The ELI Weekly
Where in the World?
This semester, the ELI has 63 students from more than 21 different places. You can learn a lot about the world from your classmates! Some students are from more than one country. If you call more than one place home, let us know and we will add it to the list!
What is one interesting fact about your country that you would like to share?
| Angola | Guatemala | Saudi Arabia |
| Argentina | Haiti | Spain |
| Bolivia | South Korea | Taiwan |
| Brazil | Madagascar | Turkey |
| Chile | Mexico | United States of America |
| China | Panama | Venezuela |
| Colombia | Peru | Viet Nam |
Weekend Event
Saturday September 13th – Rainbow Springs State Park– 8:30am – 1:30pm
Join us at the beautiful Rainbow Springs State Park for swimming, and sunbathing with ELI friends! The fresh, blue spring water is perfect for swimming on a sunny day. Make sure you wear a swimsuit/clothes to swim in, sunscreen, water, and something to eat for lunch or some money to spend at the cafe! It is ESSENTIAL you arrive on time or early to Norman Parking Garage. We must arrive to the park before it hits capacity. The cost is 2 dollars to enter.
You must sign up to attend this event: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-58377632-rainbow
Selling Tickets for the 9/20 Clearwater Beach Trip
Spend a day at one of the most famous beaches in Florida! With super soft sand, warm and clear water, amazing shops and restaurants, AND a spectacular sunset, you won’t want to miss this full-day trip on September 20th!
Spaces for transportation are limited, so make sure to buy your ticket early! Tickets are now for sale until they are sold out for 30 dollars exact cash from Tate in the CIP office. You can buy tickets Monday through Thursday between 9am and 1:30pm.
CIP Weekday Activities
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Monday, September 8th – Coffee Talk – 6:30-9:00pm |
| Socialize with LAs and ELI friends at the Curia on the Drag! Play games, speak English, and drink a coffee or get dinner at the food truck in the area! Take bus 6.
This semester, the location will change each week. Address: 2029 NW 6th St, Gainesville, FL 32609 |
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Tuesday, September 9th – 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, September 10th – Soccer – 6:30 – 9:30pm |
| 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, September 11th – Museum Nights at the Harn: Noche de Museo – 6:00 – 9:00pm |
| Visit the Harn Museum and see what fun activities they have planned for Museum Nights! The theme is Noche de Museo and there will be free salsa lessons, arts and crafts, and Latin American art exhibits! Meet in the lobby of the Harn Museum of Art on Campus. Take bus 20.
Address: 3259 Hull Rd, Gainesville, FL 32608 |
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Friday, September 12th – Reitz Game Room – 6:30 – 9:00pm |
| 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 |
CIP Photo of the Week: Game Room
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
Class Attendance: Your attendance is important. Your teachers are taking note of both your absences and your tardies in every class every day. Please remember that this also includes time spent in the hallway instead of the classroom.
Lost and Found: Have you lost your car keys, student ID card, driver’s license, wallet, or some other important item? Many times, when people find an item, they bring it to the office for safe keeping. When you lose something, please come by the ELI Main Office (MAT223) and see if it is in the lost and found.
Hallways: Many UF faculty and staff have offices in classroom buildings, just like Matherly Hall. Please remember to speak softly in the buildings. Please do not block the hallways or staircases by sitting in them
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Here are a few safety reminders for staying safe on campus:
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- Personal belongings: Do not leave backpacks, computers, phones or other personal belongings in the classrooms or hallways when you are not there. Also, if you use a mobility device like a bike, electric scooter, or skateboard, you should lock it outside at one of the racks. Take the time to register your property with UFPD, especially your mobility devices.
- ELI Emergency Cell Phone and 911: The ELI has a special phone number that you can use if you have a medical or legal emergency outside of normal office hours. The ELI emergency phone number is 352-672-0144 that is available from 4:30pm-8:00am when the ELI office is closed. You should store this number in your phone in case you have an emergency. An example of an emergency is if an ELI student needs to go to the hospital or gets arrested. Please do not use the emergency number for anything that can wait to be answered by email or when the office is open. If you need the police, fire department, or an ambulance for an extreme emergency, call 911 before you call the ELI emergency number.
Birthdays
| Students | Staff | ||
| Fabiola Comenares Bermudez | Sept. 8 | None this week | |
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Happy Birthday!
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Grammar
Q: Why does English use so many confusing prepositions? For example, ‘on a street’ but ‘in a city’ or ‘in a car’ but ‘on a bus’ or ‘in the morning’ but ‘at night.’ Isn’t it hard for people to learn?
Yes! It is indeed hard for people to learn all the prepositions in English. It can take a long time to get them all right. Fortunately, people will usually understand you even if your prepositions are less than perfect!
Why English has so many prepositions is a little more complicated to answer. It has to do with the way English changed over time. Prepositions evolved to help show relationships between things in a concise way. So, yes, all these prepositions are confusing, but they allow us to add a lot of meaning using these short little words.
By the way, you can say ‘in the night’ but it means something a little different from ‘at night’:
“Owls hunt at night.” → This is a general time reference
“I woke up suddenly when I heard a loud crash in the night.” → This happened at a particular point within the night.
Joke of the Week
Q: Why don’t alligators wear flipflops?
A: They prefer crocs!
ELI Alumni News
Jeftey Saint Fleur Chosen as 2025 NAAEE CEE-Change Fellow
ELI alum, Jeftey Saint Fleur, is one of 30 educators selected by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) as part of the 2025 CEE-Change Fellowship.
Jeftey’s project, entitled Green Bridges, contributes to a more sustainable future by empowering students and local communities to engage in hands-on environmental stewardship while building stronger connections between civic action and ecological responsibility. “The CEE-Change Fellowship matters to my work because it helps me inspire youth to see themselves as changemakers capable of creating a sustainable future,” says Jeftey.
Besides academic work, Jeftey enjoys playing and watching soccer, and spending time with his family.
Click here to see Jeftey’s poster project, which gives an overview of his Green Bridges project for ELI students.
From the Editor
Would you like your writing to be published in the ELI Weekly?
Send your paragraphs and/or questions to Jen Ramos (jenramos@ufl.edu) Use the subject heading: ELI Weekly.
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