The ELI Weekly
Out and About: The Perfect Place for You
by Heidi (Hyerim) Yu, Daniela Alarcon Guzman, Salem Boresli, RW30
Gainesville is a wonderful place where you can do everything with your family and friends. Gainesville has variety of restaurants so that all people feel like they are in their city, some of them serve Mexican food (El Indio), Asian food (Sensei Asian Bistro), Latin food (Las Americas Bakery), etc. Also, it is a city that has different nature parks. For example, the Butterfly rainforest, Sweetwater Wetlands Park, Depot Park and others. You can relax or walk in nature. Finally, you can visit the UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA. This place is a huge campus and has a great stadium. If you like football, it will be good choice for you. also, you can study and get a college degree. In conclusion, you can do whatever you want in Gainesville.
CIP Weekday Activities
Weekend Event
February 25th – Busch Gardens Trip – 8:15am to 9:30pm
You won’t want to miss the amazing rollercoasters, zoo animals, shows and more that Busch Gardens has to offer! You can still buy bus tickets from Tate this week. Make sure to purchase your Busch Gardens Ticket online. CIP Office staff can show you how! Busch Gardens Tickets are currently on sale online for 108 dollars plus taxes and fees (125 total) and an unlimited pass for the whole year is only 28 dollars additional. Buy your bus and Busch Gardens tickets early before the prices change! Remember to bring extra spending money for food or pack your own meals.
Please see the bus schedule.
Other CIP Reminders
CIP Passports
Don’t forget to get your CIP Passport hole punched from the activity leaders AT the event (not after). Redeem your completed passport for a small gift and photo for the ELI Instagram! Remember the CIP Pineapple is hidden in a new place every Monday in the CIP office. Stop by and find it for hole punches!
Conversation Partners (CPs)
Want to make a friend and speak English? Sign up for a conversation partner! Wait two weeks to be paired and then meet your new partner for one hour a week to practice conversation and make a friend! If you are a returning student and still want a CP, you should still sign up here, even if you had a partner last semester.
Sign up for a CP here: https://forms.gle/8nDmxEbrzaSP92Cj8
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.
Notes from the Office
Check your I-20s: Spring Break is right around the corner. If you plan on leaving the country, you will need to have your I-20 signed. Talk to Daryl if you have any questions.
People Out: Christine is out of the office from February 23-24, and Daryl is out on February 24. Please plan around these dates if you need to talk to them.
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 14th .
What makes scents?
In the US it makes sense to be aware of your scents! Culturally, many people in the US expect themselves and others to be almost scent-free. This means they avoid wearing a lot of perfume or strong cologne or aftershave. Some people have allergic reactions if they are around strong fragrances. Many people in the US will shower daily (sometimes more than once a day!) and wash their clothes frequently to try to be scent-free. This is especially true in Florida when the summers become very hot and humid and clothing quickly becomes sweaty and stinky. Some people in the US will react negatively if they find your scents to be more powerful than they are used to, especially in small spaces like classrooms, offices, cars, and buses. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if your scents are too strong. For example, if you wear the same perfume every day, soon you will barely notice it yourself, even though to others it may be too much. How do you know if your scents make sense? Ask a friend to help you with the sniff test! You can ask… Is my perfume too strong for you? Do you think my cologne is too powerful? Do I need to put this shirt in the laundry before I wear it again? If you follow these tips, you will make sense by not creating scents!!
PS If you aren’t sure how to use the washer and dryer or laundromat at your apartment, you can always ask the management for help or look up one of the many YouTube videos on doing laundry.
Photo of the Week
Manners & Culture
Q: Sometimes when I say, “thank you,” Americans say, “uh huh.” Isn’t this rude?
A: This response is not meant to be rude. Americans use this when the favor seems so small (or part of their job) that it was not necessary to thank them in the first place. Imagine that “uh huh” has the same meaning as “no problem.”
Example 1: In the grocery store, the cashier gives you change:
- You: Thank you.
- Cashier: Uh huh! (No problem. This is part of my job. There is no need to thank me.)
Example 2: You drop your book and your friend picks it up.
- You: Thank you.
- Your friend: Uh huh! (No problem. This was a small favor. There is no need to thank me.)
Of course, it is still correct to say ‘you are welcome’ in both examples!
Here is video that helps explain the American ‘uh huh.’
Birthdays!
Students:
- Chae Yeon Kang 2/24
- Salem Boresli 2/24
Staff:
- Olga Moody 2/25
Notes from the Editor
- I hope to hear from you soon. I need your grammar, manners, and culture questions to answer in the ELI Weekly
- Have you hunted for sharks’ teeth in the Gainesville creeks? Have you discovered real Florida food? Send me your stories to share with the ELI community!
- Do you know about a must-see place in your country? Tell us all about it in the Weekly!
- Send questions and stories to Maya (mshastri@ufl.edu)