Scholarship Opportunity for Heritage Language Speakers

 Native speakers of critical languages are in high demand in the U.S. government. EHLS trains advanced English speakers to be effective communicators and strong candidates for federal jobs.

All EHLS participants receive a full scholarship from the Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO) that includes tuition and a living stipend. As part of the scholarship obligation, participants agree to fulfill the EHLS service requirement, which requires you to work for the federal government in a position with national security responsibilities for one year after you complete the program.

The 2026 EHLS Program is open to native speakers of: Chinese Mandarin, Arabic, Russian, Persian Farsi, Korean, Ukrainian, Kazakh, Turkish, and Hausa.

Visit the webpage and apply.

Have a Fantastic Summer

 Hello, Friends.

We met for our final classes this week. This is always both a happy and a sad day for me. This year we saw so much growth and sharing (in American English). Absolutely everyone grew in their skill as well as their friendships with each other. 

International Friends plans for the summer include:

• Getting together at least once a month to chat and maintain our friendships and English.
• Get togethers to explore our creative side: let’s paint jeans and tie dye t shirts.
• Getting it together with back to basics Update themes…but maybe not weekly!

Planning for next year has already started the fall. Get ready for some great additions to our suite of virtual offerings that includes more opportunities to learn from each other. Watch for announcements and get involved.

Now Get Out There

Every American community comes alive in the summer. The City of Carmel newsletter is one example of what is happening in just one town. Check out other city, county, and state newsletters and calendars. 

Join the fun!

Welcome May

 Click here to go to our website.

Hello, Friends.

Spring cleaning is not just a household thing............

More in May

Homegrown Music Festival: Sign up for the app and visit various venues to support local musicians (and earn a concert T). The first concert is at Syds in Noblesville May 2.

May 3: Farmer's markets open in Carmel, Fishers, and Noblesville. Support local and eat delicious!

Cinco de Mayo (May 5): Celebrate Mexican style with this American born holiday (like St. Patrick's Day for Irish). Here is a link to the best restaurants to celebrate at in Hamilton County, Indiana.

May 9 and 10: Garden Fair at Minnetristia a free event at the Ball Family property in Muncie. Think Newfields only more affordable.

May 10: Kid's Day as a part of the 500 Festival

Indiana and Manufacuring

Bringing manufacturing home (to the United States) is a goal of our current administration. This movement began more than five years ago. Sustainment (a company that supports the manufacturing through software design solutions) offered this summary as far back as 2021.  Indiana is welcoming new manufacturing. The Slate truck is one of the latest new companies to settle in Indiana. Read more.

American English and Grammar and Cadence: Storytelling and Music 

Music festivals are a great place to brush up on listening skills and singing along can polish your American English cadence and pronunciation. Bluegrass and country music have deep roots in Indiana. Brown County is a beautiful field trip and also a great place to work on American English listening to this American-born music. 

Take an American English field trip to the Bean Blossom Music Festival: June 11-14 and experience bluegrass and old-time music and the roots here in Indiana. 

Otis Gibbs singing Small Town Saturday Night is a good example (and he is a Hoosier in Brown County!). 

International Friends Meeting Notes

Join us! Click here to register beginning August 11, 2025 for the 2025-2026 year.

International Bible Study: Monday, 8-9:00 PM, Zoom

We begin with Exodus 9 and read through Exodus 11. Pharoah is consistent through all the plagues, which get worse and worse. He decides to let the Israelites go, but then says "no". Moses becomes more and more confident as the plagues worsen.

May 6: Exodus 12 tells the story of Passover. This important event in Jewish history continues as a tradition in households.

American English and Culture

International Friends American English and Culture classes continue view a Linked In Learning course on civility as a springboard for our conversations. These short video lessons spark discussions about civility, creating a personal brand, handing conflict, and more in the American business culture (remember business does not just mean the workplace, but in all times where you are conducting personal and professional affairs).

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

Every week we have interesting discussions. This week we talked about the complexities of large-scale events (like the Carmel Marathon) and how last-minute cancellations are frustrating to participants and the massive undertaking and impact such an event has on the entire community.

We also talked about pronouncing the letter Z. Many of us do not have "Z" sounds in our home languages and tend to struggle with this sound. Critical listening revealed that the "Z" sound is hidden all over. Generally, no one had problems with pronouncing this sound when it was disguised as the letter "S" or "X" or other letters! Z Word List is a fun place to visit to see just where "Z" is hiding in plain sight. Better yet, listen to people and make your own word list.

May 8: Last Class. Pizza Party! Join us for a delicious meeting in person and debrief of the year.

American English and Culture: Thursday, 7-8:30 PM, CLC, Carmel, room 102

We talked about colloquialisms. You can see the lists in the handouts. Some of these sayings are more common than others. 

May 8: PIZZA PARTY!

American English for Kids: Thursday, 6:00-6:30 PM EST, private Zoom

We talked about our week. We talked about how people can get into a mindset of "not being good" at something when they make mistakes. This could be losing at a game a couple of time or getting a low grade on a test or even thinking that you are not good at something like singing, playing an instrument, writing stories and poems, or so many more things. We talked about practice, focus, studying opponents, and using strategy to get better. Observing and noticing are important skills for growing.

May 9: Bring your stories from the week (especially scout camp) to our last class of the 2024-2025 year. If you missed, we are looking forward to hearing about your extinct animal.

Words and Phrases

as far back as: a point in the past