by Courtney Jones

Bonjour! Comment allez-vous? Hello! How are you? This is how student Owranoos Suljuki, an

Anthropology major and French minor at CSUSM, began many of her conversations during her

time studying abroad in Paris, France.

Suljuki jetted off to what she considers one of the most romantic cities in the world during her

summer vacation in 2012. For five weeks, Suljuki lived and studied at the Institut Catholique de

Paris. Unlike CSUSM, the Institut Catholique de Paris is over a century old.

Each weekend, Suljuki’s program went on excursions to what she regarded as some of France’s

most breathtaking sites and cities, including the Palace of Versailles and the Loire Valley–a

small region inundated with vineyards, orchards and grand châteaux’s.

Suljuki’s favorite excursion was to the city of Normandy, mainly because she was able to tour

Mont Saint-Michel–a quaint little island famously known for its unique tidal patterns.

In her spare time, Suljuki, and the young lady she was partnered with, regularly explored many

of Paris’s local sites, including cafes, bookstores and even the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.

Suljuki reflected on her experiences of studying abroad and shared how much the program

influenced her.

“Even though I was there for a short amount of time, I feel like it was enough to make an impact

on me,” Suljuki said. “It empowered me to become more ambitious and more hardworking.”

CSUSM has an entire office dedicated to helping students realize their study abroad dreams. The

CSUSM Study Abroad department offers numerous programs to best suits students and their

educational as well as cultural interests.

Suljuki describes how passionately she believes in studying abroad and encourages students to

do the same.

“Everyone should study abroad because you learn so many things and not [just] about the area

you’re studying but about yourself” Suljuki said.

To quote one of Pixar’s most celebrated animated films—Up, “adventure is out there” Cougars!

Au revoir! Good-bye!