The ELI Weekly
International Education Week
This week we are celebrating International Education Week. This is not just here at the ELI or at UF! In fact, it is being celebrated all over the United States!
International Education Week (IEW) celebrates international exchanges worldwide. That means it celebrates both Americans having the opportunity to study abroad and student like you, who come from abroad to study in the United States. IEW is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of State.
We are so happy that we get a whole week to celebrate YOU!
You make UF—and the U.S.—a better place, and we’re so thankful you’re here.
Just a reminder of our themed days for this week. Wear your fun outfit to class and activities!
Monday, November 17th: Tourist Day – Dress like your idea of a tourist!
Tuesday, November 18th: Twin Day – Grab a friend and match for the day or dress up like your favorite teacher to be their surprise twin.
Wednesday, November 19th: Decades Day – Dress in the style of your favorite decade! The style can be from the US or from your home country.
Thursday, November 20th: Traditional/Country Clothing Day – Dress in the traditional dress from your country if you can. If you don’t have that clothing, wear something else to represent your country, like your flag’s colors or something else to show off your country pride. You can wear this at our annual Thanksgiving Potluck tonight!
Friday, November 21st: Character Day – Dress like your favorite celebrity, TV character, movie character, or book character.
Come to the main office before LS periods if you are dressed up for that day’s theme. We will take a picture of you and post all the pictures on our Instagram where our followers can vote for their favorite costume of the day. The winner for the day will get a small prize!
Scholarship Winners
Congratulations to the recipients of the ELI scholarships for the Fall 2025 semester!
Ildemar Salazar – Jayne C. Harder memorial scholarship
Zennure Arga – J.C. Casagrande Peace Scholarship
Silvano Tandela – Gator Giving Day Scholarship
Ya-Hsuan – 1st Runner Up
CIP Photo of the Week: Coffee Talk
CIP Weekday Activities
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Monday, November 17th – Reitz Game Room – 6:30-9:00pm
*Please note day change |
| Hang out with friends in the Reitz Game Room! You can go bowling, play pool, and play board games! Bring your Gator1 ID for cheaper rates. Many Fridays are Gator Nights so bring your ID to check in and see all the fun themed activities the Reitz may have planned for you this week in addition to the game room!
Address: 655 Reitz Union Drive, Gainesville, FL 32611 semester, the location will change each week. Address: 4949 Celebration Pointe Ave Suite 80, Gainesville, FL 32608
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Tuesday, November 18th – Volleyball – 6:30 – 9:00pm |
| Play volleyball and hang out at Lexington Crossing Apartments Phase 2 Volleyball Courts with us! No experience necessary! You can also watch, socialize, or play other games if you don’t want to play volleyball. Take bus 35.
Address: 3700 SW 27th St, Gainesville, FL 32608 |
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Wednesday, November 19th – Soccer – 6:30 – 9:00pm |
| Come play Soccer on campus at Flavet Field on campus! No experience necessary! You can also watch, socialize or play other games if you don’t want to play soccer.
Address: Woodlawn Dr, Gainesville, FL 32603 |
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Thursday, November 20th – ELI Annual Thanksgiving Potluck – 6:30 – 9:30pm |
| Celebrate this American holiday with your ELI classmates, teachers, LAs, administration, staff CPs and guests! Cook a dish from your country to share for this potluck dinner. Try traditional American turkey and other Thanksgiving favorites while also trying food from other countries made by your classmates! This is one of our biggest events of the year so feel free to invite friends and family. Remember to bring your dish and a serving utensil with a card that has the name and all the ingredients of your dish. Don’t forget to take your supplies home with you when you leave. This dinner will be at the Gator Wesley Foundation across the street from Matherly on the 2nd floor above Concord Coffee. Represent your country in your spirit week clothing at the event!
You must sign up to attend, please read the details of the signup: sign up here! Address: 1380 W University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32603 |
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Friday, November 21st – Coffee Talk – 5:30 – 8:00pm *Please note day change Socialize with LAs and ELI friends at Sweetberries! Play games, speak English, and try this Gainesville famous ice cream or get dinner! Take bus 1, 5 or 6. Address: 619 NW 5th Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601 |
Weekend Event
No Weekend Event–Enjoy your Thanksgiving Break!
Other CIP Reminders
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 here!
Please email Elijah 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
Thanksgiving Break: There will be no UF or ELI from November 24th to November 29th. However, the ELI Office will be open on Monday and Tuesday from 9:00am – 4:00pm, but Daryl and Christine will not be in. The office will be closed Wednesday – Friday next week.
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.
Financial Guarantees for Spring: Do you have a scholarship from your country or company to study at the ELI? If you will be continuing your studies in spring, you will need a new financial guarantee letter for the Spring semester. Be sure to request it early. If you need an enrollment letter or if you have any questions, please talk to Min or Megan in the main office.
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.
Last Day of Classes: Wednesday, December 3rd , is the final day of ELI classes this Fall. On Thursday, December 4th, we will have our End of Semester Barbeque and Friday, December 5th is our Commencement Ceremony. Teachers will be submitting final grades and attendance reports at the end of the day on Wednesday, December 3rd. Because all absences December 1st – 3rd still count, you should not miss class these days.
Commencement Info: Our ELI Commencement ceremony will take place at 10am on December 5th in the University Auditorium. All of your teachers and LAs will be at the ELI Commencement and we hope you will be there, too!
Birthdays
| Students | Staff | ||
| Seo Yun Cho | November 22 | Paola Fregonezi | November 27 |
| Gabriel Marin Hernandez | November 29 | ||
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Joke of the Week
Q: What kind of music did the pilgrims listen to?
Plymouth Rock!
From the Editor
Thank you for reading the ELI Weekly this semester!
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