Welcome Fall

Hello, Friends.

Kids are back to school: check!

Labor Day has come and gone: check!

All things pumpkin spice are back: check!

We are in a weather transition. People are breaking out jackets and sweaters, but it is still safe to wear shorts and t-shirts. Leaves are green, but they are beginning to change. Bees and yellow jackets congregate around trash cans looking for those last sweet treats. Time for apple cider and donuts. Time for hayrides and bonfires. Time for homecoming and football games.

September  23 is the first day fall or the fall equinox.

Local Fun and Topics

Apple picking. Pumpkin picking. Sunflower picking. Fall produce is a popular reason to go to the farm. U-Pick Farm Locator is a great resource for finding a farm near you!

Indian subtitled movies at the Regal Theater in Carmel. Check the listing. Who wants to go to the movies? 

Carmel Mooncake Festival

Technical English

Vocabulary building is something you have to do for yourself. 

Start with your home language's most common words (based on on-line word counts and suggestions). These are important because they are the words you use the most in public conversations. Compare these words with American English words. Make as many links as possible:

💪Make a sentence in your home language. Now substitute the American English words in your sentence.

Review American English common word lists (this one is a favorite because it has words adults need to know for daily living). Review pronouns and prepositions (We use these A LOT. Use them correctly and sound professional)

💪Rank the words: 

• What words are a slam dunk? You hear and see them often and know what they mean. These are freebees. 
• What words are familiar, but you are not sure? You have heard them somewhat....maybe. You noticed them before. They are somewhere in your memory. 💦💦Refresh your connections.
• What words are new? What is that?! Make the quick jump and translate. Draw pictures. Make sentences. Look for the words in daily life and when you find them say, "Aha!"

Check your texts. Check your emails. Listen to yourself (in your home language and English). This is your personal vocabulary (the words that make you you). Listen around you (what are people talking about and what do you need to know).

💪Pay attention to necessary and interesting words in context.

Meetings and Classes Updates

The third week of classes and meetings are on Zoom.

Click to go to our Meetings and Classes page to learn more and register.

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

We met and had a great chat. Coming in and greeting and sharing a little something about your day/life is a challenge to our vocabulary (shared and unshared). You can find the vocabulary list here. Scott roped us in and went old school by holding up flashcards for us to see and sign. We worked on "back to school" words and phrases.

September 26: Meet to review our words and check our progress with by telling and questioning each other about sentences and conversational comments.

International Bible Study: Tuesday, 8:45-9:45 PM, Zoom

We are keeping up with the reading. Often Bible studies (and book clubs) are a chore because they are required reading. We find that reading Matthew is interesting and informative. We are also going above and beyond and find Matthew hard to put down. Matthew was written by a Jewish man and leans into people knowing Jewish history and practices in the storytelling. We are finding surprising insights specific to our lives and stories of our lives:

• Jesus shows compassion for all people in need regardless of their status, age, popularity, or life history (Matthew 9:18-22).
• Jesus does not tolerate people trained as spiritual leaders who do not teach, lead or demonstrate compassion, reconciliation, hope, and love (Matthew 15)
• Jesus sends his disciples (chosen followers) out to teach and care for the disenfranchised Israelites. He councils them to leave and "shake the dust off your clothes" when people are hostile to messages of the good news of love, hope and reconciliation (Matthew 10)
• Jesus has a sharp sense of humor and quick wit and tongue.
• How we read/listen influences us. Some versions have Jesus' words printed in red ink. It stands out from the black ink in a new way. Listening to the reading has a dramatic overtone and interpretation in the inflection. Thinking or reading with different intonations can lead to a different impression.

September 26: Our read this week wraps up the book of Matthew and moves on to the book of Mark. To get an overview of the gist of this book, visit worship from September 16: Immediately (the title and topic sound like a command 😉). You can pick up 

Join our virtual study and read along with us. Email your thoughts or notes.

American English and Culture: Thursday, 9:00-11:30 AM, Zoom

We revisited the terms for classifying where we are in our language and culture comfort and development. Breakout discussion and work groups 

In the future, look for materials for our classes including handouts and worksheets for September 28 ind our Resources and Handouts tab on our webpages.

If you attended class, you should have received an invitation from Zoom to join our continuous chat group. Check your email and spam folders.

September 28: Join one of breakout groups. We are repeating the topic/lesson twice. Or join open conversation.

9:00-9:10 Chat and get set

9:10-9:55 Breakout

• Get Over It: Wrap up the study of "get" phrases. Find the handouts here.
• Customer service phrases and behavior. What have you heard? What are common questions? What are common customer service concerns and how can you phrase your requests?
• Free conversation. Practice your American English conversation unscripted: How to start (or finish) a conversation.

9:55-10:00 Break

10:00-10:45 Breakout

• Get Over It: Wrap up of the study of "get" phrases.
• Customer service phrases and behavior. What have you heard? What are common questions? What are common customer service concerns and how can you phrase your requests?
• Free conversation.  Practice your American English conversation unscripted: How to start (or finish) a conversation.

10:45-11:00 Wrap-up and set

Kids' Conversation and More: Friday, 4:30-5:00 PM, Zoom.

We had Zoom difficulties. As a result, we started and stayed later than our time. We developed the score table and point system for our weekly conversations. 

• Earn one point for every 30 seconds of talking. (less than 30 seconds, no points; 
• Earn five points for asking an open ended question (to get the other person to talk). This requires that you show good listening skills.

September 29: Join us as we tell each other about our week. Can you get other people to talk and earn points?

Words and Phrases

Words in brackets may be substituted with similar words. For example [go] could be went, [us] could be any pronoun that fits tense wise or a descriptive noun. 

a little something: not much 

above and beyond: do more than required or expected

as a result: so

breaking out: get something out of storage for regular use

chore: a job

compassion: pity and concern for the suffering of others

gist: substance or essence

hard to put down: hard to stop or quit reading or doing something

[go] old school: 

leans into: embraces or takes advantage of a situation or mindset

moves on: continues forward; you may hear "moves up" that implies progress and rank

produce: [PRO doos] agricultural products, especially fruits and vegetables

quick wit: respond in a clever or funny way without thinking for a long time

quick tongue: making sharp or witty remarks that may lead them into trouble

reconciliation: restoration of friendly relations or feelings between people who have a conflict

roped [us] in: bring a group back to focus or attention; organize

Week 2: Where are you?

Hello, Friends.

As our classes get rolling, we are discovering more about each other. Be sure to visit the notes for all of our classes. Each of the classes contain information from our conversations that can help you grow in understanding American English or culture.

We are shifting our American English and Culture meetings on Zoom to 9:00-11:00 AM. See you sooner than later!

We are continuing to assess and get to know each other to build a comfortable community for learning and growing. 

Pay Attention

People lose track of things all of the time. They misplace keys, glasses, cups of coffee...These lapses in memory have nothing to do with memory but have everything to do with paying attention. When you forget your purse or credit card or when you struggle to memorize a list of words. People do not pay attention to every detail (not that they are not aware of what is happening around them) of a moment. That odd or frustrating feeling that you are forgetting things is only because no memory was ever created in the first place (there were other. more interesting things occupying your mind or your super efficient brain decided that that particular detail was not necessary to notice at that). You have 15 to 30 seconds to "pay attention" to a new name or where you put your keys or some other commonplace (or maybe not very engaging) event. You can't forget something you didn't commit to memory. When we think we are engaged, our mind may be engaged in planning or anticipating rather than present to the moment. Next time, pause and pay attention. Notice what is surrounding you to add more meaning to the moment and make moments and details significant.

Clay Middle School English Language Family Night

We had more than 24 people interested in joining us in learning American English and Culture. We are looking forward to meeting and working with new Friends and helping our neighbors grow and thrive here in Indiana. Thank you to Clay Middle School for the invitation. Thank you to our Friends who volunteered to talk with newcomers and tell them about how we help people learn American English and American culture so they can thrive in the United States.

Run Into

Local cultural events are a great place to listen and learn. When you run into someone or you just happen to see someone somewhere, it is wonderful surprise. This week I ran into several Friends at Porchfest. I hope to run into you next weekend at any of the following events. 

• Cornerstone Lutheran Oktoberfest Join us on Friday, September 22, 2023, from 4:00-10:00 PM at Cornerstone Lutheran Church in Carmel (Corner of Main St. & Gray Rd.) Order your tickets on line and pick them up at will call.
• Carmel International Arts Festival The Carmel International Arts Festival takes over the streets of the Arts & Design District Sept. 23 and 24, featuring more than 100 juried artists, live entertainment and international flair. Plus, don’t miss ART ROCKS!, the largest street party in the Carmel Arts & Design District.
• Englewoodstock Music Festival, Cornerstone Lutheran Church, Indianapolis Cornerstone is excited to host the 2nd annual Englewoodstock Music Fest at our Indy site, 2738 E New York Street! This FREE event takes place Saturday, Sept. 23, 12-7 PM, and features a rotation of local musicians, along with food trucks, bounce houses, and beer from Centerpoint Brewery. (Bring a lawn chair if you have one.) If you are an musician (solo or with a band) and would like to take part, please contact Pastor Jason (jtaber@cornerstonelutheran.church).

Classes and Meetings Updates

Zoom has a great new feature called Team Chat. Rather than set up a separate group on Facebook Messenger or Line or [name an app here], click on Team Chat at the top of the screen. Keep your eyes open for an invitation to participate in the chat. Get continuous access to all chats from the beginning of our classes. You can even add and read chats to the group when we are not meeting! This is a great way to keep the conversations going!

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

Our first meeting was spent reviewing the alphabet, learning to count and then using numbers in sentences. We told how many brothers and sisters we have. We told how many years difference is between us and our siblings. 

September 19: Join us to review. Learn link words together in American Sign Language. If you don't know the sign, you can always spell the word. Review the 25 of the First 100 Words. Combine words to make five sentences to tell when you come to class.

International Bible Study: Tuesday, 8:45-9:45 PM, Zoom

We met on Zoom (from Japan, Arizona and Indiana) to set our course through December. Cornerstone Lutheran Church is reading all of the New Testament. We talked about how we usually study and study the Bible: generally, we take a deep dive and ponder meanings. We talked about how we have tried to read continuously but get discouraged because we fall behind. We talked about how most studies focus on one particular aspect of the Bible rather than the bigger picture. We decided to accept the challenge and follow the CLC plan to read. We decided to read recreationally, meaning that we continuously move forward and not beat ourselves up if we miss a day. We can be accountable to each other and encourage each other. We crunched the numbers: In the large print edition, the entire read is 444 pages including introductory pages (for 27 books). People usual take a deep dive when it comes to the Bible and focus on one detail or pick at one verse. We decided to look at the bigger picture and see where the greater store leads our thinking.

Key thoughts as we read: The Bible is the library of God: there are many books all of which inform us about Him (and us). The ultimate message of the Bible is "God loves you." If you get stuck or wonder where the story is going, remember that "God loves YOU" and read on and let this message unfold.

September 19: It isn't too late to join. Read at your own pace the book of Matthew chapters 1-21 or listen on one of the Bible Apps. 

American English and Culture: Thursday, 9:00-11:30 AM, Zoom

We met to chat and get to know each other before breaking into two groups:

1. -ive Thinking--Group Summary: We talked about where our American English speaking and understanding could be classified. We talked about specific areas where we wanted to concentrate our studies and to grow.
2. Get Ready! Get Set! Go!--Group Summary from 9/14: After getting acquainted with one another we got down to business and tried to get our heads around the countless uses of the verb TO GET in English. First we got in the weeds by looking at some "fancy verbs" that may be substituted with "get" in casual conversation. Then we got around to some familiar phrasal verbs with "get". Getting back to basics, we got a quick grammar review of how this verb looks in every tense. When we got short on time, we agreed to get serious about listening for "get" in the English around us. 

September 21: 

9:00-9:10 Let's chat

9:10-10:00 What does this "word salad" mean? Bring your thoughts. Does it need "word smithing", punctuation, or a whole new rewrite? 

10:00-10:05 Break

10:05-10:45 Breakout

1. Get more out of it! Get together to and get with it! Bring a list of expressions with "get" that you hear or read this week. Let's see who can get the most. Now get busy, but don't get carried away!
2. -ive Assessments and Discussions. If you are coming for the first time or have insight into your direction, join the discussion to set course and strategies.

10:45-11:00 Back together to wrap up and move forward 

Kids's Conversation and More: Friday, 4:30-5:00 PM, Zoom

We talked about what has been happening in our lives since last week. We explored the words baton and dodge. 

Bluey is a very popular show with young children. Do you know about Bluey? Do you like these shows? They are out of Australia. And more about the Bluey phenom for all our Friends in this article from SFGate.

Cicadas are singing in Indianapolis. These giant, ancient insects are loud and so exciting to watch. Learn more in this WISH TV news article.

September 15: Bring your stories for the week. Bring five new words or phrases you heard or saw and be ready to tell about them. Everyone should be ready to ask questions to get the other people to talk. Let's keep count and see who can keep the conversation moving with questions.

beat ourselves up: blame or criticize yourself

deep dive: in depth analysis

fall behind: do not progress forward

have nothing to do with: not involved with

keep your eyes open: watch

lose track of: something that is misplaced

pick at: critically think about something

ponder: think deeply about something

recreationally: do something for enjoyment rather than work or duty

will call: an office or table to pick up prepaid tickets

WELCOME BACK!

Hello, Friends.

We are so happy to be back together. Classes started and are starting on Zoom. We kicked of our American English and Culture classes with an in-person (and Zoom) meeting at Cornerstone Lutheran Church. People who made it to the meeting became our steering committee! We began plotting our course for the 2023-2024 year. Our steering committee asked for some specifics. Look for these asks to be incorporated in this Update. 

• Vocabulary phrases (not just words)
• Fancy words to grow our English articulation

If you "follow by mail" and get the Updates mailed directly to you, don't forget that we have International Friends webpages that have tons and tons of information about learning American English and American culture. There are additional resources under topic tabs as well as information about International Friends meetings. 

Our QuickStart pages offer quick information about relevant American culture events as well as language tips to help speed learning or understand and provide specific information about situations in American life (particulary pertaining to stressful or bueaurcratic events).

Bring It All Together

Context for a word, phrase, idea is so important for understanding. This ASL (subtitled) five-minute video is a wonderful musing on words in American English that have various meanings.

Clay Middle School English Language Night

International Friends is honored to be invited to meet families at Clay Middle School on Thursday, September 14 at 6:00 PM. If you are a Clay Middle School family, be sure to stop at our table and say "hi". If you are in International Friends or an alumnus and would like to meet families and tell them about Carmel and International Friends, please contact Carolyn at indyintlfriends@gmail.com.

Talking Points

When you get stuck trying to remember a word or phrase and it just won't come to you or you just can't spit it out or it is on the tip of your tongue. You can picture it in your head, describe it, know some letters or number of syllables in the word. Eventually the word appears, but it is too late (because you are already driving home or falling asleep in bed or...). This is frustrating and often leads to anxiety that doesn't help with trying to remember. As language learners, these memory lapses can have an easy cure: say the word in your home language (or a different language). This unblocks access to the word that is on the tip of your tongue, acts as a memory trigger for the word.

Get Moving in Hamilton County

Artomobilia: Enjoy the best of American Car Culture in the ART and Design District in CARmel on September 9, 11:00.

Jupiter Flights Balloon Festival at Connor Prairie: Something is in the air Friday, September 8 through Sunday, September 11. Check out the schedules for times. Friday and Saturday events and balloon glow require tickets. Saturday and Sunday morning 7:00 AM race events are free. We want to go but our plans are still up in the air.

Westfield Cuisine Connect Culture: September 16, 12:00-3:00 PM, Grand Junction Plaza in Westfield. Music, crafts, food, and dance! Can it get any better than this. See you there!

September 11, 2023

Picnic at Founders Park

11:00 AM-1:00 PM

11675 Hazel Dell Parkway, Carmel

Bring a picnic dish to share

Backup location:

Cornerstone Lutheran Church

4850 East Main Street, Carmel

American Sign Language: Tuesday, 5:00-6:00 PM (UTC 4), Zoom

September 12: Join us and practice speaking using your hands. ASL is a great way to communicate with our deaf neighbors, communicate with our children, supplement our American English language learning.

American English and Culture: Thursday, 9:30-11:30 AM (UTC 4), Zoom

We had our first meeting for the year and hashed out wants and needs as well as our strategies for teaching and learning. Our overarching strategy is to apply important American English elements (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation/accent) to interesting and useful informational and conversational topics (content and context) all using the best strategies to enhance our efficient adult brain learning.

• Zoom breakout rooms let us choose areas of interest to study each week. 
• Zoom Chat features allows us to continue the conversation off line. 
• Monthly meetings in person allow us to practice in person (if you are not in Indy, we will set up Zoom for you) and hone our face-to-face communication skills while experiencing aspects of American culture. 
• The "-IVE" assessment chart helps us to visualize and plot where we are in our knowledge, skills, and abilities. All participants need to identify where they are. This is not an optional activity!

Our steering committee identified need and interests to start teaching/leading staff was able to discover and begin to craft specific details about what and when we to cover over the next months. 

Magdalene (Cornerstone Lutheran's comfort dog) dropped in for a visit. She gave us a moment to relax from our planning work and learn a little about the work that comfort dogs do in our American communities and public life. We learned a little bit about how to act around service dogs and the differences between the jobs they fill in American life (why is that dog in the grocery store, hospital, etc. and can I pet him/her). And speaking of "pet" we talked about the sound of this word (pet vs. pat pronunciation) and the common meanings and use of this word.

September 14: Join us on Zoom as we begin our year of meeting and learning together.

9:30-10:00    Social chat focusing on getting to know each other

10:00-10:30    Tour of the International Friends pages (all the information in one place!) and Zoom features that help us learn, communicate, and connect

Break

10:35-11:15    Breakout Rooms

1. "Get" 

2. "-ive" Assessment

11:15-11:30 Wrap up

Kid's Conversation: Friday, 4:30-5:00 PM (UTC 4), Zoom

Getting back together after a break is always fun. Our Friends grow so much and do so many interesting things. 

September 15: Join us for free conversation. Be ready to ask each other questions about whatever topic comes up. We will play the question game. Everyone needs to ask questions that make the other person talk more than you!

a little bit: not much but just enough to either satisfy or to get a taste of something

alumnus: singular for alumni; former students or graduates

asks: requests

hashed out: discuss and decide 

it just won't come to you: you can't remember something

musing on: thinking or pondering for a time

overarching: comprehensive

something is in the air: people feel that something is about to happen

up in the air: not finalized 

Welcome September. Goodbye Summer.

 Hello, Friends.

It's Labor Day weekend which means summer is over. If students aren't already back in school, they will return this week. This three-day weekend is a weekend for celebrating the end of summer. Pools close in the colder states (guaranteeing some hot weather to come!). Fall sports start: football, soccer, cross country, hockey, just to name a few. Check out the Top 10 Fall Sports for Kids.

We kick off or our International Friends meetings with our first meeting for 

American English and Culture 

beginning 10:00 AM Thursday, September 7 

at Cornerstone Lutheran Church, 4850 East Main Street, Carmel. 

When we have in-person events and you are not local, join us using your Zoom link!

Click here to see what we are offering and register.

• American English and Culture begins Thursday, September 7, 10:00 AM-12:00PM in person with meetings on Zoom.
• American English for Kids begins Friday, September 8, 4:30-5:00 PM on Zoom (private link)
• American Sign Language begins Tuesday, September 12, 5:00-6:00 PM on Zoom.
• International Bible Study is still in the planning stages. Register if you are interested and weigh in on the date!

Local interesting to see and do:

Andersontown Powwow and Indian Market September 9 and 10, $8.00 admission.

Enjoy a day dancing at a Native American Indian powwow.