and cases decrease life in Indiana is beginning to open up. Mask wearing, social distancing, hand washing still are a part of our daily living. Relaxing our guard and planning to resume meeting together and enjoying each others' company and being together is exciting.
Talking to the Police
In our classes we were discussing culpability, rights and dealing with law enforcement. Knowing what to expect when talking to the police is an important part of living in a community. In the United States you have "the right to remain silent", which is a right many people forget. Shouting and arguing is never in your best interest because "anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law". Lying to authorities is perjury and can be a felony which is a serious crime that is punishable by a year or more in prison. Here is a great resource:
In the United States, the role of the police is to protect and serve the community. The police here in Hamilton County are ready to help in any situation. Do not be afraid to call the police for help and support or to report anything that seems off. Call the non-emergency number when you have time and if a situation is not life threatening.
Stories and More: Monday, 10:30-11:00 A.M.
We enjoyed the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. This fairy tale tells the story of a poor boy that trades the family cow for a few beans! How can that help him and his mother?
Here is a feature length film with an all star cast of Jack and the Beanstalk for you to enjoy.
March 29: Don't forget to pick up your packets for April and May! When you do, be sure to get a bag out of the tin (our house squirrel was helping himself to that activity!)
International Bible Study: Tuesday, 9:30-10:30 A.M.
We read the first story in chapter seven of Luke. This story tells about a centurion who requests Jesus to heal his servant. Great observations:
March 30: Luke 7:11-17 This story is an amazing story: Jesus raises a child from the dead. How could this be?
International Friends: Tuesday, 10:30-12:00 P.M.
We talked about March Madness and basketball from a Hoosier point of view. The bracket vocabulary and living in the heart of the competition puts a little spin on the ball. The pandemic is giving us all an excuse to enjoy the games.
March 30: Let's talk about Easter and spring break. Easter is a religious holiday for Christians but is a secular holiday for everyone else. Neighborhoods host egg hunts. Bunnies and chicks and colorful eggs and candy and feasts.
This year we will cook cod (a Brazilian favorite) and sweet potato bread. Click to be redirected to the recipes and to make your shopping list)
We traditionally dye Easter eggs. Grab a kit and boil some eggs. The kits cost anywhere from under a dollar to $2.00 like these available from Walmart for the ones that include all you need (even the cups!) McCormick Spices has this great page that has some alternative ideas and tips for dying your eggs.
Book Club: Wednesday, 10:00-11:00 A.M.
We started talking about the first two chapters. We shared our impressions and our favorite moments. We talked about the character of Don Quixote: is he mad, a fool, idealist, wise?
We found that most of us are reading several versions and maybe even several languages. We do like our hard copies to read, mark and enjoy. There is something satisfying about reading a paper copy!
March 31: Be ready to talk about chapters three and four.
Afternoon Conversation: Wednesday, 4:30-6:00 P.M.
We learned to flash fill and use control E to duplicate format in Excel. Chatting and finding common things to talk about is important to developing our language skills.
March 31: We will have a short Excel lesson. After that, anything goes!
English Classes: Thursday, 9:30-12:00 P.M.
It was nice to have all the classes all under one roof so to speak. Prepandemic we were able to see each other each week. This week we were able to see all of our friends, even briefly for a get together before everyone arrived and touch base.
Don't miss our resources. Our webpages have some excellent links to building your vocabulary under each of our meeting links in Our Meetings and Classes.
We had a great conversation about Bill's Tip "on the sly" which means secretively. We talked about the fact that this phrase may not be bad (when we are planning a surprise for someone).
April 1: Meet for English classes
End of the Week Conversation: Friday, 10:30-12:00 P.M.
We talked about "terms and conditions" and your responsibility to read before agreeing or signing. Here is a link to some standard templates that you can lookover and study. Remember that leases, app terms and conditions and other business documents generally protect the business and inform you of what you are agreeing to. Pay attention because if you break these terms you may legally or fiscally responsible,
Legalese or legal language may not be clear to the average person reading. Be sure to ask questions if you do not understand. Do not be afraid to ask questions. Do not sign or agree if you do not understand what you are reading. You are responsible to know and understand what you are agreeing to or signing which also means that you may have consequences and penalties if you break the contract.
Sometimes you can object to terms of a contract and negotiate a change, but with apps or online purchases, you just say no and don't download them.
Be aware that taking no action and using the website (with its cookies) or using an app implies your agreement to the terms and conditions!
April 2: Welcome April! Will we have weighty conversations or will we have casual conversation?
all under one roof: in one location or place
anything goes: there are no boundaries; we can talk about anything
awwww moment: cute or sentimental time
break: fail to keep the terms or agreement
come to the dance: attend the college basketball tournament
culpability: deserving blame
feature length or feature film: a movie that is 130 minutes long
hard copies: books, magazines, papers (not virtual copies on your computer or tablet)
implies: suggest or implicates (a good legal term saying that you are involved in the situation)
How about: asking for an opinion
look over: read
pleaded her case: spoke up for herself
risen to the top: excelled
secular: not related to religion or religions practices
seems off: is not typical or is unusual
so to speak: in a metaphorical way; an image
standard template: a document form to start
stated political party affiliations: political party is not part of the election requirment
true to form: usual
weighty: serious; full of information
Vaccinations are now open for ages 40+.
March 31 vaccines will be available to all Hoosiers 16+.
Or call 211
After April 6
Hello, Friends.
We had a great taste of March weather this week. Wednesday was a showcase of all that Indiana weather could offer in one day. We started warm. Winds blew. Rain fell. Roads flooded. Limbs fell.
Maker Spaces
Our public libraries have maker spaces. A maker space is a workshop where you can use equipment and machines to make projects.
Ignite Studio, Hamilton Southeastern Library
Here is a sample You Tube of a project from the Maker Space.
Digital Media Lab, Carmel Clay Library
Natural Wonders
March Madness
Here are some fun basketball sites to visit both virtually and in person.
COVID-19
As we are getting vaccinated, take the time to enroll in V-Safe after vaccination health checker. This app helps the CDC compile information about people's response to the vaccinations including side effects. Depending on how you answer, you may get a follow up health check from
Stories and More: Monday, 10:30-11:00 A.M.
We learned about St. Patrick's Day and made beautiful rainbows. This was a perfect project to brighten a rainy Monday.
March 22: Jack and the Beanstalk is a favorite fairytale. Grow three magic beans: pick up your kit from Carolyn’s porch.
American Sign Language: Monday, 5:30-6:30 P.M.
We practiced our questioning signs and carrying on conversations with each other using our vocabulary. Each week we expand what we learn and we are beginning to notice that we are slowly (very slowly) replacing our spoken language.
March 22:
International Bible Study: Tuesday, 9:30-10:30 A.M
We wrapped up Luke 6. Luke wraps up this chapter with the Jesus teaching about builders. Jesus asks the people why they call on him when they are in trouble for not following his advice. Jesus uses the analogy of a builder. Talked about what is the "house" and decided that it is faith (and hope). We talked about what "bricks" are part of the construction: compassion, forgiveness, patience, charity, kindness. We talked about what shakes our faith (and our life): COVID, broken relationships, fear. Then we wondered what that rock was: the love and grace of God keeps our foundation secure.
March 23: Luke 7 begins with the story of the healing of a centurion's son. How does this powerful Roman military leader treat Jesus? How does Jesus answer him?
International Friends: Tuesday, 10:30 A.M.-12:00 P.M.
We prepared for St. Patrick's Day by making our corned beef and cabbage. We tested a new soda bread recipe. The result was delicious (at my home).
March 23: Let's start by talking about March Madness. Even if you aren't a basketball fan, you can get into the spirit of the game. Learn more about this favorite Hoosier past time. We know the conversation will grow from there...
Book Club: Wednesday, 10:00-11:00
We took care of housekeeping for this meeting. We began talking about our background with the book and our wishes for our conversations. We decided that this would be an unstructured, free flowing style of discussion and conversation rather than a group that reads and answers study questions and reports.
March 24: We will talk about chapters one and two. Bring questions or ideas about these chapters.
Afternoon Conversation: Wednesday, 4:30-6:00 P.M.
We met and had some nice conversations. It is always good to talk about what is on your mind. This small group of Friends is a great place to meet.
March 24: Will we work on Excel? Who knows? We will have some great side conversations!
English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00
We are glad to welcome people to our classes as we continue to Zoom. Join us and refine your skills.
March 25: Classes continue.
End of the Week Conversation: Friday, 10:30-12:00.
Conversation started with politics and rolled on to talk about leadership and sharing about leaders and bosses. We started a little later in the day (the third Friday has a previous engagement until 11:00) but that didn't stop us from our conversation.
March 25: Join us. We still need to share our teacher stories.
brighten: make happy cheerful
housekeeping: planning
from here on out: beginning now and continuing into the future
limbs: large tree branches
showcase: demonstration
taste of: a sample
The Tournament starts March 18.
Here is a great guide with terms and definitions to get you up and running.
Here are some fun ways to get the whole family involved...Let's start with Blue, because who doesn't love a good dog!
It's time to fill out your bracket. Join in and play. It doesn't matter if you don't follow the sport. Anything can happen! The underdog can win. Teams upset! If it is a toss up between teams, you can rely on any of the tips below to break your tie.
Tips for picking:
Click for the Fox 59 Madness Bracket Challenge to win prizes.
Or just pick your favorite mascot using Blue's Mascotology Bracket.
up and running: fully functioning or operating
bracket: diagram of a tournament
follow the sport: are a fan of a
underdog: not the favored team
teams upset: people not expected to win win.
break the tie: add more weight or points to make a decision
rank: order by achievement
make the call: decide
bracketology: making a bracket
mascotology: making a bracket by choosing the mascot!
All meetings and classes are GMT -5
Hello, Friends:
We are talking about hoops. March Madness is here! Do you have a bracket? Go to CBS Sports and fill in your bracket (who you think will win the tournament).
Meet some great people and watch the stories of Hoosiers and their lives. Find some new people to meet and places to go. #myINcrowd lets you tell your story!
Dates
A big week for weather and climate and the official March party...St. Patrick's Day!
March 14: Daylight Savings Time Begins (spring forward) and lose an hour of sleep. The busses will be running in the dark, again. Watch out for children.
March 14-21: Severe Weather Preparedness Week
March 16: Statewide Tornado Drill Day
March 17: St. Patrick's Day. Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day! Celebrate with traditional Irish American corned beef and cabbage. The Old Farmer's Almanac has a history of St. Patrick along with recipes. In spite of COVID, there are events in Indiana if you are ready to venture out for a Guinness stout.
March 18, 11:00 A.M.: Weather warning tests begin. Listen for the sirens.
Severe Weather
Spring weather is changeable in central Indiana. Stay on top of the forecasts and be ready for change. Indiana is hit by an average of 22 tornados a year. In 2011 we had a record of 72 tornados touch down.
Generally:
At Home:
Away From Home:
COVID-19
International Stories and More: Saturday, 7:00 P.M./Sunday, 9:00 A.M.
We learned about St. Patrick's Day! We sang along: I'm a Little Leprechaun. We counted to 20.
March 28: Join us! We are learning fairy tails and the story of the Three Little Pigs.
Stories and More: Monday, 10:30-11:30 A.M.
We enjoyed the story of the Princess and the Pea. How do you know when someone is really a princess? She is so sensitive that she can feel a pea under seven mattresses!
March 15: Let's celebrate St. Patrick's Day
American Sign Language: Monday, 5:30-6:30 P.M.
We warmed up with casual conversation that included a lot of finger spelling. We reviewed and conversed. We still fall back on our verbal English to explain but we are getting better at correcting or trying to incorporate more sign words. We are learning that sloppy and incorrect motions lead to misunderstanding. Some signs are made quickly and blend with each other and can be misread. Does this equate with pronunciation issues?
March 15: Join us to talk with your hands!
International Bible Study: Tuesday, 9:30-10:30 A.M.
Luke 6: 43-45 teaches about how tell if someone is good or bad. Jesus teaches that you can tell someone's heart by how they speak and act. This lesson helps us to understand and make sense of the people around us. As we choose associates and advise our families, we need to keep in mind these words of advice.
March 16: We will look at the Luke 6: 46-49. Jesus uses the analogy of building and bad weather to wrap up his seminar.
International Friends: Tuesday, 10:30-12:00 P.M.
We talked about judging and being judgmental. Is there a difference?
We also shared a bunch of home remedies:
My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a fun romantic comedy about a Greek family adapting their customs to America.
March 16: Let's get ready for St. Patrick's Day! We will have a "cook along" and learn to dance a jig! You will need: potatoes, cabbage, onion, carrots, parsnips and Corned Beef (on sale in the meat section). Grab a couple We will talk about Irish Soda Bread (and whip some up). Click for the recipe. And here is a nice video of Irish Soda Bread with an grand Irish accent.
Book Club: Wednesday, 10:00-11:00 A.M.
Let's kick off our "book club" with Don Quixote. Here is the link to the online PDF with and English translation by Ormsby as well as others from Project Gutenberg. And here is another link from Spark Notes. You can find versions on Amazon, also. Feel free to read in your home language or other versions and we can talk about the story and compare notes. And I don't mean the Cliff Notes or Spark Notes (but here is a helper summary for the first chapters)!
March 17: Join us as we kick off this new adventure and dream come true (a book club) for International Friends. Read introductions and the first four chapters (if you can stop there).
Please register for the 2020-2021 with us to get Zoom links. People who have registered for the 2020-2021 year should have received updated Zoom links this weekend (March 13).
Here is the Restless Reads Reading Guide. You can download the free pdf (they will ask for your information to "buy").
Afternoon Conversation: Wednesday, 4:30-6:00 P.M.
We love it when you bring your questions to our meetings! We looked at the phrase "in that while" from Romans 5:8). While the gist of the sentence is similar, the emphasis or key figure of the action is different. This can be a little tricky. Pause and punctuation can make a difference.
We wrapped up our conversation with our Excel lesson. You can ask Excel to look up or search for specific information to quickly inform specific decision making.
We also talked about using an abacus (but not as a spreadsheet). Some children still learn this skill in lieu of using a calculator. Some countries use 4:1 or 4:2 beads for counting while other use 5:1. In the U.S. abacuses are used in the early years to understand math concepts. This tool and its history is so interesting. There are many advantages to learning and using this method for calculating.
March 17: Happy St. Patrick's Day! I know what I am having for supper!
English Classes: Thursday, 9:30-12:00 P.M.
While waiting for students to join, we had a great conversation about the weather and about how we hold each other accountable. In the U.S. we may rely on others to help us keep our intended goals. For example, if I want to work out every day, I may enlist a friend to meet me to walk.
March 18: It's never too late to join!
End of the Week Conversation: Friday, 10:30-12:00
We talked about having people help us in our homes and the customs in other countries. We talked about our housekeeping habits and wishes (I wish my family would leave the kitchen sink empty and the counters wiped down).
March 19: This is the third Friday of the month. We meet starting at 11:00.
adapting: changing behaviors
boots on the ground: in the middle of the action
a bunch of: a lot, many
compare notes: talk about and comment about observations and opinions
dream come true: something that has been talked about or thought about that finally happens
drill: practice
equate: be compared with or to something else
fall back on:
gist: general meaning
hit: experiences or has
inform: advise
keep: follow through
sensitive: easily hurt or damaged
this weekend: the current weekend
touch down: touch the ground (and in this case cause damage)
seminar: conference, meeting, training
sloppy: careless, messy
warmed up: practice or get ready
Fun fact: cellist Felix Umansky grew up in Carmel. His parents are professional musicians and good friends of our family and our International Family.
Free music lecture The Maestros and the Mouse livestream event from the Center for the Performing Arts: Tuesday, March 9 at 7:00 P.M click for more information and to register.
This Zoom lecture by Randy Thornton, Grammy Award winning music producer for Disney is about the classical music influence in Disney films.
Visit our pages for more information.
All meetings and classes are scheduled GMT -5
Hello, Friends.
It seems that March came in like a lamb. What beautiful weather we are having! Watch out, though! This means that March is likely to go out like a lion (or maybe a wolf that "huffs and puffs").
We are looking to the future and to the opening of Indiana. Our sponsor, Cornerstone Lutheran Church, is opening space for meetings. As we consider what is next for International Friends, we have to consider what we have accomplished. Zoom has opened many doors for us to meet at a variety of times and beyond the boarders of Hamilton County and Indiana. Let us know what you think! Do you have ideas for our classes? Do you want to Zoom? Do you want to meet in person? What else can we do? Email us with your ideas!
COVID-19: Indiana
Indiana kicked it up on vaccinations this week! Indiana has gone with an age and health driven model with healthcare and emergency services prioritized initially. The age for vaccination dropped from 60+ to 55+ within a week. And then within a two days to 50+. Teachers of all ages were added to the list. Three mass vaccination sites were open offering the "one and done" from Johnson and Johnson or the "two and through" from Pfizer or Moderna. This March 6 Indy Star article breaks it all down for this rapidly moving week.
Little Free Library Go to the park, go to the pool, go for a walk and you may see what looks like a bird house. In actuality it is a library! Different people or organizations can host these libraries, but they are there in the community for people to share their books and love of reading with each other. Do you see a book you would like to read? Take it and read it. Keep it or pass it along to the next reader by putting it in a Little Free Library.
Don Quxiote
Get ready, get set, READ! We will talk about our best time to meet and talk about this classic during our Tuesday and Friday meetings. If you want to join in the discussion and aren't already Zooming with us, please register to get the Zoom links.
Spring Break Fun
Zipper Merges
Indiana Department of Transportation announced that summer construction on our roadways will use a "zipper merge" for construction that narrows to one lane. Cars maintain their lanes until the final merge sign and then each lane takes turns entering the single lane. Learn more INDOT.
Stories and More: Mondays, 10:30-11:30 A.M.
We started our unit on fairy tales. Fairy Tails are stories that teach life skills but they also become part of the cultural fabric of the country and community. The stories are great because they are often repetitive so the audience can participate in the storytelling. The stories often The stories often use animals as the characters to help tell the stories. The stories help to teach children life skills. How many lessons are in this story?
We made a pig "puppet"! We practiced folding to make many different squares. Triangles are important for making squares!
March 8: The Princess and the Pea is our next fairy tale.
American Sign Language: Mondays, 5:30-6:30 P.M.
We practiced our signs and watched some great videos from Tic Toc that demonstrated BASL (Black American Sign Language). We studied sentence formation (ASL does not follow the spoken American English conventions) and watched videos. Thank you for letting me record the class so I could catch up.
March 8: Join us we are still open! Zoom over.
International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30 A.M.
We began with a review of Jesus' teaching in Luke 6. Luke wrote about these lessons in this order to inform us about how
Luke 6:20-26: Jesus teaches the different states people can be in. There are ups and there are downs in life.
Luke 6:27-37: Jesus teaches to love your enemies. An enemy someone who is hostile and intends to harm another person or group of people. Jesus teaches this not to protect the enemy, but to keep people from committing the same crime as the enemy. "Do to others as you would have them do to you." Not do to others as they do to you.
Luke 6: 38-42: These verses are often labeled that Jesus is teaching about judging but there is so much more in this lesson. Jesus teaches that how ever you treat others, that is how you will be treated not only that way but heaped and flowing over. Jesus teaches that "no one is above their teacher, but when they are fully trained they can be like their teacher". He uses the great analogy of the blind leading the blind.
March 9: Luke 6: 43-45 Jesus teaches how to tell what kind of heart someone has.
International Friends: Tuesday, 10:30-12:00
We ended up continuing our conversation from Bible Study and talked about ethics and judging brought us to talking about legal terms like accomplice and accessory: these are when you don't specifically commit a crime, but you aid and abet (help).
March 9: Join us as we plan to talk about home remedies. What do you use for a to cure?
My Big Fat Greek Wedding YouTube Link
Afternoon Conversation: Wednesday, 4:30-6:00
We planned to have our Excel class, but after our opening chit chat one of our friends dropped a bomb: her family is moving back to her home country. Of course, this led to talking about the circumstances that surround the move. That also led to talking about what to do with furniture she won't be taking back! Stay tuned...
March 10: Let's put Excel on the agenda and see what happens.
English Classes: Thursday, 9:30-12:00
Hot topics this week:
I was sorry to miss this week. I was with a college student working out loan paperwork for their business. Youngsters are not that detail oriented so it took a while. We also talked about how to communicate in a way that spoke the best to the accounting and business people so that they would understand what they were doing (and approve the loan!)
Please be sure to send me your teacher stories. People that help you (or your loved ones) grow are amazing additions to our lives. It would be hard for me to pick one particular educator to impact my life.
March 12: Join us for teacher stories (and a lot more, I bet!)
be like: resemble
blind: people who can not see
breaks it all down: explains details
conventions: how something is usually done
cultural fabric: the characteristics of a group of people
dropped a bomb: made a surprising announcement
get the point: understand the basic idea
I bet: shows that you agree with the statement (I bet we aren't done with cold weather.)
initially: at first
on: about
problematic: something that
through: finished
what we have accomplished: what we got done
what kind of: the nature of something; a type of something
spoke: past tense of speak but we were writing...in this case we are talking about the "voice" of the writing
states: conditions people are in at a point in time; state of mind, state of being
Hoosiers 55-59 now eligible for COVID-19 vaccines; state rolls out 3 mass vaccination sites
March 2, 2021 | John Russell
