The ELI Weekly
Out and About: Must See Places in Venezuela
by Mariana Alfonzo, RW51
There are many places in Venezuela to visit, but two of the most beautiful places are Los Roques and Canaima. Los Roques has the most beautiful beaches. Without a doubt, there is nothing better than waking up early in the morning and buying some empanadas with, chicken, meat, cheese or whatever you want. Going by boat to any key and enjoying the clear water along with the almost white sand makes Los Roques a paradise. Lastly, going with you friends or family and enjoying the music you put on while you dance and talk is something essential that will make you trip much better.
Another incredible place that you can visit in Venezuela is Canaima, it is a national park located in the state of Bolívar, specifically the Canaima lagoon. The Canaima lagoon can be navigated in canoes to get closer to its waterfalls. The water attracts the most attention because it is completely reddish, due to the large amount of minerals it contains. Likewise, the sand has a soft pink color, because of quartz. Finally, you can make excursions from Canaima. The excursions can be done by air, in a small plane, or sailing up the Carrao River and then through the Churún. It is a long ride of 3 hours and a half of navigation and then a walk of one hour that takes one to the very foot of Angel Falls, but one that one will enjoy from the beginning to the end.
CIP Weekday Activities
Sign up for all activities here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-student29
Talent Show Performer Announcement
Performers, please be at the University Auditorium for a dress rehearsal before the show on March 24th at 4:00pm OR when your class ends.
Sundy April 3 – Saint Augustine Beach and Town Bus Trip
TICKETS ON SALE!
Want to come see the beautiful beach and town of Saint Augustine, one of the oldest cities in the United States? Tickets for the bus are now on sale. Get them quick before they sell out! Tickets are 20 dollars exact cash and can be bought from Tate in Matherly 211 between 9am and 12:30pm. Please also bring your Gator1 ID.
US Federal Tax Forms for International Students
Taxes are due on April 18th this year. Taxes are filed for the previous calendar year, which in this case is 2021. If you didn’t earn money in the U.S. in 2021, you won’t owe taxes; however, if you were an international student in a U.S. school in 2021, you must file Form 8843 (opens in new tab) for you and your dependents whether you worked at a campus job in 2021 or not.
As a UF ELI student you can use a free non-immigrant tax filing program called Sprintax to file tax form 8843. Daryl Bish emailed you how to access Sprintax. Contact him at studyenglish@eli.ufl.edu (opens in new tab) or make an appointment to talk with in 223 Matherly Hall if you did not receive information about Sprintax. You must access Sprintax through a secure portal, and you must use your Gatorlink information to enter the program.
If you do not use Sprintax, you can print Form 8843 (opens in new tab), complete and sign it, and mail it to the government. You can access form 8843 here: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8843.pdf (opens in new tab). Fill out the information under Part I and Part III. In 9 and 10, you need to include the information about the academic institution that you attended in 2021. You can find the address and phone number for the ELI at www.eli.ufl.edu (opens in new tab). The name of the director of the ELI is Megan Forbes.
Mail your completed form to this address:
Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
Austin, TX 73301
If you had on campus employment in 2021, you will receive a form reporting your income and tax withholdings called a W-2. Because you earned taxable and reportable income and must submit a federal tax return to file your W-2. You also must file form 8843. Sprintax can help you do both.
The ELI is not permitted to assist any student with any IRS tax form preparation or give tax advice, but if you have questions about the above information, please contact Daryl Bish.
Santa Fe Information Session
Student Voices
We love to see our students’ writing. Every semester, we take your writing and publish it in Student Voices. Past submissions have included paragraphs, essays, creative stories, recipes, letters, obituaries, poetry, creative stories, class projects, and other interesting works on a variety of topics. I 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 Olga (omoody@ufl.edu) or to your teacher. Please include your name and class on your submission. The deadline for submissions is Friday, April 8th.
Manners & Culture
Q: Why do Americans say “excuse me” when they pass by you in the store?
A: It is a way to be polite and maybe to give notice that they are going to pass by you. Also, saying “excuse me” is a much nicer way to say get out of the way. Typically, the usual response is “I’m sorry.”
Q: Why do Americans care a lot about punctuality?
A: Many Americans place a lot of significance on time. When they make an appointment, they find it important to be on time. It is a show of respect. If you are late, you are saying that your time is more important than their time.
Q: Why do the bathroom doors in America have a gap? No
privacy!
A: I have no idea. Most Americans don’t realize that this is unusual compared to other places.
Grammar
Q: What’s the difference between to people and for people?
A: It depends on the context. ‘To’ can mean that it’s going towards someone. ‘For’ can mean that it’s being done as a favor. Here are some examples. Can you tell what the difference is?
- David threw the ball to Scott.
- David threw the ball for Scott.
- I’m donating this money to the organization.
- I’m donating the money for the organization.
Birthdays!
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Notes from the Editor
I would love to see some stories about interesting places in your country! Tell us about a place that we must see if we visit your country. This might be a museum, historical place, religious place, park etc. Send stories and a photo of the place to Maya (mshastri@ufl.edu) and use the subject line ‘ELI Weekly’.