TheELI Weekly
Out and About: La Chua Trail
–by Juan Perez Jimenez
(Photo credit: Juan Perez Jimenez)
If you enjoy being in contact with pristine clean, fresh, beautiful nature and exercise, La Chua Trail is a beautiful destination place to have a good time with your family and friends. The trail is very long like a snake with beautiful wildlife. Thus, you should be in the mood to walk long distances and enjoy different kinds of plants and animals that wetlands and ponds small lakes provide. Be prepared because Florida’s weather changes the trail landscape during each season, so each time that you visit the park is going to be different like different sceneries in a video game. Winter, spring, and fall are pleasurable seasons to enjoy the trail every day, but during summer, the trail’s weather is as hot and humid as a sauna with tons of mosquitos waiting for you. La Chua trail is very special for adventurous people people who like new experiences because it has tons of pathways like a labyrinth maze that connects to different places. Also, it is a hot spot great place to observe and photograph animals like alligators, deer, bison, and birds. So if you are studying or visiting UF, explore the wild side of Gainesville, which starts in La Chua Trail.
CIP Activities
Monday November 16th – Game Night (Zoom) – 6:00-8:00pm
Play fun virtual games with LAs and classmates! This week we will play Code Names!
https://ufl.zoom.us/j/96129662095?pwd=TmdIdmgvWkFIekhBc0FwdFdOeW9NZz09
- Meeting ID: 961 2966 2095
- Passcode: gamenight
Tuesday November 17th – Plaza Hangout (In-Person) – 5:15-7:15pm
Come hang out on campus with friends and play games and socialize.
Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-plaza8
- You MUST sign up, have attended the CIP overview or met with Tate, and be campus cleared to attend this activity
- At this activity, you must wear a mask and stay 6 feet apart
- Please see signup link for more details
Wednesday November 18th– Coffee and Culture Talk (Zoom)—6-8pm
Join us this week for our Autumn Seasons around the World discussion theme!
https://ufl.zoom.us/j/99582032927?pwd=UlFOQ1pjaiswa3huUk41cnBuMEFiQT09
- Meeting ID: 995 8203 2927
- Passcode: 926123
Thursday November 19th– Movie Night (Zoom) – 6 – 9pm
Come vote on a movie and watch it with LAs and ELI friends as we chat in the chatbox! Stick around for a fun discussion afterward! Movie choices this week are The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Moneyball, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone!
https://ufl.zoom.us/j/92962712031?pwd=dnZhVnh5WTJxWE5FNGZaRndyOFN0UT09
- Meeting ID: 929 6271 2031
- Passcode: movienight
Saturday November 21st– Virtual Thanksgiving Potluck (Zoom) – 5:00-7:00pm
Come celebrate an American tradition (and ELI tradition) of sharing a feast before the holidays! Though we can’t share our food, we can still cook and have dinner together on Zoom, talk about what we made, share what we are grateful for, and do other fun Thanksgiving activities like making a gratitude craft and playing games! All are welcome!
https://ufl.zoom.us/j/96965960269?pwd=RkJ2T01ZN0tldlhuV0Z2cUc1QTNJQT09
- Meeting ID: 969 6596 0269
- Passcode: 456056
It is International Education Week! Join us in a week of celebrating cultures with these fun themed days!
- Monday 11/16: Make your Zoom background your country flag!
- Tuesday 11/17: Make your Zoom background a picture of your home city.
- Wednesday 11/18: Dress up as or make your Zoom background a photo of someone who made positive change in your country! (inventor, human rights figure, artist, etc.)
- Thursday 11/19: Make your Zoom background a picture of a famous landmark in your country.
- Friday 11/20: Make your Zoom background a picture of yourself in a different country than your own.
Notes from the Office
Thanksgiving Holiday:
Thursday, November 26th is Thanksgiving. There will be no ELI classes and the ELI Main Office will be closed on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (Nov. 25-27). Please remember that classes will meet as normal on Monday and Tuesday (Nov. 23rdand 24th).
Student Voices:
See your writing in print! Write a poem, a story, a paragraph, or an essay. All types of submissions are welcome. The deadline to submit to The ELI Student Voices has been extended to November 24th. Email your writing to clarklhr@ufl.edu. Please remember to include your class, name, and title for the piece.
Your I-20:
Make sure your I-20 does not expire on December 16th if you will study at the ELI after this Fall semester. Contact Daryl (StudyEnglish@eli.ufl.edu) if you need to extend your I-20. Also, if you are traveling with your ELI I-20, make sure your I-20 is not expired and that Daryl signed the travel authorization on page 2. Please contact Daryl if you want to make sure your I-20 is good for travel.
Financial guarantee for scholarship students:
Most financial guarantees expire by December 11th, 2020, which means that you will need to submit a new letter by the tuition deadline of January 20th for the Spring C semester to avoid owing a late fee or missing classes. If you have any questions, please email Jennifer Vann at jvann@eli.ufl.edu.
Birthdays!
There are no birthdays this week.
Grammar
Q: How can I use due to? I thought due to meant the same as because, but somehow I always get it wrong.
A: Sometime the meaning can be the same, but the grammar is different. This is the case with due to and because. In fact, you can use due to just like you use because of, and then the meaning AND the grammar will be the same. Here are some examples:
When you use because by itself, you need to create a clause (subject + verb):
- Because the weather is stormy, we have cancelled the soccer game.
When you use due to (or because of), you only need a noun or noun phrase:
- Due to the weather, we have cancelled the soccer game.
- Because of the hurricane, we have cancelled the soccer game.
These sentences confuse the two grammar rules:
- Because of the weather is stormy, we have cancelled the soccer game.
- Due to the weather is stormy, we have cancelled the soccer game.
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