The ELI Weekly
Out and About: Latin Dancing in Gainesville
by Patricia Moon
Since many of our students are from Latin America, many know how to dance cumbia, salsa, bachata, and merengue. Which country has the best dancers? For salsa, I’ve always heard it was the Colombians! Especially the Colombians from the city of Cali. Is that true?
Gainesville does not have the night clubs like Miami does, but there are many opportunities to dance! If you want to socialize with UF students, the University of Florida has a salsa club called Gator Salsa. When they meet, they dance outdoors at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and the Bull (Downtown). They have Casino Salsa, On-1 Salsa, Bachata, and social dancing on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Sometimes the ELI goes for a weeknight activity!
If you are interested in learning how to dance, Gainesville also has two dance studios (or more!). Salsa Mundial and Baila Caliente both offer classes and socials. Check out their Instagram pages! These cost money, but they are great places to meet new people.
At the ELI, you have so many opportunities to do things in the Cultural Immersion Program, but if you’ve ever wanted to dance to Latin music, I recommend trying Gator Salsa, one of the dance studios in Gainesville, or going to the many socials around town.
(See the CIP Weekday Activities this week for the Gator Salsa event!)
Community College Day
Tuesday, February 27 – 214 Matherly Hall – 5:10pm
Next Tuesday, February 27th, representatives from Santa Fe College (SF) and the College of Central Florida (CF) will present to ELI students at 5:10pm in room 214 in Matherly Hall. They will talk about degree programs, the admissions process, and student life at both schools. If you are considering attending a community college, this is a great opportunity to meet their International Student Services staff and ask them questions. They can answer questions about the required credential evaluation process, transferring college credits, and important deadlines if you want to start with them this year. Even if you are not interested in Santa Fe College or the College of Central Florida, this workshop will give helpful information on applying to undergraduate programs in the US.
CIP Weekday Activities
Weekend Event
There is no scheduled ELI activity this weekend since many classes will be holding Midterm Exams next week. Use the weekend to study. Good luck on your exams!
Here are some tips to help you do well on the exams and to improve your English overall.
- Do the activities in the book that your instructor did and didn’t assign.
- Find activities online. For example, if you Google “preposition practice”, you’ll get lots of results.
- Practice whatever you’re studying, but do it out loud. You can practice using pronouns in sentences, reading the newspaper and finding them there, listening for them when people talk, and writing texts to friends using them.
- Get plenty of sleep and eat well!
Other CIP Reminders
Sign Up for the Talent Show
The ELI will be having a talent show on April 5th in the beautiful University Auditorium! Anyone is welcome to perform!! Please sign up if you have a talent to share, or even something simple to share. Some ideas are: singing, playing an instrument, showcasing your art, doing a dance, reading poetry, doing a skit – anything you like! You do not need to be amazing to perform, there is no winner! This is a great way to connect with ELI friends and share your interests in a supportive environment. Signing up for the Talent Show involves coming to a few practices – details to come soon.
Sign up to perform here (and share with your friends!): https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-47954719-elitalent
Want to MC/Host the talent show? Talk to Tate!
Talent Show Information Meeting February 28th at 5:00pm in Matherly 208: If you signed up for the talent show or are still considering if you want to perform, you must attend this meeting. It should only be a half hour long to talk about the show, act requirements, dates, and any questions you may have.
Conversation Partners
Want to meet with a fluent English speaker and make a new friend? Sign up for a CP! If you choose to sign up, you must meet with your partner for one hour a week. It can take up to two weeks to get a partner from when you sign up. Please sign up at this link: https://forms.gle/Vs8dgX3R8qGvT1Ed7
Please email Will at conversationpartners@eli.ufl.edu for any issues, questions or concerns or visit him in the CIP Office during office hours.
CIP Passport
Don’t forget to get your CIP Passport hole punched from the activity leaders AT the event (not after). We don’t hole punch passports after the event. Redeem your completed passport for a small gift a photo for the ELI Instagram, and your name published in the ELI weekly!
Need a new CIP Passport? Stop by the CIP Office?
Remember the CIP Pineapple is hidden in a new place every Monday in the CIP office. Stop by and find it for hole punches!
Notes from the Office
People out: Christine will be out of the office February 26-29. Please plan around these dates if you need to talk to her.
Student Voices: Every semester, we have amazing student writers, so we take your writing and publish it in an online collection called Student Voices. In past semesters, students have written paragraphs, essays, creative stories, recipes, letters, obituaries, poetry, and more. You can see past editions of Student Voices (https://eli.ufl.edu/news-publications/, scroll to the bottom of the page) for inspiration.
We encourage you to submit anything 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, March 29.
Taxes: International students that were in the U.S. in 2023 need to file tax forms with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Tax forms are due on April 15th this year. As a UF ELI student you can use a free international student tax filing program called Sprintax. Talk to Daryl (studyenglish@eli.ufl.edu) if you need more information.
I20 for travel: Spring Break is coming soon. If you plan to travel out of the country (including Canada, Mexico, and cruise ships!) make sure your I20 is signed by Daryl.
Photo of the Week
Birthdays!
Manners & Culture
Q: Sometimes when I say, “thank you,” Americans say, “uh huh.” Isn’t this rude?
A: This response is not meant to be rude. Americans use this when the favor seems so small (or part of their job) that it was not necessary to thank them in the first place. Imagine that “uh huh” has the same meaning as “no problem.”
Example 1: In the grocery store, the cashier gives you change:
- You: Thank you.
- Cashier: Uh huh! (No problem. This is part of my job. There is no need to thank me.)
Example 2: You drop your book and your friend picks it up.
- You: Thank you.
- Your friend: Uh huh! (No problem. This was a small favor. There is no need to thank me.)
Of course, it is still correct to say ‘you are welcome’ in both examples!
Here is video that helps explain the American ‘uh huh.’
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:
|
You could say:
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How would you agree with these negative statements?
- I don’t like Valentine’s Day.
- I am not happy with the weather today.
Notes from the Editor
I still need your help with the ELI Weekly. Send me a paragraph about fun activities you have tried in Florida or send me a story about an interesting place in your country. Send me grammar questions, culture questions, or even jokes. Send them to mshastri@ufl.edu. Use the subject heading ELI Weekly.