The ELI Weekly
Out and About: Actions Speak Louder than Words
by Manal Almalki, RW50
One sunny July morning, I was doing some office work as usual, and every now and then, I was looked at my official email as a student waiting with fear and enthusiasm for the result of her exam. Suddenly, the secretary of the dean’s office entered and asked me to sign the receipt of a decision, and I knew then that what I had been waiting for had arrived. It was a special day when I got my scholarship decision that allowed me to go to the United States with my family to study.
Preparations for travel began quickly, as the study began on August 31 at ELI at UF. Literally, we were racing against time to complete visa procedures, flight, and hotel reservation. After completing this work, we bid farewell to our people in Saudi Arabia, and the trip to America began in August. That event didn’t end there. After 20 hours and moving between 4 airports, we finally arrived in Gainesville. We arrived at three in the morning, which was an impossible time to find services available for any international student who does not speak the language of the people of the country. At that moment, we all felt lost. I tried to pretend that everything was fine and that we will be able to overcome the situation. Meanwhile, an employee from the airport security came forward and asked us, “Are you waiting for someone to pick up you, or do you need help?” With these questions, I felt like a mountain had been lifted off my shoulders.
In order to answer her questions, we used google translations and explained our situation to her. Immediately, she expressed her full readiness to help us, as she booked an Uber and asked him to make sure that we were booked the hotel and that everything was fine. Out of her kindness, we felt that she was a mother keen on the safety of her children. Also, the driver was very friendly as he helped us move the bags and make sure we got into the hotel in.
In Saudi Arabia, we hear that the American people are friendly and nice, but on that night, we saw that with our own eyes. Now I am about to graduate from the institute, and my English language skill have greatly improved from what they were when I arrived and I hope to meet that nice employee to express my gratitude and appreciation for her help and kindness with us on that day.
CIP Weekday Activities
Weekend Event
Please note that this is a Friday event. There is no Saturday event this week.
Friday, October 7th – Homecoming Parade – 11:15am-2:00pm
Join us in this American college experience! Celebrate school pride and the Gators football team with this annual parade with music, floats, and more! Wear orange and blue and enjoy your day off from classes watching the parade with ELI friends! Meet in front of Norman Hall Lawn right next to 13th street at 11:15am to get a good spot together! Feel free to bring blankets, snacks, or any other activities while we wait for the parade to start!
Sign up for the homecoming parade here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-homecoming
Other CIP Reminders
CIP Passports: Don’t forget to get your CIP Passport Stickers from the activity leaders AT the event (not after). Redeem your completed passport for a small gift and photo for the ELI Instagram! Remember the CIP Pineapple is hidden in a new place every Monday in the CIP office. Stop by and find it!
Conversation Partners (CPs): Want to make a friend and speak English? Sign up for a conversation partner! Wait two weeks to be paired and then meet your new partner for one hour a week to practice conversation and make a friend! If you are a returner and still want a CP, you should still sign up here, even if you had a partner last semester.
Sign up for a CP here!: https://forms.gle/h5NyWTrkpE331zzS7
Remember, if you sign up, you must meet your partner at least once a week and respond to their messages. Email conversationpartners@eli.ufl.edu if you have any questions or problems.
Notes from the Office
Homecoming Holiday: UF homecoming is on Friday, October 7. Homecoming is a special football game with a lot of special activities. There are no classes and the ELI office is closed on Friday, October 7.
Safety First: Are you lucky enough to have a friend with a car who can drop you off on campus for your classes? There are several good places close to Matherly for a “drop and dash.” If you are on University Avenue and driving east towards 13th Street, there is a tiny parking lot at Library West, where you can safely drop off a passenger (but not park). Also, if you are on 13th Street just south of University Avenue, you can enter campus on Union Road, where there is plenty of space to pull over and drop off a passenger, and then go around the circle to exit back on 13th Street. Never stop on University Avenue or 13th Street to drop off passengers from your car.
Student Voices: We love to see our students writing! Every semester, we take your writing and publish it in Student Voices. Past submissions have included paragraphs, essays, creative stories, recipes, letters, obituaries, poetry, creative stories, class projects, and other interesting works on a variety of topics. You can submit any of your work that you wish to see published. It can be from any class or something you have written on your own, but ask your teachers for help editing! You can email it to Olga Moody (omoody@ufl.edu) or to your teacher. Please include your name and class on your submission. The deadline for submissions is Friday, November 18th.
Research Corner
https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aVOjwCQEMT6TBQO
If you have any questions, please email Montserrat Carrera Seoane at carreraseoane.m@ufl.edu
Photo of the Week
Birthdays!
Students:
- 10/5- Minjae Joo
- 10/5 Minjae Park
Staff: none
Grammar
Q: What is the difference between ‘me either’ and ‘me neither’?
Both phrases are used to agree to a negative statement and have the same meaning as ‘neither + (verb) + I’ (neither have I, neither do I, neither am I). Both are more informal than ‘neither + (verb) + I’. Here is an example:
If your friend says:
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You could say:
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Manners & Culture
Q: What is homecoming and why is it a holiday?
A: Homecoming is a US tradition for colleges, universities, and high schools to welcome alumni back to the campus for a visit in the fall. Homecoming is associated with a football game, and other events like parades, pep rallies, tailgating, and even selecting a homecoming king and queen.
It is actually unusual for a school to have the day as a holiday from classes, but the University of Florida makes the day more special by having a day off for students to participate in the activities. You can see more about the UF homecoming events here: https://www.gatorgrowl.org/homecoming.
Notes from the Editor
I look forward to hearing from you as a guest writer for the Out and About column! I would also like to hear from faculty/staff about Florida foods! Email Maya Shastri (mshastri@ufl.edu).