The ELI Weekly
Out and About: Traveling to Clearwater
by Irene Lopez, RW53
Florida is surrounded by coastline, with the Atlantic on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other. Welcome to the sunshine state! While I’m thinking about holidays, I close my eyes, and the first thing that comes to my mind is the beach. Lying on the white sand, spending time just relaxing between palms with a warm breeze. I can smell the sea. I can hear the waves while the pelicans are flying in the clear sky. The water is a turquoise color in which the bright sun is reflected. At the crowed beach people seems to have no worries, they are joyful having sunbath. Families, children, friends, couples, although the beach doesn’t seem noisy. Looking out to sea, a long bridge crosses out of sight. The day passes fast, and the sun begins to set. Here is the moment the sun touches the horizon. I can see a mix of pink and orange color where the sun disappears.
Sugar-white sand and crystal-clear water: no more reasons are needed for this to be the first beach in the USA!
CIP Weekday Activities
Sign up for all activities here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-student13
Monday October 11th – Coffee Talk – 6:30 – 9:00pm
Come drink coffee or get dinner and socialize at the Butler Plaza Starbucks near Burger Fi – 3524 SW Archer Rd! Take bus 1.
- You must sign up to attend this activity.
Tuesday October 12th – Soccer – 6:30 – 9:00pm
Come play Soccer on campus at Flavet Field! No experience necessary!
- You must sign up to attend this activity.
Wednesday October 13th – Volleyball – 6:30 – 9:00pm
Come play volleyball and hang out at Lexington Crossing Apartments Phase 2! No experience necessary! Take bus 34 or 35.
- You must sign up to attend this activity.
Thursday October 14th – Museum Nights – 6:00 – 9:00pm
Visit the Harn Museum and see what fun activities they have planned for Museum Nights with the theme Reframing the Lens. See performances, art, and do fun crafts and activities! Take bus 20 and meet in front of the Harn Museum.
- You must sign up to attend this activity.
Friday October 15th – Gator Nights – 7:30 – 10:00pm
Come to Gator Nights and see what cool activities they have planned this week at the Reitz, with food, music and other fun! Meet at the Reitz Subway area.
- You must sign up to attend this activity.
Midterm Exams: October 18th-22nd
There is no Saturday activity this week. The weekend is yours to relax and study for your classes. Midterm week starts on October 18th, so you might have quizzes and tests next week. Ask your teachers if you will have a midterm. Here is some study advice:
- Don’t wait until the last minute. Review your notes, do your homework, and study a little bit each day.
- Make flashcards to practice vocabulary and important information. Quizlet is a great app that makes digital flashcards.
- Get friends together for a study group and motivate each other.
- Get plenty of sleep the night before a test so that you will be able to think clearly, and eat breakfast on test day!
Conversation Partners (CPs): Want to meet with an English speaker once a week and make a new friend?! Sign up here! https://forms.gle/ctQAzW8EjXgvhYgHA.
Returning students who want a CP should still fill out this form, even if you had a CP last semester! This is optional, but if you sign up, you agree to meet your partner once a week for one hour to speak English and respond to them when they contact you to make plans to arrange a meeting.
Try meeting them on campus or a coffee shop. Try chatting about your family or home country to start practicing English! CPs are excited to meet you! Wait two weeks after signing up to be paired.
Notes from the Office
Santa Fe College: Join representatives from Santa Fe College to learn more about what the college has to offer and how the international student admissions process works. After the presentation, you will have an opportunity to ask questions. This event will be on October 13 at 5:15 pm in Room 116 Matherly Hall on the UF campus.
New Students: The Fall B Term will begin soon, and new ELI students will be arriving in Gainesville the week of October 18th. Come meet the new ELI students at the midterm welcome activity on October 23rd and be sure to make them feel welcome when you see them in the hallways, at activities, or in your classes!
Students Wanted: The ELI Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee is a group of teachers, administrators, staff, and Language Assistants that hopes to make the ELI a more welcoming and accepting place for people of all races, religions, gender identities, sexual orientations, social statuses, and abilities. We are looking for students to be part of a group that will give their thoughts about the ELI and possible changes to ELI policies. If you are interested, please email Thomas Dolce at tomdolce@ufl.edu for more information. You can also read the ELI’s statement of commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at https://eli.ufl.edu/about-us/uf-eli-commitment-to-diversity-equity-and-inclusion/.
Weekend Photo
Grammar
Q: What does the word ‘far’ mean in this sentence? Doesn’t the word ‘far’ mean distance?
“These cultures used far fewer color words.”
A: To understand the use of ‘far’ in this context, compare these sentences:
- Santa Fe College has far fewer students than UF. (Note that ‘students’ is a count noun.)
- This class has much less homework than my other classes. (Note that homework is a non-count noun.)
In this context, the word ‘far’ means the same as the word ‘much,’ but we tend to use ‘much’ with non-count nouns and ‘far’ with count nouns.
Birthdays!
Students:
- 10/11 Joohae Go
- 10/13 Seungjun Lee
- 10/17 Paula Sanchez Perez
- 10/17 Deymis Soto Sanchez
Staff:
- 10/11 Matt Goode
Notes from the Editor
The ELI Weekly needs you!
Tell us about your experiences in Gainesville and around Florida. Send 1-2 paragraphs to Maya (mshastri@ufl.edu).
Do you have questions about grammar, manners, or culture? Send your questions to Maya (mshastri@ufl.edu).