The ELI Weekly
Out and About: Al-Ula, an Amazing Place to Visit in Saudi Arabia
by Azzam Almatrodi, RW40
Al-Ula is a historical city located in the northwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is 5000 years old and is the first site in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to be registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Al-Ula contains hundreds of archaeological inscriptions dating back to the Safavid, Aramaic, Thamudic, Minaean, Greek and Latin civilizations. It also contains many large carved mountains and many large mountains and rocks in different shapes, such as Elephant Mountain. It has a nature reserve with many animals, including the Arabian leopard. It has many old farms where you can have a nice time. It also has many resorts if you want to relax. One of the beautiful new things is the Maraya Theater, which is a large theater where many cultural events and concerts are held. If you love history, nature, and the future, I am sure you will love Al-Ula.
CIP Weekday Activities
Weekend Event
Saturday September 28th – St. Augustine Beach & Town Trip – 8:00am – 9:00pm
Did you know that St. Augustine is one of the oldest cities in the United States? Enjoy the best of St. Augustine with the ELI! Spend the first half of the day at a pristine Florida beach. Swim and soak up the sun! After that, we will go to the old town of St. Augustine and explore the shops and beautiful architecture.
You must buy a bus ticket from Tate to be on the bus list for this event. There are still spaces left! You can buy them from the CIP office M-TH from 9:00am to 12:30pm for 25 dollars exact cash.
If you are driving yourself, please make sure to be aware of the schedule and call Tate at 727-249-6021 if you need help finding us.
Reminders:
- If you are on the bus/purchased a bus ticket, you must follow the schedule.
- Make sure to bring all the thing you need for the beach like a towel, sunscreen, water, bathing suit, etc.
- Remember, there are no places to get food on the beach itself, so bring your own snacks and lunch!
- For the town, remember to have a change of clothes and money for shopping and buying dinner.
- Consider bringing an umbrella in case it rains!
Other CIP Reminders
Conversation Partners (CPs)
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/CZoP2zQ7nxWD4wcA8
Please email Rachel at conversationpartners@eli.ufl.edu for any issues, questions or concerns or visit her in the CIP Office during office hours.
CIP Passports
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: Daryl will be out of the office from Sept 24-27. Please plan around these dates if you need to talk to Daryl.
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, November 1st.
Photo of the Week
Birthdays!
Manners & Culture
Q: I’m homesick and sad. I don’t know what to do to feel better.
A: Don’t worry! This is natural when you move to another country. The best thing you can do is to keep active: participate in class, go to the CIP activities, and chat with friends. You can also talk to someone about how you feel. New students are going through the same thing and probably need your support, too. Returning students went through the same thing in their first semester and will have good advice for you.
Your teachers and Language Assistants are also there for you. The person who talks most, adjusts the best. Make local connections, with your own culture and the host culture. Did you know that UF has many student organizations including international student organizations?
There is also an organization on campus that helps international gators with things like culture shock. You can see more about this resource here: https://counseling.ufl.edu/outreach/international/
Grammar
Q: Is this sentence correct? I decided to don’t go to the football game.
A. In grammar lingo, you are trying to make the infinitive construction “to go” negative. To make an infinitive negative, you will add the word “not” before the infinitive. Your sentence would look like this:
- I decided not to go to the football game.
Here are some other examples of negative infinitives:
- It is hard not to worry about tests.
- Try not to be late to class.
- I decided not to eat sugar for a month.
Joke of the Week
Q: What has five toes and isn’t your foot?
A: My foot!
Notes from the Editor
Thank you, RW 40, for so many great submissions for this week’s Out and About!
I would love to hear from other classes. 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.