October Overview

 Hello, Friends.

October is a great month to be in the Midwest. It is a great month to be involved in International Friends. To make things easy, you can see our October overview and schedules any time on our Meetings and Classes page. If you subscribe, go to our webpages any time to get questions answered or find more information. Join us any time from anywhere! Right now we have people Zooming from all over Indiana as well as Asia, South America, and Europe.

This month our classes and meetings are concentrating on building our skills in conversation. Concentrate on questions, specific situations, and talking to people you do not know. Speaking to others can be scary, but it is October and scary events that result in wonderful treats🍬🍬!

Running Into Each Other

I did not bump into anyone from International Friends and the band was on a very long break by the time we got over to the Carmel Oktoberfest. We did have a very good (and cold) time. Here is a hint for an upcoming date to run into each other.

Revisit and Remember

To learn and remember it is important to revisit information in a different way. Thanks to Ziggy, we have a nice summary of our classes from the week before all wrapped up in a funny cartoon!

Local Fun and Topics

Fall Break in Hamilton County is a great way to see what is happening in your backyard. Take a little break and enjoy corn mazes, bonfires, festivals, and more.

Hartland Film Festival October 5-15. MovieMaker Magazine named the Heartland International Film Festival as one of the 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World for 2023 and is consistently on the 50 Best Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee, including 2023!

Butler University Jorden College of Arts recitals and performances are often free and open to the public. Take advantage of these amazing opportunities to enjoy and support our young, local artists. Visit the Butler Events Center for even more opportunities on campus!

Indy Fringe Theater opens a new season.

The Headless Horseman Festival at Connor Prairie celebrates its 40th year! Enjoy classic family thrills and chills.

Pumpkin Patches in Hamilton County are a great way to spend your fall break.

Technical English

Nitty Gritty Nit Picky

When getting down to the nitty gritty details, it is important to listen carefully to how the word is pronounced as well as differences in the sounds you are used to saying. When the "i" pronounced with the "e" sound that is usual in many languages "nitty gritty" can come out sounding "needy greedy" if you are not careful. And yes, when someone is worried about the nitty gritty details, they can appear needy and greedy, but you may not want to call them out!

How About What?

"How" is a fun and confusing word. Do not think or try to learn about "how" in isolation. It is always paired with other words. Then, we have "how come" which means "why". How can be an adverb, a conjunction, or a noun. Merriam-Webster explains, bring your questions to our meeting on Thursday.

Election Debates

Debates are a big part of American voting tradition. Candidates argue and present their plans and positions on critical issues facing the people in the community or the nation in a civil fashion (hopefully) answering questions posed by a moderator. There are rules for the candidates as well as the crowd. The moderator sometimes has her hands full when the audience decides to enthusiastically show support or disapproval or when the candidates talk over each other to make a point.

Carmel Mayoral Debate

Mayor Jim Brainard is not running for mayor of Carmel. He has served seven terms as mayor and the town has grown from 25,000 to more than 105,000 people. You can read more about his career and legacy and about Carmel on the City Website. The two candidates vying for the of mayor squared off in a debate Monday evening at the Palladium. Read about the event and watch the debate here.

Meetings and Classes Updates

Our October schedule is posted! We are excited to move forward with working and growing together.

Click to go to our Meetings and Classes page to learn more and register (if you have not registered, yet)

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

Time and time again we have had to refresh our ability to talk about that human construct that allows us to meet and celebrate in the same space. When we talked about time, we discovered that we had to be able to ask questions...A review of when, where, why, who, and how had to happen! Time talk forced us to consider grammar and tense. American Sign Language does not treat grammar the same was spoken English. Here is a link.

October 10:  There is no better way to review your vocabulary than to be able to communicate important information. Bring all your vocabulary together to interpret an emergency announcement: AQI Basics | AirNow.gov. 

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

Many of the stories in Mark are similar to the stories in Matthew. Mark tells if like it is. Stories become familiar with the second telling. The third time around informs us even further. What stories strike a chord

October 10: Begin again with us as we begin discussing the Gospel of Luke. Luke was a physician. His perspective. As a man of science, his and insight into the 

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

Welcome to October! We tried our rotation three topics in two opportunities. As usual, we did not always stick to the script in the breakout rooms, but there is so much to learn from each other and the opportunity we have to talk together. Click here to see all the handouts and materials.

Do we always mean what we say and say what we mean? A review of idioms with "get" allowed us to discuss the nuances, social constructs, and tone of language in general and idioms in particular. We found new vocabulary, wordplay, and some giggles in two Ziggy comics.

October 10:  We continue our overarching topic of conversation with people we have not met before. Many of these conversations are full of open-ended questions using the "W" words and are in specific and sometimes stressful contexts where we need help or we are giving required information. When we talk to people we do not know, we need to be aware of the cultural expectations that go with meeting and talking.

Questioning: Question Words and Phrases: As we transition to Question Formation, browse the handouts for a new list of idioms to help you practice intonation and expression. Bring questions.  Sometimes looking at grammar backwards helps us truly understand structure. In Practice Exercises 16 and 17, try turning the given sentences into questions. We will discuss these over the next couple of weeks.

Customer Service and Medical Language: Asking and answering questions in healthcare settings are always concerning and intimidating. Being prepared for common questions helps all of us to not be as concerned and to concentrate on what needs to be communicated.

Talking to Strangers: Talking to strangers involves more than verbalizations. It involves nonverbal cues that let us know whether the person is comfortable and willing to talk and listen. Here are a few tips. What else have you observed?

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

We were happy to see each other on Friday. It was great to see a Friend we have not seen in a long time. We learned a little about Scouting in the Brazil (is it different in different countries?). We discovered that cold and flu season has hit pretty much everywhere in the northern hemisphere (get well soon so you can get back to Zoom).

October 10: Bring a favorite toy to share as well as your homework example. Be ready to share and to ask open ended questions to "earn points"!

Words and Phrases Fancy and Common

a man of science: a person who thinks and works in practical and observable phenomena

all wrapped up: summarized

by the time: when

call them out: call attention to less than desirable behavior

positions: opinions

stick to: stay on one topic, plan, direction

talk over each other: talk at the same time

tells it like it is: is direct in speaking

terms: the length of service in a public office

time and time again: over and over, time and again⛽

up for grabs: available or obtainable

verbalizations: spoken words

vying: competing