The ELI Weekly

Out and About: Haunted House on Campus

by Matt Goode, Instructor

One popular Halloween activity is visiting haunted houses. In spite of the name, these destinations do not usually contain real ghosts and are not typically located in actual houses. Rather, a Halloween haunted house consists of frightening decorations, creepy sounds, special effects, and costumed actors. Visitors who love a good fright walk through the haunted houses while the performers try to scare them.

Some of the most famous haunted houses are located at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights; however, this attraction is located in Orlando and costs over $80. If you’re interested in visiting a haunted house that’s not so far away and costs a lot less, you may be interested in the Haunted Thomas event on the UF campus. This haunted house is organized by UF students and is held in the tunnels under Thomas Hall. Lore Morgan, a former ELI language assistant, is a member of the Haunted Thomas organization and says that, in addition to the haunted house, there will be “fun games, activities, delicious food, and a costume contest!”

• When: Wednesday, October 25, 6 to 9pm
• Where: Murphree Hall Courtyard (about a 5 minute walk west from Matherly; check campusmap.ufl.edu)
• Cost: FREE

CIP Weekday Activities

Weekend Activity

Saturday October 21^st   – Midterm Welcome Picnic – 12:00pm – 2:45pm

Come meet ELI friends, teachers, and LAs and greet our new B-term students! Play games and socialize with old and new friends. Lunch provided!  Meet outside Norman Hall.  Make sure to sign up so there is enough food for everyone.

Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-45098985-midterm

Other CIP Reminders

CIP Passports: 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!

Passport Winners in the Weekly: We would like to recognize the passport winners in the Weekly. Please let Tate know when you win if you do not want to have your name in the Weekly.

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.

Fall 2023 recipient of the Dr. Valentina Komaniecka Memorial Scholarship

Congratulations to Youssef Zakhia Dahdah from Venezuela! Youssef is the Fall 2023 recipient of the Dr. Valentina Komaniecka Memorial Scholarship. Here is his inspiring message to the ELI:

I stand before you today, not just as a student, but as someone who understands the challenges and the dreams that come with the pursuit of education. I am incredibly grateful to announce that I have been awarded my second scholarship in the ELI.

Getting a scholarship, not once, but twice, has been a journey of dedication, resilience, and passion. But I want you all to know, every single one of you has the potential to achieve this and so much more. It’s not about being perfect, but about persevering. It’s about believing in yourself, even on the days when it seems impossible.

To all the new students, I want to say: welcome. This is the beginning of a new chapter, and you have the pen to write your own story. Embrace every opportunity, seek help when needed, and never let failures hold you back. They are just stepping stones to success.

Let my journey be a testament to what’s possible when you believe in yourself and work hard. If I can do it, so can you. Let’s make our dreams a reality, together.

Notes from the Office

Apartment Maintenance: If something breaks or isn’t working correctly in your apartment, you should contact your apartment to fix it. In Florida, you will not pay for most maintenance or repairs. For example, if the sink in your kitchen is leaking or if your air conditioner stops working, then you should follow the steps to send a maintenance request immediately. If you are not sure how to do this, please ask in your apartment office.

If something breaks in your apartment and you do not make a maintenance request, you could be charged for the repairs when you move out. Also, the apartment could charge you for some repairs if you caused the damage. For example, if you have a big party and your friends break the window or if you do not use your washer/dryer correctly and it breaks, then you might need to pay for the repairs.

If you are not sure how to ask for apartment maintenance or you have questions, Christine can help you.

English Conversation Club: Are you interested in getting more practice for your English speaking outside of class? Would you like to learn more about different cultures around the world? If you said yes, we are planning to start an English Conversation Club that will meet on Friday afternoons starting in November. The club will talk together about different topics, share our cultures, and work virtually with other English language students at a university in Egypt. If you are interested in joining or you want more information, please email Christine at christinevoigt@ufl.edu.

“Shmishing” Text Scam: Some of our students have recently received scam texts about package deliveries. The US Postal Service has warned that the scam message looks like the picture below. It is very important that if you receive one of these messages, do not click the link and do not tell enter your personal information! If you receive a suspicious message or you are not sure if the text is real, please come talk to Christine before you respond.

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 Moody (omoody@ufl.edu) or to your teacher. Please include your name and class on your submission. The deadline for submissions is Friday, November 3.

Photo of the Week

Birthdays

Manners & Culture

Q: How can I politely get a server’s attention in a restaurant?

A: You should get the server’s attention by making eye contact with a nod or raising a hand.

Q: At the restaurant, when I get my bill, can I I leave the money and tip on the table and leave, or do I need to wait for the waiter?

A: It is always safer to hand the money directly to the server.

Q: If a restaurant makes a mistake on my order, what should I do?

A: If a restaurant makes a mistake on your order, tell your server immediately. For example, if the server is putting a burger and fries in front of you (and you ordered fried chicken), then you should immediately say, “I’m sorry. That’s not my order. I ordered the fried chicken.” If they made a mistake on your bill, show it to the server immediately and explain what is wrong, “I think you charged me for the jumbo combo, but I only ordered the sandwich.”

Grammar

Q: I don’t know when to use articles. When do I use a/an, the, or nothing?

A: The most important question is whether it’s singular or plural. Singular count nouns MUST have an article. There are exceptions, but generally this is true. Then you have to decide whether it’s a specific noun or a general noun, and who knows the information. There are more specific guidelines but these rules are a good foundation to go on. What article do you think should go in the
following examples?

• I want to eat ___ apple.
• The girl is wearing __ scary costume.
• Let’s go see ___ movie you suggested.

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).

Download the ELI Weekly (PDF).