The ELI Weekly
Scholarship Winners
Congratulations to the recipients of the ELI scholarships for the Summer 2025 semester!
- Dr. Jayne C. Harder Memorial Scholarship: Jeftey Saint Fleur
- Dr. J.C. Casagrande Peace Scholarship: Lu Huang
- 1st Runner-up: Maria Moncada Vergara
Out and About: Saudi Coffee and Cultural Traditions
by Abdulrahman Murshid and Suha Almuwayni, RW 40
Coffee was discovered in the Middle Ages when people began using it as a drink to help them stay awake during worship. Coffee is most popular drink in the world, people have different method to make coffee and named.
In Saudi Arabia, the year 2022 was named the (Year of Saudi Coffee), and its name changed to Saudi Coffee instead of Arabic coffee. Here in the US or outside of Saudi most people call it Arabic Coffee. Saudi Coffee is very important in Saudi culture. For example, we drink it at family gatherings, weddings, and when we want to welcome guests, maybe everywhere. We mostly drink it with dates; it lets the coffee taste very good because it will be bitter with sweet. Imagine that! When first I came here, I went to the coffee talk and let my friends try it. They liked it very much, especially with dates.
Saudi Coffee is considered the symbol of generosity. However, Saudi Coffee is very different from any coffee which you know! I’m not talking about the taste though! Saudi Coffee has differences such as ingredients and the way we serve it. First, if I ask you how you think we make the coffee? You might think it is just coffee beans but no. It’s not that easy. To make Saudi coffee you need at least 3 ingredients, and these are the basics, so if you go to ask people, they could say 5 because it depends on their method. Let’s move to the servers. First thing we need to do, and it’s very important: when we have a guest, we must not fill the cup all the way! If we have guests, we should serve the coffee in small cups. Also, we need to refill the cup until the guests finish their visit, but if you fill their cups all the way, they will think that you want them to leave, and this is very rude because the guests are welcome until they want to leave! So, what about if they don’t want more? Easy just shake the cup. As you can see, Saudi coffee has a cultural status is an important symbol associated with hospitality and generosity.
CIP Weekday Activities–Last Week
Weekend Event
Saturday April 19th – End of Semester BBQ at Lake Wauburg – 11:45am – 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. Play sports, swim and jump off the dock, socialize, and enjoy Florida nature with friends for our very last event of the semester. Meet at Norman Parking Garage.
Please note, no smoking or vaping is allowed anywhere at this location, even if you are outside.
Entrance to the park is free with your Gator1 ID and mentioning the event with the ELI at the entrance gate. Boating has a small fee.
You must sign up to attend this activity, even if you plan on driving yourself. We need to make sure we know how much food to provide. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-56174306-endofsemester
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 here!
Please email Joey 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
Find the Pineapple
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 April 30 to May 8. Please plan around these dates if you need to talk to Daryl.
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.
As a reminder, all people in the US on a visa should always have their I-94 with them. The I-94 is proof that you are a registered alien in the US and shows that you are here on a non-immigrant visa. You can access your I-94 at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/home. Contact Daryl if you cannot access your I-94.
Also, have access to copies of other important documents, like your I-20, visa, passport, letter from USCIS, or other government issued documents related to your status in the U.S.
Charges Due: Every ELI student should log in to ONE.uf.edu and look at the “Campus Finances (Bursar)” tile to see if you 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. You must also pay any outstanding non-UF charges or fines you may have, like court fees, speeding fines, or parking tickets.
Financial Guarantees for Summer: Dear scholarship students, we hope to see you again in the Summer! This is 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 Tara Mace at fiscal@eli.ufl.edu.
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.
Notes from the Office for Summer C
Summer C Check-in: Remember, you must check in using myELI between May 5th and May 9th, 2025. Even if you completed the Returning Student Survey, you must check in online in May to save your space. After you check in online, you will be able to get your schedule on Friday, May 16th. The Welcome Picnic is Saturday, May 17th, and all students must attend classes beginning on Monday, May 19th.
Revised Attendance Policy: Starting this summer, the ELI will use a revised attendance policy. All returning students will be given a copy of the full attendance policy when you pick up your schedule. The change to the policy is highlighted here:
- If you arrive after class starts, you will be marked tardy. After you arrive, if you miss more than 10 minutes of class, you will be marked absent. If you arrive more than 20 minutes after class starts, you will be marked absent. If you are concerned about your ability to stay in class for the entire 50 minutes, please talk to your class instructor or the Student Life Coordinator.
Summer C Important dates:
- May 5 – May 9: Returning students must check in online in myELI
- May 13: NEW STUDENT Welcome and Registration (returning students are not required to attend)
- May 17: Welcome Picnic
- May 19: Classes begin. Your teachers will start taking attendance on this day
- May 26: Memorial Day Holiday – No classes and the ELI office will be closed
- June 9: Instructor Workday – No classes, but the ELI office will be open
- June 19: Juneteenth Holiday – No classes and the ELI office will be closed
- June 23 – June 27: Summer Break – No classes, but the ELI office will be open
- July 4: Independence Day Holiday – No classes and the ELI office will be closed
- August 7: Final day of classes
- August 8: ELI Commencement Ceremony
Last Day of Classes for the Spring Semester
Thursday, April 24, is the final day of ELI classes this Spring. Teachers will be submitting final grades and attendance reports at the end of the day on Wednesday, April 23. If you are absent on Thursday, your absence will not be counted for immigration, class grades, or any petition you have submitted. However, all absences on April 21, April 22, and April 23 still count!!! You should not miss class these days!
We hope all ELI students will attend class on Thursday, April 24. 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 24, please inform your teacher by Tuesday, April 22. 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 25. We hope you will be there, too!
Photo of the Week: Cabana Pool Party!
Birthdays!
Manners & Culture
Q: When should you shake hands and when should you hug?
A: A handshake is more formal and is used when you do not know the person you are greeting. The first time you meet someone, you can use a handshake, and that is always correct.
Hugs are only an option when you know someone well and feel affection for that person. In the US, it is not uncommon to see good friends hugging when they greet each other and when they say goodbye.
Some people do not like to hug. If you are someone that does not like to hug, that is ok too. There are other casual ways to greet by touching. For example, a fist bump and a high five are casual and acceptable.
Grammar
Q: When can I use “many of the people,” and when can I use “many people”? I don’t know why it’s ok sometimes and not other times.
A: Good question! This exact topic just came up in my reading/writing class. Let’s look at these examples:
- Many of the people in my class went to the Gator Salsa activity. (There is a specific number of people in the class, so we can talk about the part of the total number)
- Many people like dancing. (We are talking about people in general, and not as part of the total)
Can you see the same rule in these examples?
- Most young people like computer games.
- Most of the young people in the library like reading books.
Joke of the Week
Q: What are the 10 things we can always count on?
A: Our fingers!
Notes from the Editor
Thank you to everyone who sent stories, grammar questions, culture questions, photos, and jokes to the Weekly. Your submissions have added so much color, fun, and humor to the Weekly this semester!