University of Florida Homepage
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

English Language Institute

Volume 155, Issue 12-November 18

The ELI Weekly

Scholarship Winners

Congratulations to the recipients of the ELI scholarships for the Spring 2025 semester!

  • Dr. Jayne C. Harder Memorial Scholarship: Fernando Clavel Fuentes
  • Dr. J.C. Casagrande Peace Scholarship: Zennure Agra
  • 1st Runner-up: Suha Almuwayni

 

Out and About: A Tradition from Peru

by Veronica Acosta-Loli, RW 40

Photo credit: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Se%C3%B1or_de_los_Milagros_%28Lima%29#/media/Archivo:Se%C3%B1or_de_los_Milagros.jpg

In Peru, there is a traditional religious procession called “Señor de los Milagros” (Lord of Miracles). This is a painting of Jesus Christ in a Catholic Church “Las Nazarenas,” on the main altar, in Lima. Lima is the capital of Peru. Every October, people go to the downtown main avenues with a copy of the original image. The story tells about  a slave who was taken to Peru from Angola and painted the image in 1651 over a wall. Then, an earthquake happened in Lima that destroyed a lot of buildings and killed thousands of people.  However, the painting on the wall was found without damage.​

Since then, people have been meeting to venerate the image. The people have been increasing every year and the  copy of  Señor de los Milagros” has been taken to main streets and avenues in Lima. Currently, foreign people come to the traditional procession and pray for special miracles. The traditional procession is organized in many countries like Australia, Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, United States, Germany,  Italy, Bolivia, Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador.

CIP Weekday Activities–Last Week of Activities

Featured Event

Thursday,  November 21st  – ELI Thanksgiving Potluck  – 6:30-9:00pm

Celebrate this American holiday with your ELI family! Cook a dish from your country to share for this potluck dinner.  Try traditional American turkey and other Thanksgiving favorites while also trying food from other countries made by your classmates. This is one of our biggest events of the year so feel free to invite friends and family.  Remember to bring your dish and a serving utensil with a card with the name and all the ingredients of your dish.  Don’t forget to take your supplies home with you when you leave. This dinner will be at the Gator Wesley Foundation across the street from Matherly on the 2nd floor above Concord Coffee.

You must sign up to attend, please read the details of the signup:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-53202543-thanksgiving

Address: 1380 W University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32603

Weekend Event

There is no weekend event due to the Thanksgiving break. The next event will be the end of semester BBQ on December 5.

Other CIP Reminders

Conversation Partners (CPs)

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 at this link: https://forms.gle/CZoP2zQ7nxWD4wcA8

Please email Rachel at conversationpartners@eli.ufl.edu for any issues, questions or concerns or visit her in the CIP Office during office hours.

Please respond to your partners if you signed up for one. Many partners have been asking why their ELI partners have not responded to them. If you signed up for a CP and no longer want one, please let Rachel know as soon as possible so we can give your CP a new partner.

CIP Passports

Don’t forget to get your CIP Passport hole punched from the activity leaders at the event (not after).  We do not 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.

Remember the CIP Pineapple is hidden in a new place every Monday in the CIP office.  Stop by and find it for hole punches!

Completed CIP Passports

Congrats to students who completed their CIP Passports!  Thank you for being so involved with the CIP!

  • Sultan Alqahtani
  • Zennure Agra
  • Sam Barjas

Notes from the Office

Thanksgiving Holiday: The ELI main office will be closed and there will be no classes or CIP activities the week of Thanksgiving from November 25-29. Remember, attendance will be taken and classes held as usual on Friday, November 22nd. Attendance is also mandatory the final week of classes, December 2nd – December 6th.

Class photo: We will take a class photo on Wednesday, December 4th at 1:45pm (between Listening/Speaking hours) on the front steps of Tigert Hall.

Charges Due: Every ELI student should log in to ONE.uf.edu and look at the “Campus Finances (Bursar)” tile to see if you owe any fees to the university. For example, you may need to pay for services you received at the Student Health Care Center or printing in a library. If you have a scholarship, it will not pay these charges.

Check your I-20s: If you are traveling during the break (for example, leaving the US and coming back), make sure your I-20 is signed. Also check the expiration date. You can make an appointment with Daryl to sign your I-20 or to renew your I-20 before it expires.

Financial Guarantees for Spring: Dear scholarship students, we hope to see you again in the Spring! This is an early reminder to request your new financial guarantee letter for the Spring semester, if you plan to return. If you need an enrollment letter or if you have any questions, please email Tara  Mace at fiscal@eli.ufl.edu.

Apartment Leases: As the semester draws to a close, keep in mind that your lease might be ending soon. It is important to know the exact date that your apartment lease ends so you can make plans. If you’re not sure when it ends, ask your apartment office.

If you need help finding a hotel to stay in short-term (you should ask your friends first!), someone to take over your lease, or a new apartment, talk to Christine in Matherly 223.

Will you be returning to the ELI next semester?

Remember, you must check in using myELI between January 6th and January 10th, 2025. Even though you completed the Returning Student Survey, you must check in online in January to save your space.  After you check in online, you will be able to get your schedule on Friday, January 17th.  The Welcome Picnic is Saturday, January 18th, and all students must attend classes beginning on Tuesday, January 21st.

Give Thanks at the ELI

November is a common time in the United States to “give thanks” for all the good things in your life. We have two ways to participate in this tradition at the ELI this week.

The ELI is thankful for all of our wonderful students! Who are you thankful for at the ELI?

This month, you can send a Thank You message to anyone at the ELI (teacher, student, administrator, staff member, or LA). We will collect the messages and email them out during Thanksgiving break. You should use English to write your messages – it’s great language practice.
To send a message, use this form: https://forms.gle/PfdRi4iWk8tG2xn36 or scan one of the QR codes in the hallway.

Show your thanks by helping others!

The ELI is participating in the Chop & Chomp food drive to help beat hunger. Bring nonperishable foods (canned foods, unopened jars, cereal, pasta, granola bars, etc.) to the donation bin outside the ELI main office. Find more information and see a list of nonperishable foods here.  Drop off items by Friday, November 22.

International Education Week

International Education Week is November 18 – 22, 2024. UF is hosting many events, like popular Global Cultural Showcase on Monday, November 18, from 11:00am-2:00 pm on the Reitz Union Terrace, and the super-fun Global Trivia Quiz on Friday, November 22, from 11:00am-12:30pm, at Norman Hall, Rosenberg Meeting Rm 2021. The ELI family is welcome to attend many of the UF events. Find more International Education Week events here: https://internationalcenter.ufl.edu/home/about-ufic/international-education-week.

UF School of Music Concert

Friday, November 22, 7:30pm, UF Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

Join the UF School of music for their annual Sounds of the Season concert: Songs of Hope and Joy. The program features the UF Symphony Orchestra, UF Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, Gainesville Master Chorale, and the Latin Grammy award-winning band, Maharajah Flamenco Trio. President Fuchs will narrate Longfellow’s Christmas. More importantly, the ELI’s very own Tara Mace will be performing!

Admission is free, but tickets are required. Advanced tickets only available in-person at the Phillips Center Box Office beginning Monday, November 18 starting at noon. Maximum 4 advance tickets per guest.

Photo of the Week: Fall Festival

Birthdays!

Manners & Culture

Q: What is the meaning of the Thanksgiving Holiday? What do people in the US do on Thanksgiving?

A: Thanksgiving is a day to express our appreciation for all the people in our lives and all the things that we have to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is the universal family holiday in the US, as it doesn’t have specific ties to any one particular religion or belief system.

Here are some of the popular activities for Thanksgiving:

  • Eat a traditional meal with family and friends
  • Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade on TV
  • Take a nap
  • Watch football
  • Run in a race (often called a turkey trot)
  • Shop the Black Friday sales
  • Volunteer at a soup kitchen

Grammar

Q: What’s the difference between “advise” and “advice”?

A: The word advise is a verb and the pronunciation of the “s” is the z-sound. The word advice is a noun and the pronunciation of the “c” is the s-sound.

  • I advise you to go to class every day.
  • My advice is that you go to class every day.

Which word belongs in these sentences?

  • My mother always gives good ________________.
  • Christine ______________ students when they have problems with housing.

Joke of the Week

Why is corn so popular on Thanksgiving?

A: Because it’s a-maize-ing!

Download the ELI Weekly (PDF).