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BRRRRRR, Friends!
We hope you got a great rest over the break. We are looking forward to seeing you all next week as we resume our meetings.
We are beginning to focus on our public story in communicating to others in our American English and Culture meetings. This includes business communication and writing. Our career path is another aspect of our "public persona". A career path does not necessarily mean jobs for money, it can be recreational and as a volunteer. Much of what we do can be lumped into conducting business and being a professional: banking, doctors, customer service, ordering food at a restaurant, having service done at your home, etc.
Maybe you need a resume to review your history with someone. Maybe you need your health record to review with a doctor (or the record of someone else). These are personal and important documents that help you relate to others to get tasks done.
Fun and Festivities
Many communities have fun events throughout the year. Check your local community calendars and join the winter fun.
Butler University has an amazing performing arts program. Clowes Hall and other venues have opportunities to view dance and stage performances in person or virtually. Many of these opportunities are free. Click this link to see the schedule.
Connor Prairie is open through the winter. Experience pioneer living in the cold or learn more indoors.
Perfect North ski slopes are a fun way for the whole family to spend the day. Rent equipment. Take a class. Remember, this is Indiana...we have hills, not mountains. But any day skiing is better than not skiing!
Here is a list of the 10 Best Winter Hikes in Indiana from Step Outside (you can find other great hike lists here, too).
Camps for Kids
Summer camps are a great option for kids to make new friends and explore and experience new places and try new things or hone their skills. Even though we just starting winter, now is the time to start shopping the camps.
- Butler University Camps Take a look at summer camps on the campus of Butler University.
- Connor Prairie Adventure Camp packs a summer's worth of fun in one week.
- Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation Summer Camp Guide is out! Leaf through this guide to discover opportunities for fun.
- Indy's Child Magazine offers a Summer Camp Fair February 22 at the Indianapolis Art Center. Shop camps all in one place.
- Indy's Child Magazine offers a list of camps as well as a virtual camp fair to help you decide.
American English
A little more than half of the readers spend less than 15 seconds looking at what you write (especially in this virtual age). Bulleted text is a straightforward way to communicate information that are in a list. Begin with an introductory phrase or sentence or jump into the list. Tips keep your reader's attention:
- Each bullet can complete the initial sentence, or it can be a complete sentence.
- Each bullet should be parallel with the other bullets (all bullets start with the same part of speech).
- Each bullet is a mini headline or contains complete information.
- Each bullet is straightforward.
- Every bullet in the list is related to the other bullets.
- Each bulleted list should have more than two listed items, otherwise it is a couple of sentences.
- Each bullet should be punctuated correctly:
- If it is a phrase, no punctuation is needed.
- If it is a complete sentence, end with period or other parallel punctuation.
- If it is a phrase, capitalize the first word or not.
- If it is a complete sentence, capitalize the first letter of the first word.
American Culture
A resume is a key document for communicating professional or public history. This is an important, personal document to look at where you have been and where you want to go. Keeping your resume up to date can help when presented with an opportunity. It can also help you see your direction and success.
Once you have a basic resume, you can customize the details to suit different situations or to write a brief biography. In the United States you may have a resume or a curriculum vita which is a brief, biographical history that is usually used for academic communications (or in affiliation with higher education positions).
- Try Resume Genius to fill in the blanks and start the process.
- Indeed has sample resumes for you to take a look at.
International Friends Meeting Notes
Join us! Click here to register.
International Bible Study: Monday, 8-9:00 PM, Zoom
We caught up with each other after the break. Christmas and New Year celebrations are usually full of celebrations with family. Nostalgia plays a major role in how we view our current situation as well as build new memories and practices. Old traditions are hard to let go of.
Our discussion for this week was Genesis 27: how Isaac wanted to convey his blessing on Esau (the oldest son) and to pass along his birthright but ended up giving it to Jacob (the younger twin). This story and all the details led us to our readings before our break: Esau had offhandedly traded it away to his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew (Genesis 25:29-34). The English text tells us that Esau despised his birthright; in the Japanese text the word is more similar to disparage or not find important. We later discover that Esau did value the birthright. We traced the names back to the beginning of the twins' life with their names. Knowing the character of each of the people in this particular story is important in understanding their particular reactions. We speculated how different things may have been if each person was patient and let the circumstances play out rather than trying to engineer a particular, favorable result.
This is a great read! Begin with Genesis 25:19 to get the full scope of the drama.
January 13: We are continuing Isaac's story with Genesis 28. Join the discussion. You won't be disappointed!
American English and Culture: Thursday, 9-11:00 AM, Zoom
We caught up with each other and talked about our current events. We talked about setting goals and priorities and whether we made resolutions. Surrender was a word that surfaced when we were talking about planning. Sometimes we have to give up a goal or pivot to a new plan because it is not relevant or achievable at this time. Should we add that to our Strive, Thrive, Drive, Survive category list?
My One Word website and concept brings together resolutions and our thinking about our words and vocabulary and their importance in our life. We have talked about where we are. This site encourages you to pick where you want to be.
January 16: A retrospective. What did you begin in the past and where are you now. Bring your history to put down on paper with a friend. Collaborate on a Zoom Docs to on begin your resume. Why this works: you review your experience and frame the words to best communicate historical successes (and failures) and focus attention on future attainments. Try Resume Genius to fill in the blanks and start the process.
January 23: Write and speak your resume.
January 30: Refining your story.
American English and Culture: Thursday, 7-8:00 PM, CLC, Carmel, room 102
We welcomed a new friend and welcomed back a few old friends. We also dealt with getting a car towed! Snowy days can be interesting and full of surprises!
January 16: This new year we are going to start working on our public and professional stories. This is another way of telling were you are from and where you want to go next (which is why we are all studying American English). Try Resume Genius to fill in the blanks and start the process.
American English for Kids: Thursday, 4:30-5:00 PM, private Zoom
We talked about many things is in snippets. We compared our latitude, we talked about cram classes, we talked about what we started in school after the break. Our talk drifted to 3D objects in math class. There is a lot of cool software out there for designing. We found a list of top free programs on CNCsourced. Two popular free programs are:
- Blender is a favorite for 3D modeling and game building.
- Inkscape: an open source vector software. Create and contribute.
If you think these programs are just for fun and games, think again. And speaking of shapes...look at the Geometry Nodes Workshop Notes from October of 2024. There is a great place to grow your vocabulary in a new field!
We looked at M.C. Escher: an artist who delighted in breaking 3D rules in 2D space. With our new design tools, we could virtually do the impossible: have an avatar walk this drawing! Monument Valley on Netflix is a fun, walkable puzzle like this drawing. Try it out!
January 17, 2025: Try one of the design tools. What do you think?
