Hello, Friends.
Fall is here. The leaves are beginning to change color and pumpkin spiced everything can be found on menus and in fall candles. Carmel apple is another flavor and scent of fall. Indiana weather is shifting: cool, warm, hot. Homecoming celebrations at high schools and colleges mean special football games and formal dances. Find out what we have been doing at International Friends this week.
Yellow Jackets
Fall also means panicking yellow jackets. These wasps hover around trash cans and outdoor dining tables (they are attracted to rotting food, meat, and insects around the trash). They can bite to hang on and sting multiple times (unlike honeybees who disembowel themselves leaving their stingers and venom behind). Yellow jackets live the large paper homes. None but the queen survive the winter.
Ward them away from your picnic with cucumber slices on an aluminum plate.
Learn more Yellow Jackets Vs. Honey Bees – Comparison Guide
Clay Middle School Open House
Friends and staff visited Clay Middle School. We have a very list of people interested in joining us to study American English and Culture in person. We are looking at adding a weekday evening meeting or a Saturday morning meeting. We also added two new staff members! We are so happy to welcome everyone International Friends! Watch for more about additional meetings as we finalize plans. Meanwhile, join our Thursday morning Zoom to get started.
Register for our classes and meetings.
Bump Into
Bring your family and friends for fun and food. Look for familiar friendly faces and say hi.
Carmel Porchfest, September 15, 12-6:00 PM
Carmel PorchFest is a free, family-friendly community event where a variety of musical acts perform live on neighborhood porches in the Arts & Design District. Plenty of food and beverage vendors will be available. We host close to 60 bands on approximately 23 porches.
Oktoberfest at Cornerstone Lutheran Church, September 27, 4-10:00 PM
A family evening of fellowship with friends & neighbors! Entry to the event is free! Buy tickets for food and drinks. A discount is offered on tickets purchased before September 22.
American English
As we build our stories, we talk about things that have happened in the past. You may hear someone saying "We would go to the beach in the summer" instead of "We went to the beach in the summer." In this case, the person is talking about something the happened often, not just one time. Here is a video to (by a Canadian) explain more:
Presidential Debate
Many if not all of our Friends watched the presidential debate. We ran out of time to debrief this highly publicized event. One of our Friends found this YouTube to help us grow your political vocabulary.
Meeting and Class Notes
International Bible Study: Monday, 8-9:00 PM, Zoom
It was great to get together for the first time in so long. We picked up where we left off in the spring with Genesis 12. Abram is given a promise and a blessing. Tells Abram to leave his country and go to a land that God would show him. Abram packed up his family, possessions and the "people they had acquired" and hit the road. Here is a Map of the Journeys of Abram and a summary of the stops along the way
The conundrum that Abram lied to Pharoah and said his beautiful wife Sarai was his sister with Pharoah then taking her into his house as a wife. Because of this, the Egyptian household is inflicted with disease. Pharoah reprimands Abram for not telling him Sarai was his wife and sends him and all his people and goods on their way. The sin of the lie of Abram caused Pharoah to sin unknowingly with consequences.
Our observations:
- God is faithful to His promise to Abram to protect and bless him in spite of Abram's shortcomings.
- No person is perfect, and Abram shows how God loves and cares for us, even when we fail to trust Him.
- Age does not impart wisdom.
- We wondered about Abram's fear of the Pharoah.
- We observed that cultures and human nature remain the same.
Psalm 9 mirrors the story in Genesis 12 in supplication, thanks, and praise.
September 16: Our readings Genesis 13 and 14 and Psalm 19
American English and Culture: Thursday, 9-11:00 AM, Zoom
Hearing about what summer was like for our Friends when they were young was very interesting and heartwarming. It was interesting to hear what people did for fun as well as what summer felt like for them. Whether the memory was impromptu, thought out, or written down and read, each Friend conveyed the sense of joy that only a child can experience. Read people's stories here. Email Carolyn your story to share with our Friends.
Small groups talked about the words and phrases they use with family in their homes. We found there is a mix of English as well as other languages (some families speak more than one language other than English in their homes).
September 19: Talking about work and careers. This week tell us a story about your career or work life. Collect a list of words and phrases used in your career.
American English For Kids: Friday, 5:30-6:00 PM, Private Zoom Link
We caught up with each other after a long break. Our kids are growing up so fast! This year we are going to work on our storytelling. That is telling the story of our life. This is an important skill when introducing ourselves and our ideas.
September 20: Thinking about the phrase "I am from [details about your past]", be prepared to tell about your family and family experiences.
