Volume 160, Issue 8-July 13, 2026
The ELI Weekly
Thank you and Congratulations to Tate!
First, we need to congratulate Tate on accepting a position at the UF International Center! Tate will be the UF International Scholars Program (ISP) Advisor. In this role she will help connect UF undergraduate students with international experiences and international students – including ELI students! Instead of supporting and mentoring only our own ELI Language Assistants, Tate will be able to help hundreds of UF undergraduates learn about others in the world.
Did you know that Tate has been part of the ELI family since 2011?!? Over the past 15 years Tate has worn many hats at the ELI, including being a Conversation Partner, Language Assistant, Instructor, the CIP Assistant, and now, of course, our Cultural Immersion Program Coordinator. Even Tate, though, cannot do everything at once! So, in order to serve as the UF ISP Advisor, Tate will need to step away from her role as the CIP Coordinator at the ELI. Tate’s last day in the CIP office will be this Thursday, July 16th. Please be sure to visit her and say thank you one last time in the CIP office before she leaves!!!
Even though Tate will no longer be the CIP Coordinator at the ELI, she will always support the ELI, our students, and our LAs. Most of all, she will always support our vision of creating a world of trust, peace, and international understanding through developing communication and friendships between people of different cultures and languages. In fact, as part of her dedication to this vision, Tate will continue to participate in ELI activities and programs. This summer you will see her at the End of Semester Barbecue on August1st and at our ELI Commencement Ceremony on August 6th.
Please join us in congratulating Tate and thanking her for her commitment to the ELI and creating peace in the world.
Photo of the Week: Fanfares and Fireworks
Weekend Event: Fernandina Beach
Saturday, July 18th – Fernandina Beach – 8:45am to 7:15pm
Explore this charming little town by first spending the afternoon at the beach! Soak up the sun, swim, play volleyball, and more with your ELI friends! Then, head to the small downtown area to explore the “Old Florida” vibes and get food from the restaurants or do shopping in their small boutiques.
Tickets for this trip are 25 dollars, exact cash, from Tate in the CIP office Tuesday through Friday. Your ticket is your signup! If you plan on taking your own car, please make sure to let Tate know!
What to Bring: bathing suit, sunscreen, beach towel, umbrella, sports balls and games you would like to share, snacks or small lunch packed for the beach, a change of clothes, money for an early dinner at the restaurants
Here is the schedule for our trip. Please make sure to follow it. It is subject to change and Tate will let you know if any of the times have to be slightly adjusted that day.
Fernandina Beach Trip Schedule – 7/18
8:45am – Meet at Norman Parking Garage
9:00am – Cars Leave for Fernandina – We will not wait for students past this time!
11:00am – Arrive to Fernandina Main Beach Park (32 N Fletcher Ave, Fernandina Beach, FL 320340).
2:30pm – Change, rinse off, and gather their things to leave.
3:00pm – Leave beach for Twisted Sisters Shop (our meeting point) in Downtown Fernandina Beach (402 Centre St, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034).
GET DINNER DURING THIS TIME
5:00pm – Return to Twisted Sisters meeting point to return to Norman Hall. Do not be late!
7:15pm – Arrive to Norman Parking Garage – Please arrange for a ride home at this time.
- Call Tate at 727-249-6021 if you have any issues or need help finding us.
CIP Weekday Activities
 Monday, July 13th – Coffee Talk at Bakery 1908– 5:30 to 8:00pm *Please note adjusted time for this week! |
| Socialize with LAs and ELI friends at Bakery 1908! Play games, speak English, and try the different coffee and baked goods of this cute bakery! Take bus 1 or 12. The location will change each week. Address: 3102 SW 34th St Ste B, Gainesville, FL 32608 |
 Tuesday, July 14th – Volleyball – 6:30-9:00pmPlay 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 |
 Thursday, July 16th– Gator Salsa – 6:30-9:30pmTake Salsa and Bachata classes for free at Depot Village with ELI friends! Beginner and advanced learners welcome. Finish the evening with a fun open dance and explore this really cool new location! Take bus 1or 5 Address: 404 SE 2nd St, Gainesville, FL 32601 |
Notes from the Office
ELI Commencement Ceremony: The ELI Commencement Ceremony will be held on Thursday, August 6th at 6pm. During the Ceremony, we will announce student awards, recognize the ELI scholarship recipients, and watch a slide show of this semester’s CIP activities. It is a great opportunity to celebrate the end of the semester with your friends, LAs, and teachers. Please plan on attending!
Congratulations, Scholarship Nominees!
Each semester, the ELI awards 2 scholarships. It is very difficult to be nominated for a scholarship! The nominees all worked very hard this semester and achieved the following criteria:
- Full-time C semester student
- Academic Excellence
- Outstanding Progress
- Excellent Attendance and Participation
- Practices English
- Successful Academic Work Strategies
- Intercultural Understanding/ Relationships
- See more about the scholarship here: https://eli.ufl.edu/application-information/scholarship/
Please join us in congratulating these nominees for the ELI scholarship to study in the Fall 2026 semester!
Jiyoon Bae
Valeria Lazo Sicha
Nayeli Llacsa Morales
Harumi Uyejara Bustamante
Julio Uyejara Bustamante
Other CIP Activities
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!
Returning students, you will not automatically be paired again if you had a CP last semester. Please make sure to sign up again here for the Summer semester if you did not request a Summer partner in your end of term evaluation from last semester.
Please email Elijah 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!
The CIP Pineapple is hidden in a new place every Monday in the CIP office.
Stop by and find it for hole punches!
Birthdays!
| Students | Staff | ||
| Matheus De Oliveira Santana | July 14 | None this week! | |
| Monica Loaiza Hurtado | July 18 |
Grammar
Q: Why does English have silent letters? That doesn’t seem fair to people who are learning how to spell in English.
You’re right! English is very hard to spell and takes a lifetime to master. I still make spelling mistakes—in fact, I never write the word rhythm correctly on the first try!
The explanation for why we have so many silent letters has to do with language evolution. The pronunciation of English has evolved throughout the centuries. So, we say some words differently from how they were once pronounced. English spelling, however, does not always reflect these pronunciation changes and remains ‘frozen in time.’ A good example is the word doubt. The b is silent, but it was not always this way. The word doubt, apparently, came from the word double, which does have a ‘b’ sound. Eventually, the sound was dropped from the word doubt, but the spelling did not change.
Joke of the Week
Q: How do soccer players stay cool during the hot weather?
A: They play close to the fans!
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 Megan Forbes (mforbes@eli.ufl.edu) or to your teacher. Please include your name and class on your submission. The deadline for submissions is Friday, July 17th.
Notes from the Editor
| I need all of you, students, LAs, instructors, staff, and administrators, to help me write the Weekly. Write a paragraph about your experiences this semester. You could write about an ELI activity, a Gainesville event, a fabulous local restaurant, or tell us about a place or event in your country that we should visit. Send me grammar questions for me to put in the Weekly. Send me manners and culture questions for me to put in the Weekly. Send me jokes to put in the Weekly. |
Send your paragraphs and/or questions to Jen Ramos (jenramos@ufl.edu) Use the subject heading: ELI Weekly.