Wrapping Up January. Welcome February!

 Hello, Friends.

We finally got some snow here in the heartland. Over the past few days, we have had the classic Indiana weather pattern of warmer weather, a good variety of precipitation from rain to winters mix to snow followed by colder weather and then it warmed up again. We aren’t out of the woods, yet. Look for more winter weather.

February is just around the corner. We want winter to end, so we look to our favorite rodent to make the call on Groundhog Day, which is February 2. While this is the shortest month of the year, it is one of the best for celebrating. Super Bowl is February 12, if you aren’t a football fan you can enjoy snacks, new commercials, and the halftime show. Smack dab in the middle of the month is Valentine's Day. Kids celebrate at school. Families celebrate at home. Couples celebrate together. Singles celebrate "Galentine's Day". February 20 is Presidents Day and a holiday. Mardi Gras is February 21. Ash Wednesday is February 22 beginning the Christian Lenten season leading to Easter (in March). Watch for stores to exchange hearts for bunnies and eggs. February is Black History Month: this Parade article shares the accomplishments of 30 Americans to Celebrate and to be inspired by.

Meet up at Cornerstone Lutheran Church

You are invited to celebrate Valentine's Day!

February 9: 10:00 AM-12:00 PM

Cornerstone Lutheran Church

4550 East Main Street, Carmel 

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Enter Door 6 and follow the signs.

Bring a dish or snack to share.

Bring a White Elephant Gift to exchange.

Your White Elephant can be anything from your home you are ready to see go or even a gag gift. You don't want it, we someone needs to have it! Wrap it up and we will play the game (and win a wonderful treasure to get us through February!).

This Week’s Friends Recommendations (all food!):  

Uranus Fudge Factory and General Store (featured in Indys Child and the New York Times). This fudge shop in Anderson has some really funny billboards on highway 69. The webpages are fun, too. It is on my short list for a field trip.

Concannon’s Bakery, deli and cafe in Muncie has all the wonderful pies, cakes, donuts, bread. The coffee is great. 

Saraga in Castleton (near Costco) is open and almost everyone has already been there (but not me, yet). Indianapolis Monthly can tell you more.

Golfo di Napoli is a dairy in Warren Indiana. Take a side trip or make it a destination.

Jungle Jim’s is an International grocery destination in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Declaration of Independence 

Over the next weeks we break down the Declaration of Independence. This important document is the cornerstone on which the United States was founded. Every citizen and guest should be familiar with the heart and soul of this document in order to live in the spirit that fostered our nation.

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

Read more from the National Archives: How Did It Happen?

American Sign Language: Tuesday, 5:00-6:00 PM, Zoom

We had  good review. There are some really good videos to watch and learn from.

January 31: Join our review. Next week everyone will bring five similar signs. It is a good week to join us.

American English: Thursday, 9-11:00 AM EST, Zoom

To warm up, we shared our favorite games and discussed their regional, cultural, and strategic
elements. "Favorite things" is a common and comfortable topic for small talk in English. We
all have something to share and something to learn, so simple questions and answers can
carry the conversation. Try it!. 

February 2:

• Tell about a favorite museum you have visited. Think about questions you would ask someone else, and prepare to answer similar questions yourself.
• Writing/Grammar: We will go over the worksheet below with a twist: Write complete questions in present perfect tense. Remember the pattern: Have + you + ever + past participle form of the
• verb. Examples: Have you ever arrived late to a movie? Have you ever dreamed/dreamt
• in English?
• Pronunciation/Vocabulary: Review and practice the "S words" on the 1000 Common Words
• list. Pay attention to consonant blends, vowels, and intonation.

American Accent Training: Thursday, 9:30-11:30 AM, Zoom

As usual, American Accent Training studied a lot and had some spicy conversation and some great ideas to visit. Here are some other words/phrases that came up in our class discussion.  Do you remember the meaning and pronunciation? elephant in the room, duty free, stew, loose-lose, fuel-few, full-fall, wood-would, hoarse-horse, Butch, masculine-feminine, mannerisms, "let the cat our of the bag", "spill the beans", "spin a yarn", "a little bird told me", to serve a search warrant, to serve a subpoena.

February 2: We know the next class will be interesting and look forward to Bill’s Tip. 

Kid's Conversation: Friday, 4:30-5:00 PM EST, Zoom

We had a nice time catching up. We talked about what we did over our short break and we talked about things we have not noticed in our daily lives. It is surprising to discover that we overlook so many important things.

February 3: 

• Find or observe another new thing in your daily life.
• Tell about how to get a patent in your home country. Can kids get patents?
• See if you can find the book Calling All Minds by Temple Grandin at your library. It is a book about how to think and create like an inventor. If you can listen to it as an audiobook, that is great, too. We will be talking about inventing and how important it is to be able to create new things and ways to work no matter what your field.

break down: to separate into parts

cornerstone: an important quality or feature

gag gift: a fun or funny gift 

just around the corner: happening soon

smack dab in the middle of: exactly or squarely

spicy: lively, interesting

Highlights From the Week

Hello, Friends.

We had a great week of classes and meetings. Here are some highlights. 

Also, you may notice that we have moved on from the Amendments to the Constitution of the United States. This week we are looking at the Pledge of Allegiance.

International Friends Updates

International Friends Updates are blog posts and previous postings can be found on our "website" along with information about all our meetings and classes. Check out our site if you get the email " boost". If you are visiting the site, you can sign up to get our weekly Updates delivered to your mailbox.

Thinking About Writing

Writing is discovery, as various well-known authors have asserted. Writing in English, even if you keep it to yourself, will help you think, and speak, and live more confidently in English. International Friends staff is always happy to read and discuss writing with you. Send us a copy and schedule a conference.

Writing is a process and a challenge for everyone--in any language. However, you know more than you think about:

• Inspiration
• Organizing by space, time, importance, and order of events
• Using your five senses to show details
• Choosing verb tenses correctly and confidently
• Relating to an audience

Writing is communicating because it links writers and readers (or listeners) in a shared experience.  Professional and academic writing have different conventions, purposes, audiences, and objectives, but personal writing intends to relate an experience or tell a story or memory. 

The Pledge of Allegiance

The United States Pledge of Allegiance is said at the opening of school days and official meetings. In this pledge or

Read more about the history and practice in this pdf from the Veteran's Affairs.

American Sign Language: Tuesday, 5:00-6:00 PM EST, Zoom

Our leader's birthday was Tuesday. There is not one way to convey this sentiment. We practiced and then sent her a video of our work. We had fun playing with the word "dear" while making this gift. This word usually is a word of affection. In ASL there are a number of ways to sign this word, but for fun, people sign the sign for deer! Watch the You Tube video to see an example of this play on words.

January 24: Meet and practice your conversation in ASL and grow your understanding of translating and communicating in any language.

American English: Thursday, 9:00-11:00 AM, EST, Zoom

We have spent two weeks exercising our writing skills in English. Sharing openly and listening responsively makes personal writing or narrative a satisfying and meaningful experience for all.

January 26: Continuing and building on our writing and conversation we will:

• Reflect on our experience as writers by taking the "Opinions about Writing Survey". Be honest. For fun, ask someone else in your family how they would answer. We'll discuss our answers next week. Join our conversation!
• Review the "R" section of 1000 Common Words. Also, practice saying the words "particular" and "particularly" aloud three times every day. Try to use these common words in everyday speech, too.
• Finally, we will have some fun with grammar, as we interview one another in the present perfect tense. Irregular verbs and contractions make this tense challenging, even for native speakers.

American Accent Training: Thursday, 9:30-11:30 AM EST, Zoom

Accent class focused on the sounds of "oo". In English a double o has two different sounds for example: good or soon.

January 26: Look forward to our next Bill's Tip and tweaking your accent to become an American Accent.

Kid's Conversation: Friday, 4:30-5:00 PM EST, Zoom

We took a break January 20. 

January 27: Find something new at a place that is familiar to you. This could be anywhere you go frequently. Be ready to talk about what you saw and why you missed it before. Also, why did you notice it this time.

assert: state a fact

convey this/a sentiment: tell or share a feeling or emotion

double o (or other letter): means the letter is repeated, for example l-e-double t-e-r

highlights: a summary of significant or interesting parts of an event

indivisible: not able to be divided or separated

notice: pay attention

opening: beginning

took a break: did not meet

tweaking: make small adjustments

MLK Day Freebies and More

 Hello Friends. 

It was a very busy week for many of us. There was a lot to celebrate and a lot to learn. Our English class talked about turning points. Our Accent Class attended the naturalization of one of our Friends. This was a huge turning point that had a great impact on all of us. Moving forward in our lives is sometimes planned and it is sometimes thrust on us. The new year gives us a chance to reflect and reform our lives. Now that we are well into the year, we are busy living our lives!

Using From

I love, love, love movies from other countries. Besides the stories and the great insight into culture, reading the subtitles give great insight into how American English is interpreted. One notable common "mistake" is how the word "from" is used when talking about when. For example:

We came back to class from last Thursday and will continue into May.

In American English, we do not add "from":

We came back to class last Thursday and will continue into May. 

Free Admission For MLK Day

Martin Luther King Day is celebrated on the third Monday in February. This is a day set aside to remember and celebrate the life of the American civil rights leader. 

• Connor Prairie
• Indiana State Museum 
• Eiteljorg Museum 
• NCAA Hall of Champions 
• Indianapolis Zoo
• Indiana Historical Society 
• Newfields
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway 
• City of Carmel Celebration 6:30 PM

Fun and Cool Both Here and Everywhere

Devour Indy: January 24 to February 5

Stay Up to Watch the Rare Green Comet Shooting Across Tonight's Sky---It Was Last Seen 50,000 Years Ago: View the comet from January 12 through February. ee the comet in the ead more in this article. If the skies are cloudy, don't worry! The comet can be seen through February.

Oath of Allegiance

We were very honored to witness and to celebrate one of our Friend's naturalization ceremony this week. The judge who administered the oath pointed out that while the individuals chose to be citizens, the United States also chose them to become citizens. New citizens take the Oath of Allegiance where they declare that they are giving up loyalty to any other country or leader or ruler. You can read more and the implications in this flier.

"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."

American Sign Language: Tuesday, 5:00-6:00 PM EST, Zoom

We got back to basics this past week. It is good to review things we think we knew well. It is surprising how it is hard to recall familiar vocabulary in isolation from a situation or conversation.

 January 17: Come back for more conversation and let's get this year rolling.

American English Class: Thursday, 9:00-11:00 AM EST, Zoom

We shared experiences that were turning points in our lives. Our conversation focused on questions and answers. We practiced active listening to improve our understanding and comprehension of topics.

January 19: 

We are still minding our Ps and Qs on the 1000 Common Words list.

Write about a "dream trip" you hope to take in the future (or one you have taken in the past). Include general information and colorful details.

OR

Where have you traveled that you consider a dream trip? Why? Share your best memories of this experience.

American Accent Training: Thursday, 9:30-11:30 AM EST, Zoom

We are back in the classroom after an amazing week. We hope to see you there!

Kids Conversation: Friday, 4:30-5:00 PM EST, Zoom

Breaks are over and we are back to school. It is good to see our friends, restart our classes, and start new learning topics.

January 20: No class!

January 27: Tell something new that you found, saw, or learned in a place where you frequently go.

abjure: solemnly renounce.

allegiance: loyalty

bear arms: participate in military operations as a member of the military; fight for

evasion: avoiding

in isolation from: apart from or alone

well into: quite advanced into, far along

mental reservation: doubt or critism

MLK Day: Martin Luther King Day, the third Monday in January, a federal holiday

naturalization: admit a foreigner as a citizen to a country

noncombatant: a person serving their country who does not fight (i.e. chaplain, medical corp., civilian)

obligation: an act of moral or duty or legal binding

renounce: formally declare abandonment or claim or rights.

thrust on/thrust upon: forced on 

Welcome Back and Welcome 2023!

Welcome back, Friends,

Classes and meetings began again this week (except for ASL). It was good to get back together after the long break. Catching up with each other after a break is always wonderful. 

New words and ideas from our classes this week:

Worried well: people who are in good health but believe themselves to be ill or likely to get ill because of circumstances (like blood test results).

Off your rocker: crazy or silly, someone acting in a way that does not make sense.

Red letter day: an important or very special day.

Punctuation Review

To get you back in the mood to think about English grammar and punctuation, here is a classic by Victor Borga and Dean Martin

More Conversation

Carmel Library is offering a free conversation group on Sunday afternoons 3:00-3:40 PM. Learn more and sign up. You can attend individual sessions.

Fun and Family

The Great Dine Out: visit Hamilton County restaurants,  collect “punches” to earn a $25 certificate gift.

Twenty-Seventh Amendment to the Constitution of the United States:  Congressional Compensation

No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.

Amdt27.1 Overview of Twenty-Seventh Amendment, Congressional Compensation

American Sign Language: Tuesday, 5:00-6:00 PM

January 10: First meeting of the year!

American Accent Training: Thursday, 9:30-11:30 AM

The class covered the long "o" sound.

January 12: No class. It is a red letter day for one of our members who is becoming an American citizen.

American English: Thursday, 9:00-10:00 AM

We had a great discussion about new year resolutions, freezing pipes (and who is liable in a rental situation), and we talked about whether we would want to know the future. We all are in different life stages but we look forward to our next life adventure.

January 12: We have a lot to cover next week. 

Write about a time when you had to make a decision at a crossroads or turning point in your life. You can tell your story in a way that is most comfortable to you. Email your work to indyintlfriends2@gmail.com. 

This exercise helps you grow your personal vocabulary, helps you learn and use several grammar tenses as you tell your story and then reflect. Telling your story is critical for

We will mind our Ps and Qs from the 1000+ Common Words in English. Look over the P and Q words. Bring your questions about the meaning of the words. We will read through the words to ensure that you have the correct pronunciation. Being able to navigate these words helps your confidence as well as understanding.

We will work on listening and saying "r" and "l". Many people have difficulty hearing the difference between these letters and then pronouncing them. This can make a big difference in understanding and being understood. Think raw/law, real/rear. Even American speakers have trouble with these at times...like the word rural!

Kid's Conversation: Friday, 4:30-5:00 PM

We had a lovely conversation about Once upon a Home upon a Home illustrated by Kunio Kato, text by Kenya Hirata, and translated by Arthur Binard. This story is about a man who builds his home on his home as the seas rise. It is a beautiful story about remembering the good times that build your life and how we continue to build.

We talked about how we celebrated both Christmas and the New Year. Food is the most important part of our celebrations with our families and our friends. 

January 13/14: Meet up on this superstitious, bad luck day. 

Mind your Ps and Qs: idiom meaning you should be on your best behavior

superstitious: believed to be supernatural or irrational

Varying: different in size or amount