Near the top of Kol’tor Mountain, south of Lake Issyk-Kul
The picture you see above is taken close to the summit of a small mountain, Kol’tor, in eastern Kyrgyzstan. It provides an incredible vista of a valley enclosed by the Tian Shan mountain range which borders China and Kazakhstan.
Having graduated from the EURUS MA program in the spring of 2013, I know firsthand the benefits of being a EURUS student. I was able to take advantage of many unique opportunities, including the Magna Fund for Russian Studies which assisted in financing a three-month trip to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan to study Russian. I also managed to travel throughout the country, visiting Osh, an important and ancient city on the Silk Road, and made a trip to Kazakhstan where I traveled to Almaty and Shymkent. Due to these experiences, I was able to fundamentally developed my passion for traveling and studying the Central Asian region.
EURUS provides the perfect atmosphere to encourage intellectual thinking in a friendly setting. I know that the knowledge and expertise I gained as a EURUS graduate student has strengthened my skills as an academic and a professional. While I miss the student lifestyle – not to mention the charm of Central Asia and its people – I am happy to have had a wonderful experience in EURUS; meeting new friends, learning from a distinguished team of experts, receiving financial assistance from the Magna Fund, and being part of EURUS made for a phenomenon I will always cherish.