Click here to go to our website.
Welcome back, Friends!
We hope you got a great rest over the break. We are looking forward to seeing you all next week as we resume our meetings.
We are beginning to focus on or public story and communicating to others in our American English and Culture meetings. This will include business communication and writing as a part of the process. Much of what we do can be lumped into conducting business and being a professional: banking, doctors, customer service, ordering food at a restaurant, having service done at your home, etc.
What Do You Notice?
Watching Netflix is so fun. I like to watch and listen in the original language and add English subtitles. Here are a few observations from my latest binge.
- These are from Love Next Door on Netflix. Season 1, Episode 3: Stop Line
- Lavenders: colors and flowers
- This was actually come together very quickly, so I didn’t prepare anything.
- You all did something that cute?
- Cuss: swear words were included. What’s the difference? Dictionary.com explains the difference for these kinds words. They are used to express and emphasize or provoke a reaction.
- Sigh, grunt, exhale, chuckle, scoff, yelp, grown, grunt, scream
- Stop line: the title of this episode is a bit of a confusion. We call this a finish line here in the United States.
January Dates from The Old Farmer's Almanac
We are back to the grind. Winter is here in the Northern Hemisphere. Dark days are gradually waning. The Old Farmer's Almanac is a fun and informative way to learn about the world. Click above and read the folklore that follows the long January nights. There will be a quiz later.
January 1 is New Year’s Day. While you’re still recuperating from the prior night’s parties, read about some other New Year’s traditions you might not know about and celebrate with some Hoppin’ John for good luck.
January 5 brings Twelfth Night, an English folk custom that marked the end of Christmas merrymaking and, in ancient Celtic tradition, the end of the 12-day winter solstice celebration. On Twelfth Night, it was customary for the assembled company to toast each other from the wassail bowl.
January 6 is Epiphany. According to the New Testament’s Gospels, on this date, the Magi—the three wise men or kings—venerated and brought gifts to the infant Jesus. Bake a beautiful Epiphany Tart or a King Cake with a lucky bean inside!
January 17 is Benjamin Franklin’s birthday. He was not only a world-renowned statesman, inventor, and scientist but was also fascinated by agriculture. Here at The Old Farmer’s Almanac, we consider him the father of almanacs!
January 20 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day (observed). This holiday is held on the third Monday in January and honors the principles of this civil rights leader and Nobel Prize Winner dedicated to nonviolence. This year, January 20 is also Inauguration Day.
January 29 is the Chinese Lunar New Year. Celebrated widely throughout East Asia, this holiday begins with the first new Moon after the Winter Solstice and is associated with the Chinese Zodiac.
American Culture
Inauguration Day: January 20
President Trump will be inaugurated on January 20. Learn the details of this ceremony Yahoo article. The baton is passed on this day.
In order to get work done, the Speaker of the House was elected. Now the work of approving the staffing and legislation can be underway as we start this new era.
International Friends Meeting Notes
Join us! Click here to register.
International Bible Study: Monday, 8-9:00 PM, Zoom
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
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
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. We too are working on our public stories.
American English for Kids: Thursday, 4:30-5:00 PM, private Zoom
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.
