The ELI Weekly
Out and About: New Friends!
by Jaeeun (Jenny) Kim, RW51
I came to the US to learn English. I like to visit new countries and experience new culture. Actually, this is my first time to visit the US, to move to a new country, and to live there, so I was very worried and felt shy about meeting new people. I went to a picnic which was the ELI activity so that I could meet a lot of people from all around the world. When I went there, I was so shy that I couldn’t talk to anyone so I just stayed with my friends. I really wanted to speak with new people, but there was no courage to speak with them. Everyone who was at the picnic was having a great time, except me. All of a sudden, I felt so lonely. I decided to talk with someone who was in front of me. When I walked toward her, I realized that she was Marissa who is my Language Assistant. I was so happy to meet her, and I said “Marissa, how are you?” She smiled and gave me a hug. Then she introduced me to her friend, “This is Jaeeun Kim who is attending listening 61 class.” Marissa gave me a courage to speak with others. After that, I could talk to someone first. I met a lot of people, made a lot of Instagram friends, and learned about other cultures. Moreover, it was good chance to improve my English skills because we had to speak only English. I had wonderful time in there and I thought that I will not forget forever. This made me more active and sociable. I thought this ELI program will affect my personality more positive way.
CIP Weekday Activities
Weekend Event
February 11th – Gator Basketball Game vs. Vanderbilt – 3:00-6:00pm
Come watch the Gators play basketball! ELI tickets are sold out and, in order to sit in the ELI block and attend this activity, you must have already bought tickets from the CIP Office. If you would like to add your name to the waiting list if a spot opens or get help finding out how to purchase your own tickets in a different section, see Tate in the CIP Office.
We will be meeting in front of the O’Connell Center on campus the corner of Gale Lemerand Dr and Stadium road at Gate 1. Please make sure that you have your UFID and your digital ticket (pulled up and ready to scan). BAGS, BACKPACKS, or PURSES LARGER THAN 12″ x 6″ 12″ are not allowed. For the full list of items that are not allowed, please see the O’Connell Center website for security policies. Please arrive on time. We will enter the stadium at 3:15 and we will not wait outside for students past this time.
- There is no signup for this event; your ticket that you purchased is your signup slot.
- We encourage you to wear orange and blue and get ready to cheer on the Gators!!
- Address: 250 Gale Lemerand Dr, Gainesville, FL 32611 then go to Gate 1 and meet LAs.
Upcoming Event: Busch Gardens
We are going to Busch Gardens theme park in Tampa on February 25th! You won’t want to miss the amazing rollercoasters, zoo animals, shows and more that Busch Gardens has to offer! You can buy bus tickets from Tate in the CIP Office starting this week, Monday through Thursday with 25 dollars exact cash and your gator1 ID card from 9:00am to 12:30pm. Bus Tickets are limited! Tate will help you learn how to purchase your Busch Gardens entrance ticket online. Busch Gardens Tickets are currently on sale online for 108 dollars plus taxes and fees (125 total) and an unlimited pass for the whole year is only 26 dollars additional. Buy your bus and Busch Gardens tickets early before the prices change!
Other CIP Reminders
CIP Passports
Don’t forget to get your CIP Passport hole punched 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 for hole punches!
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 returning student 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/8nDmxEbrzaSP92Cj8
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
Santa Fe Workshop
Representatives from the Santa Fe College will speak to ELI students on Wednesday, February 15th, at 5:10pm in Matherly Hall, room 10. This is great opportunity to learn about SF and their admissions process. If you are thinking about attending Santa Fe College, this is a great opportunity to get information and meet their International Student Services team.
ELI Day at Santa Fe – February 20th -9:00am-4:00pm
Santa Fe College is hosting an ELI Day at Santa Fe on Monday, February 20th. Any current ELI student can visit Santa Fe College to finalize the steps for their admission, review their pending application, or start a new application to the College. ELI students will meet one-on-one with an Advisor at Santa Fe. ELI students will also be able to take the Santa Fe College placement exam on the 20th and discuss their summer or fall classes. February 20th is an ELI teacher workday, so there are no ELI classes that day.
ELI students should sign up for a slot to meet with a SFC Advisor on this electronic sign-up form using Signup Genius.
Grammar
Q: How do you use a semicolon (;)?
A: Have you noticed when you are reading how many semicolons there are compared to commas (,) and periods (.)? We don’t use many semicolons in writing. You can think of them like candy–you should only eat candy as a special treat. Semicolons are the candy of punctuation, so you should only use a few of them. There are three basic rules for using semicolons.
Rule 1: Use a semicolon in instead of a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) to connect two closely related sentences.
- Jane loves cats, and she has a lot of them.
- Jane loves cats; she has a lot of them.
Rule 2: Use a semicolon to connect two sentences with conjunctive adverbs. These words include however, nevertheless, consequently, moreover, etc. Just like with rule 1, there is alternate punctuation.
- The hurricane passed right over Gainesville. Consequently, there were many fallen trees in our neighborhood.
- The hurricane passed right over Gainesville; consequently, there were many fallen trees in our neighborhood.
Rule 3: Use a semicolon in a list that already had commas for another purpose. In the example below, the comma is needed to separate the city from the state, so semicolons are used to separate the items on the list.
- I have visited Atlanta, Georgia; Miami, Florida; and Mobile, Alabama.
Manners & Culture
Q: What does “Excuse me, sir” mean?
A: There are two common meanings for this phrase.
Meaning 1: This is what someone says when they are asking forgiveness of a small slight, and in this case, the person is speaking to a man. For example, if you bump into a man while getting on a crowded bus, you can say, “Excuse me, sir,” and if you bump into a woman, you can say, “Excuse me, Ma’am.” However, for small slights like bumping into someone, it is much more common to just say, “Excuse me” or “Sorry”.
Meaning 2: This is what someone says when they are trying to get another person’s attention. Specifically, the speaker is getting the attention of a man and using a formal term of address. Imagine a man getting off the bus but leaving his phone on the seat. This is what other people would say to get his attention, “Excuse me, sir. Excuse me! You left your phone on the seat.”
- If you are trying to get a woman’s attention and want to use formal voice, you say: “Excuse me, ma’am.”
- There are many ways to get someone’s attention with an informal voice: “Hey!”, “Hey, you!”, “Yo!”, “Excuse me”.
Birthdays!
Students:
- Carolina Kohler Guiteras-2/7
- Maha Alhathal-2/9
- Rafael Indriago 2/12
- Maryam Almatrouk 2/12
Staff:
- none this week
Notes from the Editor
Thanks for your submissions! This week, you will see the first student submissions for Out and About, Grammar, and Manners & Culture this semester! Please continue to send me your questions and stories. Email Maya Shastri (mshastri@ufl.edu).