Merry Christmas!

Peace and joy on this special day when Heaven and Earth rejoice and celebrate the birthday of Jesus.

100 Bestt Christmas Movies 

Our Last Classes of the Year

  Click here to go to our website.

Happy Holidays, Friends!

What a beautiful day here in Indiana to end our classes for the year. Enjoy your holiday break and see you beginning the week of January 6th.

Safe travels if you are going places. Driving? Flying? What is your favorite mode of transportation? Regardless of your plans, be safe and celebrate the joy and peace and fellowship of the holiday season. Make new traditions. Make memories. Come back in January refreshed and ready.

And good news. December 21 is the darkest day of the year. It is the shortest amount of daylight and the longest amount of darkness. Beginning Saturday daylight time increases in the Northern hemisphere. Read more about the Winter Solstice in the Greenville News.

Things to Do in Indy

Indy's Child: a great resource for things to do with Children in Indiana

Indy Fuel Hockey: a fun outing for family and friends.

Hamilton County Holiday Pass: Collect memories. This is free and fun.

American Culture

States, counties, townships, cities, towns. These all name the kinds of governmental divisions we have in Indiana. Many states have the same type of divisions, although townships are not common to all parts of the country. In Louisiana, there are parishes. 

International Friends Meeting Notes

Join us! Click here to register.

International Bible Study: Monday, 8-9:00 PM, Zoom

We had a wonderful listen followed by discussions that sent us to the Bible to read the individual verses that Handel chose to highlight. Renewal Journal is a resource for reading the text along with clickable YouTubes of Messiah performances.

Our reflections on the readings:

• Isaiah writes, "Wonderful Counselor. Almighty God the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace". He predicts Jesus' birth when the Triune God is with us. All the aspects of God are embodied in the baby born.
• Glory to God and peace on earth. These things are mutual. The outflowing of God's glory and our peace is good will. Good will of God toward humankind. Good will between humans.
• The Lord IS with us: not was, not will be. The glory of the Lord shines around us. Look and you can see and feel.
• We read the Revelation last year. The Hallelujah Chorus transported us back in time and catapulted us forward to the visions of John. 

January 6: Let's return to Genesis 27 and pick up the story. You may want to go back a bit as a refresher.

American English and Culture: Thursday, 9-11:00 AM, Zoom

Present perfect, politics, predictions, 

Modal verbs in Grammarly guidance offers easy and extensive advice.

• can
• may
• might
• could
• should
• would
• will
• must

January 9: Start the new year talking about resolutions and turning over a new leaf. In January we turn the page and start our new chapter: Let's tell our public story.

January 16: A retrospective. What did you begin in the past and where are you now.

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 had a great night of conversation and picky observation. Tiny adjustments in adding tiny words (to, from, the, a, etc.), pronunciation of similar sounding words (say, said, says, save), and not pronouncing particular letters or pronouncing them in unexpected ways (d, t) makes a big difference to other people's ears and understanding. You don't always have to change your accent and you may not change your pronunciation but knowing how you sound to common American English listeners (both native and immigrants) helps you to be understood and calms frustrations on both sides of the conversation.

January 9: Come to class. We will talk about what we did over break and work on our individual listening and speaking skills perhaps the wonderful technology that is available to us.

American English for Kids: Thursday, 4:30-5:00 PM, private Zoom

Our "I'm from...." poems are so interesting to listen to. Make sure you send me your copy.

We tried playing Monopoly. This first attempt had us winging! It worked out ok with as screen and an in person board.

January 10, 2025: Let's talk about your break and try to play Monopoly again. This time we will assign roles and responsibilities. Brush up on the rules.

Words and Phrases

beginning: We have been drilling on using "from" to start a sentence. Would it be ok to start this sentence with "from"? Could it be that we know that June 21 is coming? The word "beginning" (from) implies and ending (to). Ahhhh. A puzzle and conundrum.

brush up: refresh, study

frustrations: feeling upset or annoyed or unable to get something done

refresher: activity to revise and update skills, knowledge, etc.

tied to: restricted to a set

winging: do something without proper planning

Our Last Week of Classes and Meetings This Year

 Click here to go to our website.

Happy Holidays, Friends! This first "half" of our school year is drawing to a close. This year we are concentrating on telling our stories. Personal stories drive our vocabulary. As you celebrate the holidays with your family and friends, think about how you can add these memories and experiences to your story. Safe travels! Send pictures!

We are looking forward to the shortest day of the year (the Winter Solstice) in the Northern Hemisphere on December 21. Read more in the Farmer's Almanac.

American Culture

Christmas is a special time in the United States. While this holiday has roots in Christianity, there are many traditions revolve around coming home, family, and friends. Seasonal songs are an important part of the traditions and every artist and songwriter has a song about Christmas in their band's repertoire. Holiday shows cram all the favorites in an hour or so. These favorites are only played between Thanksgiving and Christmas day. Sing along with these favorites and brush up on pronunciation and enunciation. 

• Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire (this can be a tongue twister if you aren't singing)
• Top Five Christmas Songs
• All I Want for Christmas is You (Yes! So jazzy)

xkcd is a funny take on science and American Culture

American English Tricks and Techniques: Do You Hear What I Hear?

Our names are very personal. As we introduced ourselves to new friends this Thursday, we talked about our names and the difficulties people have saying them across the board. This is because they are unfamiliar in sound, style and in form both linguistically and culturally. Our names often have easy and common sounds to our language (otherwise how could our parents call us or call us out) but these sounds and combinations can be uniquely combined, formed, and voiced. This is a great way to start to understand and learn the differences between a home language and a new language. On the other hand, you may not hear or be able to easily pronounce a friend's name (or your children's friend's names). 

International Friends Meeting Notes

Join us! Click here to register.

International Bible Study: Monday, 8-9:00 PM, Zoom

December 4: Celebrate the coming Messiah! We are listening to Handel's Messiah and reading along as our study. 

• No. 12-Chorus "For Unto Us a Child is Born" Isaiah 9:6
• No. 14-Recictative for Soprano "There Were Shepherds Abiding in the Field Luke 2:8
• Recitative for Soprano "And Lo! The Angel of the Lord Came Upon Them" Luke 2:9
• No. 15-Recitative for Soprano "And the Angel Said Unto Them" Luke 2 10, 11
• No. 16-Recitative for Soprano " And Suddenly There Was with the Angel" Luke 2 18
• No. 17-Chorus "Glory to God" Luke 2:14
• No. 44-Chorus "Hallelujah" Revelation 19: 6, 11: 15, 19: 16

American English and Culture: Thursday, 9-11:00 AM, Zoom

We enjoyed each other's "I'm from..." poems. This is a great exercise in practicing how to "talk around" something because sometimes there just is not one word for something and a description is necessary. Some people simply look up and around and fill in the blanks with the first thing that comes to mind. Others are more thoughtful. In some scenarios, people are just given a list of prompts (without the connecting words and phrases). Then, after they plug in the words they get a surprise!

Here is a recipe for Kimbap. We also talked about the last name of Park; you can click to learn more about the history. A rationalization for the spelling can be found here. I would have to take exception to saying that the Americanized pronunciation of the name is ineptitude. My name is consistently mispronounced. I have r, l, ll, w, and y in my name all of which can be problematic only because these letters and sounds do not exist in a language, exist in a different way or sound. Do people choose an "easier" name/pronunciation for where they live, or do they insist on and retain their original pronunciation? In the United States it does not matter. We are a nation of immigrants and have names originating from many countries. American parents choose names from other cultures because they like the sentiment or sound. Parents choose unusual spellings that can lead to unintended pronunciations. This Huggies link has a list unique, interesting, and unusual of names.

December 19: We meet on Zoom for our last meeting of the year. Will we sing? Will we dance? We will do a Mad Lib and craft holiday greetings.

Here's the list:

1. verb
2. person
3. noun
4. person
5. noun
6. noun
7. room in house
8. adjective
9. adjective
10. adjective
11. scent
12. verb
13. noun
14. noun
15. person
16. transportation
17. animal
18. adjective

American English and Culture: Thursday, 7-8:00 PM, CLC, Carmel, room 102

The weather outside was frightful, but the meeting was so delightful! Let It Snow! We had a small and mighty group show up to practice our American English. When a small group meets together, we tend to get into some deep discussions in the realm of politics. This week talked about immigration status (and did some work on grammar; particularly in the context of prepositions in this topic). We are experts about the immigration process in the United States (since we live the life) and as experts

December 19: Maybe we will work on singing and song writing. Maybe we will do our poetry. We will do the Christmas Mad Libs.

American English for Kids: Thursday, 4:30-5:00 PM, private Zoom

We talked about museums and memories. We worked on and read our "I'm from..." poems. Poetry is a good way to build vocabulary and to understand how to use words to explain what we mean when we do not have a particular or specific word or phrase to explain what we want to say.

December 20: Let's end the year by finishing reading our "I'm from..." poems and playing Monopoly. 

Words and Phrases

across the board: affecting all categories

call someone out: criticize someone or ask them to explain their actions

cram: stuff, fill

ineptitude: incompetent

insist on: say or show something is very important

jazzy: fancy with snappy music

just given: simply given

linguistically: pertaining to or dealing with language

(an amount) or so: about or approximately

problematic: something difficult to explain; open to debate

rationalization: a way of describing or interpreting something to make it more acceptable or attractive

realm: subject area of interest

repertoire: a list or supply of skills or devices

sentiment: an emotional feel

show up: go to a place

take: understanding, position

Christmas Countdown

 Click here to go to our website.

Happy Holidays, Friends!

The weeks are flying by. If you live in Indiana, you would have experienced blistering cold weather followed by a beautiful weekend of 50 degree weather. This weather is supposed to hold into Wednesday and then the temperatures will drop back down into the 20s. Why do we talk so much about the weather? Because it is never boring!

International Friends Schedule for December

Our schedule is changing as people weigh in on their commitments and commitment. 

The third week in December: Join us for our last meeting of the year: Zoom meetings will Zoom. In person will meet in person. Is business as usual? Let's see....

No classes or meetings December 21, 2024 through January 3, 2025 [to January 6, 2025]

Christmas Time is Here

Christmas a Christian religious holiday. Churches offer various services. Feel free to join and enjoy the services and events at churches. You are welcome!

American English Tricks and Techniques

Understanding pronunciation stress patterns can make you better understood. Here are some common patterns:

• Stress the first syllable in compound nouns. 
• Stress the first syllable in two syllable nouns.
• Stress the second syllable in tow syllable verbs.
• Stress the preposition in phrasal verbs.

Bring you lists and ideas to class.

International Friends Meeting Notes

Join us! Click here to register.

International Bible Study: Monday, 8-9:00 PM, Zoom

We met and listened to the first three pieces in the Messiah. Some of us had enjoyed this music for decades, while it was new to others. The complication of the words tangled in the music is both mysterious and enlightening. Luke 3:1-14 

December 9: Celebrate the coming Messiah! We are listening to Handel's Messiah. This week continues in the prophecies in the Old Testament

• No. 5-Recitative for Bass "Thus Saith the Lord" Haggai ii:6, 7-Malachi iii:1
• No. 6-Air For Bass "But Who May Abide the Day of His Coming" Malachi iii:2
• No. 7-Chorus "And He Shall Purify" Malachi iii:8
• No. 8-Reciciative for Alto "Behold! A Virgin Shall Conceive" Isaiah vii:14-Matthew 1:22 and
  No. 9-Air for Alto and Chorus "O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion" Isaih xi: 9

American English and Culture: Thursday, 9-11:00 AM, Zoom

We spent most of our time catching up from Thanksgiving and talking about cultural niceties in the United States.

December 12: Send your "I am from..." poem template (filled out). Email it to us. Do not feel tied to the prompts if they don't fit your story. If you aren't finished, expect to work on this in class!

American English and Culture: Thursday, 7-8:00 PM, CLC, Carmel, room 102

Great work and discussion was had with the "I am from..." poems. You can find them published on our handouts page as well as the whiteboard work.

December 4: Visit and share your "I am from..." poem with others during our meeting time. We will also sing Christmas songs (in English). We will look at how music helps us tune and refine our English skills.

American English for Kids: Thursday, 4:30-5:00 PM, private Zoom

December 6: Let's talk about snow and winter and memories. What are your winter memories? Are your memories about weather, family, school?

Words and Phrases

cultivating: growing a practice (or plants!)

offers insight: gain an accurate and deep understanding of something

tied to: restricted to a set Click here to go to our website.

Hello, Friends

You never know what is going to happen. Even the best laid plans can become derailed. Some people see this as drama. Others see it as opportunity. What about you?

October 31 Scheduling for International Friends

Halloween is in two weeks. Get out and see the decorations. October 31 American English and Culture 

American English

Language is more than speaking words. Body language is 60-65% of communication. This is why ordering over the phone, into a speaker, etc. can be confusing for both parties. Additionally, people can "feel" words or a conversation as a part if understanding.

American Culture

And speaking of language, American culture personal space was a topic of discussion. Americans tend to like about an arm's length between themselves when talking. Depending on your culture, you might want to talk closer. Someone that is invading an American's personal space may be seen as pushy or as being aggressive.

Get Out There! What are you finding?

Hamilton County Fun

November Things to Do

International Friends Meeting Notes

Join us! Click here to register.

International Bible Study: Monday, 8-9:00 PM, Zoom

November 11: Psalm 36 and Genesis 25-27. 

American English and Culture: Thursday, 9-11:00 AM, Zoom

October 24: Bring word pages and "where are you from 

American English and Culture: Thursday, 7-8:00 PM, CLC, Carmel, room 102

October 24: Bring your word pictures. Examples are on our Handouts page.

American English for Kids: Thursday, 4:30-5:00 PM, private Zoom

We had a new friend join us. It is fun to get to know someone new. Just because we are kids doesn't mean that we don't have a history or 

December 13: Fill in the "I am from..." Have your mom (or dad or other family member) do it too.

December 20: We all love Monopoly! Get your board out and let's play together!

Words and Phrases

business as usual: nothing new or different happens

commitment: dedication to something

commitments: responsibilities to others

fill in/fill out: complete answers 

into: expressing movement or direction until something or someone is surrounded (only partway)

hold: remain the same

let's see/wait and see: something will happen, but we don't know what

through [a date] or to [a date]: including this date; to this date means things start back up on the named date (to January 6, in this case)

Hello December!

Click her to go to our website.

Happy Holidays, Friends!

December in Indiana is cold and warm and cold and snowing and sunny. Midwest weather is like that! December in the United States is super festive. Be sure to celebrate the season.

Christmas is not just for Christians (even though that is the origin). In the United States we celebrate Christmas as a secular holiday. 

• Gift giving: People give gifts to neighbors and friends. Gift exchanges are popular as well as white elephant parties.
• Parties: Office, organization, community, friends, family. Everyone gets into the game
• Holiday plays and programs: the Nutcracker ballet performance, Messiah performances and sing-alongs, school plays and concerts. There is so much to see and enjoy!
• Christmas Cookies: we celebrate with cookies. Each family and community has particular specialties, but old standards that are elaborately iced. These can include gingerbread, sugar, spiced, shortbread. Other trending favorites are Kiss cookies and varieties of thumbprint cookies. International Friends has had cookie making parties over the years. International Friends: Christmas Cookie Recipes. 

International Friends Schedule for December

December 19: American English and Accent Meeting Christmas Parties!

No classes or meetings December 21, 2024 through January 3, 2025.

Gratitude Isn't Just for Thanksgiving

Being thankful is something we talk and do in November but practicing gratitude is good for you and people around you. Daily gratitude as a health-positive attitude from News at IU, Feb 18, 2020 offers insight. Gratitude involves two important components: intrapersonal (feeling grateful and having grateful thoughts) and interpersonal (expressing gratitude to others).

Here are some tips for cultivating gratitude:

• Focus on expressing gratitude for the little things in life that we tend to take for granted: for example, the weather, finding parking, our office, our car.
• Start a daily gratitude journal. Each day, write down three things you’re grateful and – importantly – provide a reason why you’re grateful. Providing a reason encourages us to be specific about the things for which we’re grateful.
• Each day, make it a habit to express heartfelt gratitude to someone. Don’t assume people know you are grateful to them; they can’t read our minds.
• At least once a year, write a letter of gratitude to someone important in your life whom you have not properly thanked. Explain the impact this person has had and provide specific examples of what the person did that made a positive difference in your life. Send the letter to the person and consider reading it aloud to them.

American English Tricks and Techniques

Singing erases mispronunciations and accent causing people to have the general American accent (perfect broadcaster English or the Midwestern English or sound like me (Carolyn!)). How does this happen? Melody, beat, and rhythm of as song can cancel out and inform how words are pronounced. Singing words become the natural and the easiest pronunciations. This neutral is the core of the "American" accent. So, when you sing, your English is simple, easy, and effortless. 

We think that when you sing, you are focusing on the sound rather than the words. Because of this and the social aspect of matching what you hear with the sound you make.

Journal of Musical Things

International Friends Meeting Notes

Join us! Click here to register.

International Bible Study: Monday, 8-9:00 PM, Zoom

December 4: Celebrate the coming Messiah! We are listening to Handel's Messiah and reading along as our study. 

• No. 2-Recitative for Tenor "Comfort Ye My People" Isaiah 10:1-3 (and a COVID version)
• No. 3-Air For Tenor "Every Valley Shall Be Exalted" Isaiah 10:4
• No. 4-Chorus "And the Glory of the Lord" Isaiah 10:5
• And for a summary: Chris Brunellle: Every Valley by Bob Dufford, SJ  Isaiah 40:1,s3, 4, 9

American English and Culture: Thursday, 9-11:00 AM, Zoom

December 4: Bring your "I am from..." poem template (filled out). Email it to us. Do not feel tied to the prompts if they don't fit your story.

American English and Culture: Thursday, 7-8:00 PM, CLC, Carmel, room 102

December 4: Bring your "I am from..." poem template (filled out). Email it to us. Do not feel tied to the prompts if they don't fit you.

American English for Kids: Thursday, 4:30-5:00 PM, private Zoom

December 6: Let's talk about snow and winter and memories. What are your winter memories? Are your memories about weather, family, school?

Words and Phrases

cultivating: growing a practice (or plants!)

erases: removes

offers insight: gain an accurate and deep understanding of something

tied to: restricted to a set 

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope that you have delicious and fulfilling Thanksgiving!

This is a favorite time of year for so many people. Thanksgiving kicks off the winter holiday season.

Aside from feasting, here are some things to do over the break:

Things to do Thanksgiving Weekend in Hamilton County

Thanksgiving Activities: Things to do with your children that help them learn and grow and have fun with you.

32 Fun Things to Do on Thanksgiving—Besides Eat!

Meeting and Classes: No classes or meetings this week.

Just because we are on break, does not mean you get a break!

Be sure to complete the "I'm From" poem template on our Notes and Handouts page. You can use the suggested prompts or make the poem your own. There is a great example by Emma posted.

Keep your ears open for new words and phrases to surprise us!

Last Meeting Week in November

Click here to go to our website.

Hello, Friends

This has been and will be a very busy week at International Friends. We had not one, but two Thanksgiving dinners at CLC. It is so good to meet and to eat in person. Recipes are posted on our at the top of our main page. Text or call Carolyn if you have any questions. Just because the turkey seems big doesn't mean you and your family can't enjoy this treat. There are plenty turkey leftover dishes like casseroles) to make and enjoy. 

Thanksgiving and Shopping

Thanksgiving is a very important American cultural holiday. Thanksgiving Day is a day for people in the US to give thanks for what they have. Families and friends get together for a meal, which traditionally includes a roast turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce, gravy, and pumpkin pie. In some cities and towns, there are parades during the Thanksgiving weekend. 

Festivities also mark the opening of the Christmas shopping on Black Friday. If you shopping isn't finished, you can always check in online on Cyber Monday to pick up deals. Shop local means to patronize local small businesses with your shopping.

American English

Language is more than speaking words. Body language is 60-65% of communication. This is why ordering over the phone, into a speaker, etc. can be confusing for both parties. 

Additionally, people can "feel" words or a conversation as a part if understanding. Be careful, though. Cultural traditions can color perceptions.

Avoid translating. Dipping back into a familiar language is how our brains try to be efficient. This sometimes gets in the way of our being able to speak up. The other language saps our confidence.

American Culture

And speaking of language, American culture personal space was a topic of discussion. Americans tend to like about an arm's length between themselves when talking. Depending on your culture, you might want to talk closer. Someone that is invading an American's personal space may be seen as pushy or as being aggressive. Take a look at this article Proxemics 101: Understanding Personal Space Across Cultures. Does this change how you approach people?

Where you stand when you talk to someone is reflexive and varies widely depending on your culture.

Get Out There! What are you finding?

Hamilton County Fun: November Things to Do

International Friends Meeting Notes

Join us! Click here to register.

International Bible Study: Monday, 8-9:00 PM, Zoom

November 11: Psalm 36 and Genesis 25-27. 

American English and Culture: Thursday, 9-11:00 AM, Zoom

November 21: Email your "Where I'm From" handout. Last chance for Thanksgiving questions!

American English and Culture: Thursday, 7-8:00 PM, CLC, Carmel, room 102

October 24: Bring your Word Pictures. Examples are on our Handouts page. Last chance for Thanksgiving questions!

American English for Kids: Thursday, 4:30-5:00 PM, private Zoom

We recorded a few minutes of our meeting to see how we look and sound.

October 22: Two topics:

1. What did you think of your video recording? Do you see room for improvement? 

2. Do you think it is important to be able to translate your home language into English and vice versa? Let's talk about your opinion and why.

Words and Phrases

approach: first talk to or interact with someone

arm's length: hold out your arm and wiggle your fingers-that far

color perceptions: influence what someone thinks 

dipping: spending a little time

leftover: main dishes that are repurposed

parties: two people (or entities) that are involved in an agreement

patronize: go to and participate at

pushy: excessively or unpleasantly self-assertive or ambitious

room for improvement: hope that something will improve or get better

sap: take away the energy 

speak up: say what we are thinking

tend: are usually