The ELI Weekly
Volume 161, Issue 8 – October 19, 2026
Culture Corner: Why do Koreans Ask Your Age?
By Dahee Won
When I first arrived in the United States, I was confused about my age. Should I give my Korean age or my international age? I had only changed countries, but suddenly I felt younger!
Traditionally, Koreans were one year old at birth and gained a year every January 1. This made their age one or two years higher than their international age. Since 2023, however, South Korea has generally used international age for legal and administrative purposes, counting birthdays just like the United States.
Koreans sometimes ask your age to decide how to address you and speak politely. A woman calls an older female friend “unnie,” while a man calls her “noona.” For an older male friend, a woman uses “oppa,” and a man uses “hyung.” With people we do not know well, we may use “seonsaengnim,” meaning “teacher,” or add “ssi” or “nim” to their names, depending on the situation.
Confused? Next time you see me, practice by calling me “Dahee noona” or “Dahee unnie”—your choice! Just please don’t call me “Grandma Dahee”!
CIP Weekend Activity
Saturday, October 24th – Cabana Beach Pool Party – 1:00-4:00pm
Enjoy the last days of summer weather at the pool! Have lots of fun swimming and playing games in this super large pool at Cabana Beach Apartments. Bring a lunch, sunbathe, and watch something on the big screen TV. Bring a bathing suit, a towel, and dry clothes to wear home. Take bus 20.
No sign-up is required for this activity.
Address: 1601 SW 51st Terrace, Gainesville, FL 32607
CIP Weekday Activities
| Monday, October 19th – Coffee Talk at Mochiry – 4:00-6:30pm | *Note that Coffee Talk starts at 4pm this week* Socialize with LAs and ELI friends at Mochiry! Play games, speak English, and get coffee/tea/donuts, or try a Korean corndog! Take bus 10 or 5. The location will change each week. Address: 3822 Newberry Rd Suite D, Gainesville, FL 32607 |
| Tuesday, October 20th – Volleyball and Basketball – 6:30-9:00pm | Play volleyball or basketball 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 or basketball. The ELI is usually in the volleyball court in the back of the complex next to the basketball court. Make sure to go to phase 2 of the complex! Take bus 35. Address: 3700 SW 27th St, Gainesville, FL 32608 |
| Thursday, October 21st – Thrifting and Germain’s – 4:30-7:00pm | Thrift for fun used clothes and other vintage items at Flashback’s for the first hour of this activity (this is a great place to look for a Halloween costume)! Then go right next door to get Germain’s famously delicious chicken sandwiches! Explore other fun spots in this charming area like the record store. Take bus 15. Address: 220 NW 8th Ave #20, Gainesville, FL 32601 |
CIP Photo of the Week: La Chua Trail
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 for the Fall semester if you did not request a Fall partner in your end of term evaluation from last semester.
Please email Aurora at conversationpartners@eli.ufl.edu for any issues, questions or concerns or visit her 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!
Find the Pineapple! The CIP Pineapple will be hidden in the ELI Main Office this semester! It will be in a new place every Tuesday morning. Stop by and find it for hole punches. The first person to find the pineapple each week will be featured on the CIP board!
Notes from the Office
Instructor Work Day: There will be no ELI classes or Coffee Talk on Monday, October 26th for an instructor work day. The ELI office will still be open from 9am – 3pm.
People Out: Daryl will be out of the office on October 22nd, 23rd, and 26th. If you need to talk to him, plan around those dates. Christine will be out of the office on October 26th.
ELI Class Photo: On Wednesday, October 28th, after Grammar class, we will be taking a group photo of everyone at the ELI at the bronze Gator sculpture outside the Southwest entrance of Matherly Hall. The sculpture is known as Gator Ubiquity Statue (GUS). Your Grammar teachers will walk you over there after class. If it rains, we will take the photo on Tuesday, November 3rd at the same time.
Eduroam Wifi Login: Due to a recent change made in the campus wireless system, all laptops and mobile devices (tablets/phones) that use eduroam to connect to the UF wifi must re-enroll before Friday, December 18 to remain connected to the network.
Re-enrollment is easy and takes only a few minutes, you may re-enroll yourself by following the step-by-step instructions at https://getonline.ufl.edu/. If you need any help getting your phone or computer on the eduroam wifi, talk to Christine during her office hours.
Friends of the Library Book Sale
Friends of the Library hosts a large used book sale each fall and spring. In addition to books, you can find art, comic books, manga, CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, and more. There is no cost to go and look, and most books or media will cost between $0.25 to $4.00
If you want to check it out, here is the schedule and location information:
- Saturday, Oct 24: 9am – 6pm
- Sunday, Oct 25: Noon-6pm
- Monday, Oct 26: Noon-6pm
- Tuesday, Oct 27: Noon-6pm (1/2 price day)
- Wednesday, Oct 28: Noon-6pm (dime day – many things cost $0.10)
- Location: 430-B North Main Street, Gainesville, Florida 32601
- Website: www.folacld.org
Proceeds go to the Alachua County Library District and area literacy programs.
Birthdays!
Students
Raul Perez de Prado Borges – October 19
Faculty/Staff
None this week
Manners & Culture
Q: What should I do when I come to class late? I like to say hi, but my instructor didn’t respond.
A: In US universities, when you come in late and the instructor is already talking, it is common to sit down quietly and listen. After the instructor gives the announcements and instructions, then you can ask a classmate what you missed and apologize to your instructor for being late.
Grammar
Q: What does the word should mean in the following sentence: Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
A: This is a conditional sentence and should is taking the place of the word if.
It is common for people to end an email or other correspondence with this sentence, particularly if they are trying to provide information to the reader.
Note from the Editor: Calling all student authors!
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. Come by my office if you’d like to chat about topics or get help writing.
Send your paragraphs and/or questions to Christine Voigt (christinevoigt@ufl.edu) Use the subject heading: ELI Weekly.