The ELI Weekly
Summer Break
Relax! Enjoy!
This coming weekend, Saturday, June 23rd , there is no scheduled ELI activity. Next week, June 24th to June 28th, 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)
- Top Hog (Barbecue)
- 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:
- 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, Tuesday, and Wednesday 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 Picnic, which is also our B-Term Welcome Picnic, on Saturday, June 29th, from 12-2pm. Come meet new ELI students and familiar faces too! Spend time on Norman Lawn socializing and playing games! Free food!
You will need to sign up for this activity as a C-Term student so that we will know how much food to order:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA9A823A02-midterm4
The Weekday Activities
Monday, June 17th – Coffee Talk – NEW LOCATION 6:30 – 9:00pm
Socialize with LAs and ELI friends at the Panera Bread on Archer Road! Play games, speak English, and drink a coffee or get dinner at the restaurants nearby! Take bus 34 or 12.
Address: 3443 SW Archer Rd Suite 1A, Gainesville, FL 32608
Tuesday, June 18th– Juneteenth Celebration – 6:00 – 8:00pm
Celebrate Juneteenth and freedom for all! Enjoy arts and crafts, food trucks, the crowning of Mr. and Ms. Juneteenth, and a gospel extravaganza! Meet outside Santa Fe Blount Hall on University Avenue. Take bus 5 or walk from campus! Bring some spending money for food if you’d like.
Address: 503 W University Ave, Gainesville, FL, 32601
Wednesday June 19th – No Activity – Juneteenth Holiday
Thursday, June 20th – Soccer – 6:30 – 9:00pm
Come play Soccer on campus at Flavet Field on campus! No experience necessary!
Address: Woodlawn Dr, Gainesville, FL 32603
Friday, June 21st– Reitz Game Room – 6:30 – 9:00pm
Hang out with friends in the Reitz Game Room! You can go bowling, play pool, and play board games! Bring your Gator1 ID for cheaper rates.
Address: 655 Reitz Union Drive, Gainesville, FL 32611
CIP Photo of the week
Here’s a great photo from last weekend’s Volunteer Day Activity.
Conversation Partners
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/nSD5at6r7nowjvq89
Please email Rachel at conversationpartners@eli.ufl.edu for any issues, questions or concerns or visit him in the CIP Office during office hours.
Other CIP Reminders
Don’t forget to get your CIP Passport hole punched from the activity leaders AT the event (not after). We don’t 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!
Reminders from the Office
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 29th and be sure to make them feel welcome when you see them in your classes, at activities, and in the hallways!
July 4th Holiday: Thursday, July 4th is US Independence Day. On this day, there will be no ELI Classes, and the ELI office and the university are closed. Also, there will be reduced RTS Bus service. You can check the schedules at go-RTS.com.
July 5th Teacher Workday: Friday, July 5th is an ELI Teacher Workday. There will be no ELI classes and the ELI Office will be closed.
Bike & Scooter Theft: Gainesville is a very safe place, but it is still common for people to steal things, especially bikes and scooters. If you ride your bike to campus, make sure you use a high-quality lock, such as a U-lock, to secure it at the bike racks. For students with an e-scooter, you can ask your teacher to let you bring it into the classroom. If you experience a theft, you can come to the ELI office for help filing a police report.
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 19th. We can’t wait to read your writing!
Birthdays
The following are ELI birthdays from June 17 to June 30:
Students:
June 17: Rebeca Ojalvo
June 19: Husain Bohamad
June 20: Ahmed Albalawi
June 22: Luis Noguera Botero
June 30: Norah Alghamdi
Staff:
June 28: Lexa Thompson
Enjoy your birthdays!
Student Corner
This week’s country is Mali.
Capital: Bamako
Population: ≤ 22,500,000
Fun Fact: Many people think that Mansa Moussa, a Malian Emperor in the 1400s, was the richest person who ever lived. According to some researchers, his personal net worth was about $400 billion, which is almost twice as much as the current richest man in the world.
Three things to know:
- Mali has 13 official languages; Bambara is the most famous, and it is spoken by more than 50% of the population. The new constitution dropped French as an official language in 2023, but it remains the working language.
- Around 94% of the Malian population are Muslim.
- Mali is the world’s hottest country. The average annual temperature is approximately 29 degrees Celsius.
Manners and Culture
Q: Is it safe to drink water from the water fountain?
A: Yes. 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 in some places it’s cleaner than bottled water.
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
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You can find a PDF Copy of the Weekly Here: SS2405