The ELI Weekly
Scholarship Winners
Congratulations to the recipients of the ELI scholarships for the Summer 2023 Semester!
Dr. Jayne C. Harder Memorial Scholarship:
Sultan Alqahtani from Saudi Arabia
Dr. J.C. Casagrande Peace Scholarship:
Jorge Salazar Meza from Uruguay and Venezuela
First Runner-Up:
Juliana Kaercher from Brazil
Second Runner-Up:
Georgios Kalfagiannis from Greece and Venezuela
Third Runner-up:
Danney Pamplona Cardenas from Colombia
Out and About: The Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park
by Lynne Clark, Instructor
Have you ever wondered about different places to visit near Gainesville?
One of my favorite places to go for an afternoon is the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park in Cross Creek, Florida. About thirty minutes from Gainesville, just off Southeast Hawthorne Road, there is a small community called Cross Creek. Cross Creek was the home to and inspiration of Pulitzer Prize winner Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings in the 1930s. Her farmhouse and property have been restored to the way they would have been when she lived there at that time, with the original furnishings and decoration. The tour guides all dress in clothes from the time, and explain what life would have been like on the homestead. They take visitors through the house and around the garden and citrus grove. I always enjoy the part of the tour when we visit the kitchen and pantry. I like to imagine what it was like to have to bring in ice to keep food cold in the old-fashioned icebox, and to cook on the kitchen range.
The park is right beside a play area and boat ramp, so there is plenty to do, and you can always take a picnic or visit the Yearling Restaurant for a delicious lunch.
CIP Weekday Activities
Weekend Event
Saturday, April 22th-End of Semester BBQ at Lake Wauburg-11:45am to 4:00pm
All are welcome to celebrate the end of the semester at our BBQ! Come get free food and kayak or canoe on beautiful Lake Wauburg North Shore for free with your Gator1 ID! Play sports, socialize, and enjoy Florida nature with friends for our very last event of the semester!! Meet at Norman Parking Garage!
You must sign up to attend this activity: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-endofsemester2
No smoking or vaping is allowed anywhere at this location, even if you are outside.
Address of Norman Parking Garage (meeting point at 11:45): Parking Garage 8 (Norman), Gainesville, FL 32601
Address of Lake Wauburg North Shore: 133 Regatta Dr, Micanopy, FL 32667
Other CIP Reminders
Don’t forget to get your CIP Passport hole punched from the activity leaders AT the event (not after). We will no longer hole punch passports after the event. 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 for hole punches!
Last Day of ELI Classes
Thursday, April 27, is the final day of ELI classes this spring. Teachers will be submitting final grades and attendance reports on Wednesday, April 26. 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 April 24, 25, and 26 still count!!! You should not miss class these days!
We hope all ELI students will attend class on Thursday, April 27. 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, April 27, please inform your teacher by Tuesday, April 25. 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, April 28. We hope you will be there, too!
Leaving the ELI
If you are leaving the ELI, we hope you will share your experiences with your friends and family. Also, please keep your email updated with us. When the ELI travels internationally for conferences and events, we invite alumni to join us.If you are interested in acting as an ELI Ambassador to assist future Gators in your country apply to the ELI, please let Lia Brenneman know (lia@ufl.edu), MAT 220A). If you are interested in becoming an Educational Consultant for the ELI, ask Lia for details. You are the best source of information about the ELI and Gainesville for new students. We appreciate our alumni! Also, the ELI’s 70th anniversary will be in 2024. We hope you will join us for a special homecoming celebration.
If you want to stay active with English study in your country, please contact our friends at EducationUSA. They have centers all over the world where they advise students about studying in the USA. https://educationusa.state.gov/find-advising-center It is a great place for you to network, practice English, and help other students learn about your experience studying in Florida.
Notes from the Office
Out of the Office: Christine is out on 4/17 and Daryl is out on 4/21, so plan around these days if you need to talk to them.
Gatorlink: If you are not returning to the ELI in the summer, you will not be able to access your ufl.edu email address, one.uf.edu, Canvas, or other Gatorlink service after the end of this semester. You will need to download any emails, assignments, or information that you want to keep.
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.
Apartment Leases: As the semester draws to a close, keep in mind that your lease might be ending soon. It is important to know the exact date that your apartment lease ends so you can make plans. If you’re not sure when it ends, ask your apartment office.
If you need help finding a hotel to stay in short-term (you should ask your friends first!), someone to take over your lease, or a new apartment, talk to Christine in Matherly 223.
Check your I-20s: If you are traveling during the break (for example, leaving the US and coming back), make sure your I-20 is signed. Also check the expiration date. You can make an appointment with Daryl to sign your I-20 or to renew your I-20 before it expires.
Financial Guarantees for Summer: Dear scholarship students, we hope to see you again in the Summer! Therefore, we have sent you an early reminder to request your new financial guarantee letter for the Summer semester, if you plan to return. If you need an enrollment letter or if you have any questions, please email Iman Vann at jvann@eli.ufl.edu.
Photo of the Week
Birthdays!
Students:
- Mayara Freitas Marins 4/18
- Gyubin Bae 4/20
- Dana Gonzalez Azocar 4/22
Staff:
- Patrick Klager 4/23
Manners & Culture
Q: Why do many Americans smile at people they don’t even know?
In the United States, if you make eye-contact with someone, even a stranger, it is considered polite to acknowledge that person by smiling, nodding, or saying “hello.”
Q: I see many American students wearing pajamas or flip flops at school. In our country, it is extremely rude. Why?
As you have seen, student clothing is very casual in the United States and includes flip flops and pajamas! Here are some reasons for casual clothing:
- Casual clothing is a great equalizer–you can’t tell who is rich and who is poor.
- It is common to express individuality by wearing unusual clothing.
- The hot/rainy Florida weather (and cold air conditioning) makes casual clothing more practical.
Grammar
Q: Why are there so many silent letters in English words?
A: There are many reasons why pronunciation doesn’t match the spelling of English words. One problem is that English has about 48 different distinct sounds, but only 26 letters to represent these sounds. This meant that people developing written words had to add silent letters to signal a change in pronunciation (pin, pine). Also, English has borrowed words from other languages. While English usually adopts the spelling of foreign words, the pronunciation of those words uses English sounds. Finally, even though spellings become permanent, the pronunciation continues to change. This process makes the differences between spelling and pronunciation bigger over time.
Here are some fun words to practice:
- colonel, lasagna, jeopardy, receipt, daughter, knight, Arkansas, bologna, asthma, island, would
Notes from the Editor
Thank you to all the students, LAs, instructors, and staff who submitted stories and questions to the ELI Weekly! We enjoyed hearing about your experiences from the semester.