The ELI Weekly
Scholarship Winners
Congratulations to the recipients of the ELI Scholarships for the Fall 2021 Semester!
Dr. Jayne C. Harder Memorial Scholarship:
- Sol Ha Kim from South Korea
Dr. J.C. Casagrande Peace Scholarship:
- Alvaro Herrera Fernandez from Spain
First Runner-Up:
- Mireya Arreaga Ramirez from Ecuador
Second Runner-Up:
- Ali Salou Moumouni from Niger
Out and About: If I were a Bird, I Would Fly to You
by Jaden (Kukhyun Kim), RW42
Have you ever dreamt of flying? “If I were a bird, I could fly to you.” If you had studied the grammar of the subjective mood, you must have heard this sentence at least once. This is no longer a dream for me. I was a bird for a while because I went skydiving last month.
Skydiving has been on my bucket list since I was young. But I had never tried it because there is no place to skydive in South Korea, and I was so scared about it. Fortunately, there are a lot of beautiful places to skydive. So I decided that I am going to go skydive with my friends. I tried to convince my friends and made it.
We went skydiving near Jacksonville on October 23rd. We skydived at 13500 feet and we freefell for 60 seconds at 120+mph. To be honest, I was really worried before I jumped but, after skydiving, I could feel free with warm windy and see the beautiful landscape. I was able to experience 100% adrenaline while skydiving. When I came down to the ground, I couldn’t control my excitement, so I jumped and ran around. I won’t forget this experience and I was the most hyped I had in entire my life.
Do you want to have the most interesting experiences in your life? There is no reason not to make a reservation right now.
CIP Weekday Activities
Sign up for all activities here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-student19
Monday November 22nd – Coffee Talk – 6:30-9:00pm
Drink warm drinks at the Starbucks on Archer Road and hang out with LAs and ELI friends. There will be lots of socializing and games, and you can even get dinner too!
- You must sign up to attend this activity.
Tuesday November 23rd – Soccer – 6:30 – 9:00pm
Come play Soccer on campus at Flavet Field! No experience necessary!
- You must sign up to attend this activity
No Activities Wednesday through Saturday due to the Thanksgiving break.
Staying Healthy
Flu and the Student Health Care Center (SHCC)
Right now, many students at UF have the flu or a cold. The SHCC has seen more than 2500 students with cold and flu symptoms. Many other students are suffering from strep throat (231). But, very few students have tested positive for COVID (8). UF wants to stop the flu from spreading. What does this mean for ELI students?
- If you are sick or do not feel well, please stay home. Let your teachers know you are sick and ask them how to make up any work you miss. If you come to class and are sick, your teacher will ask you to go home. Remember, the ELI does not have excused or unexcused absences, so you can miss up to 15% of your classes without any problems. If you are very sick and need help, let Victoria know right away.
- It takes a long time to get an appointment at the Student Health Care Center right now. If you need help making an appointment to see a doctor, please talk to Victoria. Victoria can help you make an appointment at the SHCC or at a local clinic where you can use your health insurance.
In order to stay healthy, remember to wear a mask indoors and to wash your hands often. This protects against the cold and flu, not just COVID-19.
COVID Vaccination Requirement for Entry into the United States:
A new CDC Order means that, in addition to showing a negative COVID-19 test, all non-immigrant, non-citizen air travelers to the United States must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Travelers must provide proof of vaccination to get on an airplane to the United States. The vaccine must be FDA or WHO approved. The Order includes students on F-1 visas. All students will need to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter the U.S. If you are leaving the United States during the winter break, you must bring your proof of vaccination with you. If you have not been vaccinated yet, we recommend you complete the vaccines before leaving the U.S. If you need help scheduling a vaccine or have questions about the new Order, you should talk to Victoria right away.
Notes from the Office
Thanksgiving Holiday: Thursday, November 25th is Thanksgiving. There will be no ELI classes, and the ELI main office will be closed on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (Nov. 24-26). Please remember that classes will meet as normal on Monday and Tuesday (Nov. 22nd and 23rd).
Student Voices: The deadline for Student Voices has been extended! The new deadline is Monday, November 29th. You can email your writing to Olga (omoody@ufl.edu) or to your teacher. Please include your name and class on your submission.
Out of the Office: Victoria will be out of the office on December 3rd. Plan around this date if you need to talk with her.
Charges Due: Every ELI student should log in to ONE.uf.edu and look at the “Campus Finances (Bursar)” tile to see if they owe any fees to the university. For example, you may need to pay for services you received at the Student Health Care Center or printing in a library. If you have a scholarship, it will not pay these charges.
Check Your I20s: If your I-20 is expiring soon, make an appointment with Daryl in MAT 223 to renew your I-20 before it expires.
Financial Guarantees for Spring: Dear scholarship students, we hope to see you again in the Spring! Therefore, we have sent you an early reminder to request your new financial guarantee letter for the Spring semester, if you plan to return. Most of your financial guarantees will expire this December, which means that you will need to submit a new financial guarantee by the tuition deadline of January 20th for the Spring C semester to avoid owing a late fee. If you need an enrollment letter or if you have any questions, please email Jennifer Vann at jvann@eli.ufl.edu.
The Last Day of Classes
Thursday, December 9th, is the final day of ELI classes this fall. Teachers will be submitting final grades and attendance reports on Wednesday, December 8th. If you are absent on Thursday, your absence will not be counted for immigration, class grades, or any petition you have submitted. All absences on December 6th, 7th, and 8th still count!!! You should not miss class these days!
We hope all ELI students will attend class on Thursday, December 9th. Your teachers and LAs have fun and interesting lessons and activities planned. However, we know many ELI students are making preparations to leave Gainesville, so are very busy this last week. If you will not be attending class on Thursday, December 9th, please inform your teacher by Tuesday, December 7th. Your teachers and LAs need to know how many students to plan for.
All of your teachers and LAs will be at the ELI Commencement Ceremony on Friday, December 10th. We hope you will be there, too!
Weekday Photo
Grammar
Q: Why can I say one hundred or hundreds but not two hundreds?
A: You can say dozens, hundreds, thousands, etc. only to refer to indefinite amounts. Otherwise, we never make any number plural. How many does each sentence below express?
- I bought a dozen eggs.
- I saw dozens of people I knew at the party.
Manners & Culture
Q: What is the meaning of the Thanksgiving Holiday?
A: Just what the name says, basically. It’s a day that we set aside to express our appreciation for all the people in our lives and all the things that we have to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is the universal family holiday in the US, as it doesn’t have specific ties to any one particular religion or belief system.
Birthdays!
Students:
- 11/22–Chowon Park
- 11/25–Maria Parada Lino
- 11/25–Diego Velasquez Meier
- 11/25–Ricardo Velasquez Meier
- 11/26–Luisa Pamplona Acero
- 11/27–Mohammed Aloujan
- 11/27–Daniela Lopez Perez
Staff: none