The ELI Weekly
Out and About: The Springs!
by Diana Barragan, RW 60
I was very interested to go to the springs because I love manatees, and they sometimes are in the springs in the winter. I was excited to meet my friends there. When we arrived, we put blankets on the ground and had an interesting talk. After that, I bet Tate and my other classmates to come into the water. I was the first one in the water, and the water was really cold!! Finally, everyone came in. The colors were beautiful–the colors were clear blue and you could see the bottom. With goggles on, I dove to the bottom, maybe 6 meters down and touched the spring floor. After that we took pictures and had food. There is a path to walk on. I met some people from Germany. Everything was very enjoyable, and the activity connected us as a group, so I totally recommend this activity. I really want to thank all the staff from the CIP and the LAs. We are having such a good time with you!
CIP Weekday Activities
Weekend Activity
Saturday September 23rd – Gator Football Game – 6:00-10:00pm
See the Gators play American football! You must purchase a ticket to attend this event from Tate in the CIP office. The tickets are almost sold out! The few that are left are now open to be sold to guests. Purchase before 12:30pm with 20 dollars exact cash.
Meet the ELI and LAs at the Reitz Union Subway at 6:00pm so we can gather and enter the stadium together before the game starts. Make sure to have your electronic ticket pulled up and ready on your phone. No bags, purses, or water bottles are allowed in the stadium. Make sure to wear orange and blue and show your team pride!
Other CIP Reminders
Bus Passes for Clearwater Beach Trip on September 30th
See one of Florida’s best beaches famous for its soft sand, clear water, and great restaurants and shops! This is a full day trip with a two-hour bus ride each way. Buy your bus passes starting on 9/18 from Tate in the CIP Office between 9:00am and 12:30pm with 30 dollars exact cash and your Gator1 ID. Bus passes are limited and are sold on a first come, first served basis.
CIP Passport
Don’t forget to get your CIP Passport hole punched from the activity leaders AT the event (not after). We will no longer hole punch passports after the event. 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)
Sign up for a CP here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrco_-3vxQmpyStsHOW0DQcoPfkm5yJYDzOuWLmq3nIaj2wg/viewform
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 or stop by the CIP office to see Will during his office hours.
Notes from the Office
Teacher Workday: There are no classes on Monday, September 25 because it is a teacher workday. Even though there are no classes, the main office will be open.
Addresses: If you move or change your address during the semester, it is very important to update your address with the Main Office. You can fill out a new Student Contact Card, or you can update your address at any time on myELI.
ELI Emergency Cell Phone: The ELI has a special phone number that you can use if you have a medical or legal emergency outside of normal office hours (Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm). The ELI emergency phone number is 352-672-0144. You should store this number in your phone in case you have an emergency.
You should only use this phone number if you have an emergency. For example, if you or another ELI student needs to go to the hospital or gets arrested. Please do not use the emergency number for anything that can wait to be answered by email or when the office is open. If you need the police, fire department, or an ambulance for an extreme emergency, call 911 before you call the ELI emergency number.
Photo of the Week
Birthdays!
Manners & Culture
Q: I don’t understand American football. Can you explain?
A: What a great question! Let’s start with the similarities to soccer. There are eleven players from each team on the field, and each team is trying to move the ball to the opponent’s end of the field (called the end-zone in American football). Also like soccer, the team with the most points at the end of the game wins. Of course, there are also many differences from soccer. As you probably already know, the ball is advanced by holding the ball and running or by throwing it, instead of moving it mostly with your feet in soccer.
One of the more unusual features of football is the time. The game officially has two halves, each made up of two 15-minute quarters, with a 15-minute half-time break between the two halves. However, because of time-outs, commercial breaks, and, unfortunately, injuries, the game usually lasts much longer than one hour and 15 minutes. The average game lasts about 3 hours.
It can also be difficult to understand how the teams are moving on the field. The team with the ball (the offense) has four plays (called downs) to move the ball at least 10 yards (marked by the white lines on the field), towards the opponent’s end-zone. If they move the ball at least 10 yards, they get four more “downs” to try to move it at least another 10 yards. If the ball is carried into the end-zone or thrown to a teammate in the end-zone, it is called a touchdown and the team gets 6 points. After the touchdown, the team can try to kick a field goal through the goal posts for 1 extra point. If the offensive team doesn’t move the ball at least 10 yards in 4 downs, the other team takes the offensive position, gets the ball, and begins to try to reach the opponent’s end-zone from the place they took control of the ball.
The defensive team tries to keep the offense from advancing the ball. They can tackle the player with the ball to stop him. They can take the ball from the other team by intercepting it when they throw it, or they can cause the other team to drop the ball or throw it off the field.
Of course, there are many other rules, but I hope this answer helps you understand the basics of football! Here is a short video that also might help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t6hM5tRlfA
Grammar
Q: How can we use both “know” and “lives” in this sentence: “Did you know that my sister lives in Boston?” I think the two verbs need to match with “did.”
A: The sentence, “Did you know that my sister lives in Boston,” is correct because there are two separate clauses with two separate time references. “Did you know” is written in the past tense because the clause that follows will change that person’s knowledge, meaning the old knowledge will be in the past. The clause, “my sister lives in Boston,” is a fact and so it is in the present tense. Here are some other examples:
- Today, I learned that Gainesville is a tree city.
- Did you know that Florida has a coastline of 1,350 miles or 2,170km.
Notes From the Editor
Come by my office (221 MAT) and help me write the Out and About section! There are so many topics to write about–a fun activity, an interesting place on campus, a club or hobby that you enjoy, or even tell us about a place to visit in your country. Bring a photo of your experience and put it in the Weekly.
Send stories and grammar, manners, or culture questions to Maya Shastri (mshastri@ufl.edu).