“Gator Spirit”at University of Florida 佛罗里达大学的短吻鳄精神.docVIP

“Gator Spirit”at University of Florida 佛罗里达大学的短吻鳄精神 　　Beautiful beaches. Glamorous2 nightlife. These were the scenes Mandisa Haarhoff imagined when she learned the University of Florida had accepted her. 　　She was picturing Miami. 　　But Haarhoff quickly learned that the University of Florida is really in the city of Gainesville. Gainesville is a city of over 128，000 people in the northern part of Florida， an almost 5-hour drive from Miami. 　　Gainesville also has no beaches， only swamps3―filled with alligators4. 　　Not Miami 　　Haarhoff is originally from Port Elizabeth， South Africa. She applied to several schools across the U.S. to earn a doctorate， or PhD， in English studies. 　　In 2012， the University of Florida invited her to join their program. Founded in 1854， the school is a topranked public research university. It is home to nearly 50，000 students， about 6，000 of whom are international. 　　The U.S. government gave Haarhoff a Fulbright scholarship to pay for her first two years there. 　　Haarhoff was excited to study in the U.S. and pursue her dream. But she also felt sad when she arrived at Gainesville. She was not sure she would enjoy living in this small Florida city. Her first days were difficult. She says she missed her family and the food back home. 　　美丽的海滩，迷人的夜生活，?@些都是当曼迪莎?哈尔霍夫得知自己被佛罗里达大学录取后所想象的场景。 　　她对迈阿密满怀憧憬。 　　但是哈尔霍夫很快意识到佛罗里达大学其实位于盖恩斯维尔市。盖恩斯维尔是一座拥有128，000人口的城市，坐落在佛罗里达州的北部，离迈阿密有近5个小时的车程。 　　盖恩维尔也没有海滩，只有满是鳄鱼的沼泽。 　　不是迈阿密 　　哈尔霍夫来自南非的伊丽莎白港。她申请了美国几个大学英语专业的博士学位。 　　2012年佛罗里达大学邀请哈尔霍夫入校就读。该校建于1854年，是世界顶级公立研究型大学，有近5万名学生，其中包括6千名国际生。 　　美国政府给予哈尔霍夫富布赖特奖学金资助她在校的前两年。 　　哈尔霍夫很高兴能来美国求学，追求自己的梦想。但是当她到达盖恩斯维尔时，她感到很沮丧。她不知道自己是否会喜欢住在这个佛罗里达州的小城市里。开始的那些天哈尔霍夫过得比较艰难。她说她想念家人和家乡的食物。 　　But after a short time， she fell in love with Gainesville. She loved how green the city is. She enjoyed being able to ride her bike everywhere. And before long， she got into the “Gator Spirit”. 　　“So I was a big follower of the Gator Spirit and that was a great way to get me into school