Stephannie is a third-year Bachelor of International Business (BIB) student in the French language stream. She is studying at Universite Paris Dauphine in Paris, France. (All students in the BIB program are required to study abroad for their third year at one of our partner institutions.)
Introduce yourself! Tell us a little bit about your goals and interests:
Hello, my name is Stephannie Abreu and I am doing my exchange in Paris, France. I was born in Niteroi, Brazil and lived there for 14 years. I moved to Ottawa, Canada 6 years ago with my parents and my younger brother. One of my biggest passion is the city of Paris, and I am very blessed to be here for my one year exchange. I love taking pictures and sharing them with people along with all my experiences (even back in Ottawa when things were not as exciting as here in Paris). I love sports, and being active at all times. I love to explore new places, meet new people and enjoy the weather outside rather than indoors. Travelling is a big thing in my family and I wish to travel as much as I can during weekends and holidays while in Paris. My goals during this exchange are: to take as much information as possible from all my classes (they are very different than ! Carleton courses), meet people from all over the world and learn about their own culture and experiences, come back fluent in French, and travel to different countries around Europe while here.
Why did you choose your language?
The main reason I chose French was to be able to do my exchange in Paris. However another big factor while choosing was that French is a very important language in Canada, and if after I graduate I wish to work with the government learning French now is easier than later on. And a third reason was that I think French is a beautiful language, and I have always wanted to learn but never got the chance to.
Have you ever travelled overseas before? If so, where?
I have never travelled outside the Americas.
What 3 things MUST you take with you while abroad?
While packing my bags I made sure I brought my Paris journal (where all the memories and papers are being added on), my dresses and pictures from home.
What are you most looking forward to?
I look forward to meeting people from all over the world, learn about their countries. Learn how to speak French. Travel as much as possible. And enjoy every minute of this exchange, taking all the lessons with me for the rest of my life along with memories and experiences.