Some of the highlights from Spring 2 include our ranch trip, trip to the Dallas World Aquarium and Downtown Dallas, playing paintball, and a picnic in the park with Global Interact and UNT-International.

IELI Paintball trip

Also, the building IELI classes and offices are in had a name change this week. We are no longer located in the Information Science Building. Our building has been renamed Sycamore Hall (SYMR). Don’t let this confuse you if you come to campus! We’re still in the same place, we just have a new name.

Finally, I wanted to take a moment to say good bye to all of the IELI blog readers. I have accepted a new job and will be moving away from Denton, so this will be my last post for IELI. This is a great place to work and study. I hope all of you learn as much and have as much fun as I have had, if you come to IELI. Hasta luego!

-Meghan

Tractor rides

Ranch Day was a great success! We had perfect weather for a fun day in the sun playing soccer, volleyball, and games. We flew kites, got lost in a giant wooden maze, ate barbecue brisket, and danced to songs from around the world. Teachers and students brought their children and pets, and we all got to spend time talking and getting to know each other better. The people in IELI become like family after a while.

Potato sack races

Water balloon toss

Playing horseshoes

Team Abdul before the soccer tournament

Lost inside the giant maze

She finished the maze!

I’m already looking forward to next year’s trip to the ranch.

It’s only Week 3 in our term, but already there have been many activities for students to participate in.

On March 26, IELI students participated in the UNT Big Event – a university-wide service day. We joined with other student organizations to help clean the campus and make it more beautiful. It was exciting to see so many UNT students working together.

IELI students woke up early on Saturday to join in a volunteer project. It was a beautiful morning!

Last Saturday, April 2, I arranged an IELI trip to the Dallas World Aquarium in downtown Dallas. We walked through the aquarium and saw many birds, animals, and yes, fish! Students were able to explore downtown Dallas and go to a restaurant for lunch before we headed back to Denton for the day. If you go to Dallas, the aquarium is a great place to visit!

Students outside by the penguin pool.

This week is International Week at UNT! We kicked off this special week with a Parade of Nations through the UNT campus. My other favorite activities this week included the international food fair, and the world cultures performance festival and fashion parade. The international community is really active at UNT. It’s really fun to be a part of.

This Friday, all of the IELI teachers and students are going to Circle R Ranch for a day of special fun activities. We go to the ranch every spring for our Spring 2 Welcome Party. I’ll post some pictures next week!

This is our school!

We had a big party a few weeks ago where students and volunteers met each other for the first time and formed their conversation groups. This Sunday, we have a party for the students and volunteers to go bowling together. It is always fun to have activities for our conversation partner program. Everybody enjoys meeting new people outside of their conversation group.

Since IELI terms are only 8 weeks long, missing 5 class days is pretty tough. There is important material to go over every day in class. Teachers and students are working extra hard now to make up for all the time they lost. However, using the online Blackboard program has helped students and teachers to continue with classes and homework from home.

If you have pictures of the UNT campus during the snow days, we want to see them! You can e-mail them to me and we’ll post them on the IELI website!

I was busy last week running orientation and helping new students getting settled in Denton. We took 30 new students shopping at Walmart and also went to a UNT basketball game for fun one night. The men and women’s basketball teams are some of the strongest sports teams at UNT. We won our games last week!

This term we also started a new program to help new students called the PAL program. PAL stands for Peer Assistance and Leadership. Some of our experienced IELI students volunteered to help new students and be their mentor during their first term here. I know the new students were excited to meet a friendly student at orientation who could give them lots of advice. I hope the PAL program continues for a long time!

Getting on the bus

On the bus to Walmart

Congratulations to our 33 Fall 2 graduates! The graduation ceremony was on Friday. We heard great music from some of our students, as well as speeches from a Level 6 IELI graduate and a graduate of IELI’s unique Graduate Preparation Course.

Here’s the speech given by Mohammed Al-Sadah, the Level 6 graduate. He did a great job!

“First of all, I would like to congratulate every student graduating from IELI this semester. I’m certain that we all worked very hard to be in this ceremony. We should be extremely proud of ourselves for finishing one of the most rigorous English programs in the nation.
To begin, I want to speak a little about my own experience in IELI. When I graduated from high school, I had already set goals for my academic career and what I wanted to be. I wanted to be a dentists or a doctor, but I could not accomplish these goals in my own country. Coming to the University of North Texas was not part of my plans or dreams, and to be very honest, I was very nervous about coming here. I never would have imagined the good life, happy moments, and wonderful friends I have here in Denton.
Knowing that this program was very challenging and prestigious, I knew the extra effort I would have to apply in order to get through it. This taught me to work hard and to take my work seriously. These things became the foundation for my journey.
I have come to realize that IELI is an important bridge that connects basic education to higher education. Without this connection, I would never be able to do the things I do in my everyday life here in America, and I’m sure this is true for most of you, too. The community of IELI, the teachers, the UNT-International staff, and my classmates has been so great in building this basis which not only I but also all of you can use to go out into the world and shine. IELI has helped me personally branch out into this community and take part in numerous other activities, which has been helpful in refining my English. With the help of IELI, I have been able to create this feeling of a home far away from home.
As IELI has helped me grow and assimilate myself into this community and culture, I have been given numerous opportunities to interact and work within this great university. Because this university is so large, there are always opportunities to be involved. For example, one of my great experiences here has been working as a part time soccer referee with the Intramural Sport Department. This was a great way to practice English while interacting with this community. Let this be good advice to all of you who are new to the program or still in the program; this is a great example of how participating in outside activities can help you improve your English.
Even if you cannot find something you love to do and want to be involved in on the campus, you have the opportunity to create something new with the support of this program and university, just as I did with the Table Tennis club. This is an example of the great access to culture that this program provides for us. There are many opportunities around you, so be mindful of all these great chances to practice your English and become more familiar with this culture and society.
And to those students who are graduating,
I hope that you had good times and memories in IELI so that after years and years you still will remember these wonderful moments. As we move past this giant step in our lives, we should remember that it does not mean the end. It is only the beginning of a new phase with a new goal. I wish you all the best as you take the next steps into higher education and hope you have a wonderful life full of happiness and joy.
Lastly, I just want to once again thank all the faculty here in the IELI program for the continuous help and support you have given us all. On behalf of those of us graduating, we appreciate all the hard work that came from the teachers, and we could not have achieved this success without your assistance. I truly believe this program is where some amazing things happen. Thank you again.”