The ELI Weekly
The Weekly Newsletter of
the English Language Institute
Volume 145, Issue 5
June 16, 2021
Summer Break
Relax! Enjoy!
This coming weekend, Saturday, June 19th , there is no scheduled ELI activity. Next week, June 21st to June 25th, there are no ELI classes since it is Summer Break. If you do not have any plans for Summer Break yet, we have some suggestions for you. It’s probably going to be very, very hot, so we recommend that you try to stay cool.
Try the local restaurants:
- Boca Fiesta (Mexican inspired food)
- Reggae Shack Café (Jamaican food)
- Mark’s Prime (fancy food)
- Satchel’s Pizza (local pizza!)
Visit the local museums:
- Florida Museum of Natural History
- Harn Museum of Art
- Cade Museum
Do something unique to Gainesville:
- Paint the 34th Street Wall
- Ride your bike on the Gainesville Hawthorne Trail
If you want to brave the heat, you can:
- Go tubing at Ginnie Springs
- Visit Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo
- Visit Kanapaha Botanical Gardens
- Visit other places on the UF campus
You can also visit Miami, Atlanta, Savannah, Orlando, Tampa and many other cities within no more than a 5-hour drive. If you’re planning on renting a car, be sure to call all of the companies in town to check on the available rates—also note that most require drivers to be 25 or older.
Reminders:
- Missing any classes on the Friday before Summer Break or the Monday after does count toward total absences.
Get your I-20s signed if you plan on leaving the country–Canada, Mexico, anything involving the Caribbean, and your home countries all require a signed I-20 and your passport.
The Next Weekend Activity
Our next weekend activity will be our Midterm Activity, which is also our B-Term Welcome Activity, on Saturday, June 26th. 12-2pm
Come meet new ELI students and familiar faces too! Spend time in plaza socializing and playing games!
You must sign up on the weekly activity signup to attend this activity.
You must be campus cleared to attend and remain 6 feet apart from others.
Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-midterm13
The Weekday Activities
Monday June 14th – Reitz Hangout – 6:00-8:00pm
Come play board games, speak English, and socialize with ELI friends! You can also get dinner at the Reitz restaurants and bring it outside!
You must sign up on the weekly activity signup to attend this activity.
You must be campus cleared to attend and remain 6 feet apart from others.
Tuesday June 15th – Soccer – 6:30 – 8:30pm
Come play Soccer on campus at Flavet Field! No experience necessary!
You must sign up on the weekly activity signup to attend this activity.
You must be campus cleared to attend and remain 6 feet apart from others.
Wednesday June 16th – Movie Night (Zoom) – 6:30 – 9:00 pm
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 Remember the Titans, Red Tails, and Soul. Come out and vote for the one you want!
https://ufl.zoom.us/j/92246818257?pwd=Qk1EUlNjOEZmczZxUE51RTZETk5UUT09
Meeting ID: 922 4681 8257
Passcode: movienight
Thursday June 17th – Rotating Thursdays: Thomas Center Juneteenth Art Exhibit – 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Explore the beautiful, historic, Thomas Center near downtown and see their open house art exhibit in honor of Juneteenth this month, celebrating local black artists like Alyne Harris. Juneteenth, or Freedom Day, is a holiday celebrating and remembering the day when enslaved people in the United States were emancipated, or freed. Today, we celebrate black voices, culture, art, and history! See the amazing art then walk to downtown to get some food or drink, and share about black culture and art in the US and your country downtown! Bring spending money IF you would like get food from downtown. Please be on time for this event. Meet outside the main entrance of the Thomas Center. Take bus 5 then walk ten minutes.
You must sign up on the weekly activity signup to attend this activity.
You must be campus cleared to attend and remain 6 feet apart from others. If you choose to enter inside a business, they may ask you to wear a mask.
Sign up for all activities this week here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-student3
Conversation Partners
Want to meet with an English speaker every week to practice English and make a friend? Sign up for a conversation partner! You can sign up by filling out this form! https://forms.gle/suiDzLXrcb9msMcE8
Remember, if you sign up, you must meet your partner at least once a week and respond to their messages. Email conversationpartners@eli.ufl.edu if you have any questions or problems.
Reminders from the Office
COVID-19 Update: Non-vaccinated students, remember to do the weekly COVID-19 screening by 3pm on Monday, June 14 with this link: https://uf.tfaforms.net/440. You are not required to do a saliva test this week. Your next test must be between June 21 and 24.
If you want to get the vaccine on campus, please make an appointment through ONE.uf and notify Victoria at vcshelly@ufl.edu. The vaccine is free. Once you get the vaccine and notify Victoria, you are not required to do the screening every week and testing every two weeks.
Please email Victoria with any questions!
New Students: The Summer B Term will begin soon, and new students are arriving in Gainesville during Summer Break. Come meet the new ELI students at the midterm welcome activity on June 26th and be sure to make them feel welcome when you see them in your classes, at activities, and in the hallways!
Student Voices
Just another reminder! At the ELI, we love to read your writing. Do you want to share your writing with the ELI? The ELI Student Voices is a great opportunity!
Every semester, the ELI publishes a collection of student writing. You can send a piece of your writing to be published for everyone to read. You can send paragraphs, essays, stories, recipes, poetry, and even photos. For inspiration, you can find previous editions of The ELI Student Voices on the ELI website.
To submit your writing, please email Thomas Dolce at tomdolce@ufl.edu. Please include your name and class. The last day to submit a piece of writing is July 16th. We can’t wait to read your writing!
Birthdays
The following are ELI birthdays from June 16 to 30:
Students:
June 20: Adrian Bigott Garcia
June 21: Rodrigo Sebastian Viruez Vargas
Staff:
June 28: William Speer
Enjoy your birthdays!
Manners and Culture
Q: Is it safe to drink water from the water fountain?
A: Yes, if they are touchless. The US federal government passed the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974. This act makes sure that the water that comes out of the tap, including the faucets in your apartments, is safe to drink. In fact, tap water in the US is so tightly regulated that many studies have shown that it’s cleaner than bottled water. If you must physically touch a water fountain to turn it on, though, the CDC recommends washing your hands well afterwards to avoid transmitting COVID-19.
Grammar
Q: What’s the difference between be used to and get used to?
A: Be used to means that you are already comfortable with that thing. Get used to means that you’re in the process of getting comfortable with it. Here are some examples:
- I’m used to hot weather since I’ve lived in Florida my whole life.
- The students are getting used to the daily rain showers.
Quote of the Week
Good friends, good books, and sleepy conscience; this is the ideal life.
–Mark Twain
You can view the Weekly as a PDF here: SS2105