I spent a wonderful time at Myriam’s house in Bayonne. Myriam’s warmth and generosity together with her patience and excellent teaching skills made the immersion program a very pleasant and enjoyable experience. Not only did I learn a lot of French – Myriam brought me on different excursions to see villages and sceneries of the beautiful Basque landscape. I even got to see a glimpse of the Way of St. James!
The days started with a private lesson in French, and the afternoons I spent either with Myriam on an excursion or went off by myself to a nearby village with the local bus. I enjoyed walking around feeling the atmosphere of the picturesque French villages, watching the scenery of the coast or botanizing in a bookstore.
Myriam also let me taste delicious Basque meals at her home, and invited me to meet her friends and family. I was surrounded by the French language all the time. We discussed different topics and I learned about the French culture and mentality. I had a wonderful time and I highly recommend Myriam’s immersion program!
2011年10月30日日曜日
Lennie- Octobre 2011
Since 3 years ago when I started studying French at a local community college in Los Angeles, I’ve wanted to study French in France. Then this year, a one-week opportunity came along in October, so I started searching the internet for a suitable program. Because my community college classes emphasized grammar, writing and listening, but little on spoken French largely due to a class size of more than 10 students, I wanted to find a program that allowed me to focus on spoken French and provide lots of opportunity to speak French. Therefore, a structured half-day language school with more than 8 students, the norm in Paris, was not appealing. Then I stumbled upon Myriam’s program on the web, and I feel really fortunate that I did. A daily two-hour one-on-one lesson in the morning, sharing the every-day life of the French teacher the rest of the day, along with local excursions in the Basque country with her gave me ample opportunity to speak French. I spoke French from breakfast time at 8:15 in the morning until I went to bed at night! I couldn’t believe how much French I could speak. Myriam brought up various topics for conversation and I really enjoyed talking to her. After 5 days, I felt very confident of my ability.
Myriam is a very thorough and patient teacher. I had several questions on French grammar that I did not fully comprehend from my community college classes, and Myriam explained them to me very patiently until I understood. Studying with her was just like studying with my professors at the community college, but it was better because I was the only student. The program could be tailored exactly to what I wanted and needed. I had the opportunity to write (daily journals), learn intricacies of French grammar, improve my listening ability, and, most important of all, to have the opportunity to speak the language, and in other than a classroom setting.
I felt very comfortable staying at Myriam’s house. My bedroom had everything I needed for my comfort, convenience, and for doing my daily written homework. The wifi worked very well. Myriam cooked three wonderful meals (she was kept very busy!), including some Basque specialties. I loved the Bordeaux wine we had with our dinner! Most of all, I enjoyed the various conversations we had (in French!) during our meals in a relaxed setting in her garden.
She took me to visit Bayonne, Biarritz, Esplette, Ainhoa, and San Sebastian in Spain. I also had one afternoon on my own to visit where I wanted and it was a great opportunity to actually use French in a practical setting.
I vacation in Europe annually, and have been to France 4 times before, but I found visiting France with Myriam to be much more informative and interesting. And I had the chance to find out first-hand about French culture and customs from a native, which really added to my French experience. I hope to study with her again in the future. She is an excellent teacher, the program is highly effective, and I cannot recommend her highly enough.
Myriam is a very thorough and patient teacher. I had several questions on French grammar that I did not fully comprehend from my community college classes, and Myriam explained them to me very patiently until I understood. Studying with her was just like studying with my professors at the community college, but it was better because I was the only student. The program could be tailored exactly to what I wanted and needed. I had the opportunity to write (daily journals), learn intricacies of French grammar, improve my listening ability, and, most important of all, to have the opportunity to speak the language, and in other than a classroom setting.
I felt very comfortable staying at Myriam’s house. My bedroom had everything I needed for my comfort, convenience, and for doing my daily written homework. The wifi worked very well. Myriam cooked three wonderful meals (she was kept very busy!), including some Basque specialties. I loved the Bordeaux wine we had with our dinner! Most of all, I enjoyed the various conversations we had (in French!) during our meals in a relaxed setting in her garden.
She took me to visit Bayonne, Biarritz, Esplette, Ainhoa, and San Sebastian in Spain. I also had one afternoon on my own to visit where I wanted and it was a great opportunity to actually use French in a practical setting.
I vacation in Europe annually, and have been to France 4 times before, but I found visiting France with Myriam to be much more informative and interesting. And I had the chance to find out first-hand about French culture and customs from a native, which really added to my French experience. I hope to study with her again in the future. She is an excellent teacher, the program is highly effective, and I cannot recommend her highly enough.
2011年10月28日金曜日
John - 1 week - October 2011
"It really was all that you could wish for from an immersion experience - I was also impressed by the value for money!"
I was fortunate enough to spend a week at Myriam’s home, and it really was all that you could wish for from an immersion experience. Myriam generally only takes one student at a time (unless by prior arrangement – eg people go there as a couple) so things progress at the pace that is right for you. Also, Myriam is incredibly generous with her time – she just absorbs you into her life so you really feel that you are experiencing the French lifestyle. On a typical day we would start by watching the morning current affairs shows then have breakfast, followed two hours of structured French lessons. After lunch we would either go on an afternoon excursion together, or I would have free time to explore the region by myself. The first day Myriam took me into Bayonne for a tour of the old town. Other days we went shopping at the local market, visited the Thallisotherapie centre (warm seawater spa) the home of Edmond Rostand (writer of the play Cyrano de Bergerac), or took a drive to some of the old Basque towns in the hills above Bayonne. We also spent a whole day taking a tour through some of the beautiful countryside and Basque towns in France and Spain. For my free day on the weekend I took the train to San Sebastion in Spain, and had lunch at a great tapas bar that Myriam recommended.
With this system you get a couple of hours per day of structured learning, but the rest of the day is spent talking and listening to French in a more relaxed setting. It is a wonderful way to learn French, and I was amazed how much I progressed in only one week.
I was also impressed by the value for money - for less than the cost of a half-decent motel room you get accommodation, 3 meals a day (Myriam is a great cook), 2 hours of French lessons, the opportunity to speak and listen to French all day, and the opportunity to see a unique region in company with someone who was raised there and who quite obviously loves the place. Camille commented on how much I had improved after only one week of immersion – I felt myself that my comprehension skills improved significantly in the time I spent with Myriam. I have been to other French language schools in France, while living with French families, but my last experience was that I felt like I was intruding into their busy lives and I didn’t get as much out of the experience as I hoped. In contrast, I couldn’t recommend Myriam highly enough – the balance between formal lessons and casual conversational French was just right for me, and the ease I felt in the environment really made learning a lot easier.
I was fortunate enough to spend a week at Myriam’s home, and it really was all that you could wish for from an immersion experience. Myriam generally only takes one student at a time (unless by prior arrangement – eg people go there as a couple) so things progress at the pace that is right for you. Also, Myriam is incredibly generous with her time – she just absorbs you into her life so you really feel that you are experiencing the French lifestyle. On a typical day we would start by watching the morning current affairs shows then have breakfast, followed two hours of structured French lessons. After lunch we would either go on an afternoon excursion together, or I would have free time to explore the region by myself. The first day Myriam took me into Bayonne for a tour of the old town. Other days we went shopping at the local market, visited the Thallisotherapie centre (warm seawater spa) the home of Edmond Rostand (writer of the play Cyrano de Bergerac), or took a drive to some of the old Basque towns in the hills above Bayonne. We also spent a whole day taking a tour through some of the beautiful countryside and Basque towns in France and Spain. For my free day on the weekend I took the train to San Sebastion in Spain, and had lunch at a great tapas bar that Myriam recommended.
With this system you get a couple of hours per day of structured learning, but the rest of the day is spent talking and listening to French in a more relaxed setting. It is a wonderful way to learn French, and I was amazed how much I progressed in only one week.
I was also impressed by the value for money - for less than the cost of a half-decent motel room you get accommodation, 3 meals a day (Myriam is a great cook), 2 hours of French lessons, the opportunity to speak and listen to French all day, and the opportunity to see a unique region in company with someone who was raised there and who quite obviously loves the place. Camille commented on how much I had improved after only one week of immersion – I felt myself that my comprehension skills improved significantly in the time I spent with Myriam. I have been to other French language schools in France, while living with French families, but my last experience was that I felt like I was intruding into their busy lives and I didn’t get as much out of the experience as I hoped. In contrast, I couldn’t recommend Myriam highly enough – the balance between formal lessons and casual conversational French was just right for me, and the ease I felt in the environment really made learning a lot easier.
2011年5月27日金曜日
Jeune étudiante
こんなに世界は広かったんだ！
留学によって、そのことを再認識させられました。私は高校時代にオーストラリアへ一年間留学していた経験があったのですが、当時学んだはずだったのに今ではすっかり忘れ去っていたことを思い出すことができました。最近の私は安定な道へ、無難な道へと進んでしまいがちだったのですが、挑戦することへの楽しさ、目標を達成した後に感じる、自分の視野の狭さに気付かされた瞬間の興味深さを思い出したのです。
私は先生宅にホームステイし、プライベートレッスンを受けました。3週間はミリアム先生宅でホームステイし、1週間はミリアム先生の友人のエヴリン先生宅で過ごしました。語学学校に毎日通って、友達もできて……と交友関係が広がるようなライフスタイルではなかったのですが、充実した日々を送ることができました。2年間大学でフランス語の勉強をしていたものの、そこまでフランス語に触れ合える機会はなかったため、私のフランス語力はあまり高くありませんでした。初日は先生の言われていることがほとんど理解できず、自信を持って言える言葉といえば、「Qui」や「Non」くらいでした。しかし、頑張って話しかけて来て下さるため、日本へ帰る頃には日常会話レベルであったら受け答えができるようになっていました。授業時間以外でも分からないこと、フランスにおいて私が知らないことを親身になって教えて下さり、とても勉強になりました。語学学校へ行って、外国人の生徒たちと一緒にフランス語のレッスンを受けるより、多少高額ではありますが、教師宅のプライベートレッスンの方が私に向いていたと思います。値段分の価値は十分にある滞在だったと心から思います。ミリアム先生に小学校の教師の友人がいらっしゃり、現地の小学生たちと触れ合う機会がありました。生徒たちの日本に関する質問に、先生の手を借りながら片言のフランス語で答えました。小学校へ着く前はかなり緊張しましたが、自分の自信向上につながりました。
エヴリン先生宅には私と同年代の娘さんがいらっしゃり、学校の生徒たちが企画した仮装パーティーにも連れていってもらえました。この時も上手く生徒たちとコミュニケーションが取れるのかと緊張しましたが、すごく楽しむことができました。
今回の滞在は、一か月という短い期間でしたが、私にプラスの影響を与えました。日本の女性は若いうちは自分が主人公でも、結婚を通して自分の物語の主人公が自分から夫へ、夫から子供へ、と移り変わっていくように感じます。しかし私がフランスで出会った女性の多くは、自分の物語なのだからと主人公であり続けるような方達ばかりでした。私は楽しいのは30歳までで、それからはあまり望めないのではないか、と心のどこかで考えていたのですが、年を取るごとにまた違った楽しさがあるのだということを学びました。だから、「もう若くはないのだから」と楽しみを探す権利を何歳になっても放棄すべきではないと強く思いました。
バイヨンヌの人たちは親切な方ばかりで、心穏やかに毎日を過ごすことができました。このフランス留学は一生、私の宝物の一つであることは間違いありません。
留学によって、そのことを再認識させられました。私は高校時代にオーストラリアへ一年間留学していた経験があったのですが、当時学んだはずだったのに今ではすっかり忘れ去っていたことを思い出すことができました。最近の私は安定な道へ、無難な道へと進んでしまいがちだったのですが、挑戦することへの楽しさ、目標を達成した後に感じる、自分の視野の狭さに気付かされた瞬間の興味深さを思い出したのです。
私は先生宅にホームステイし、プライベートレッスンを受けました。3週間はミリアム先生宅でホームステイし、1週間はミリアム先生の友人のエヴリン先生宅で過ごしました。語学学校に毎日通って、友達もできて……と交友関係が広がるようなライフスタイルではなかったのですが、充実した日々を送ることができました。2年間大学でフランス語の勉強をしていたものの、そこまでフランス語に触れ合える機会はなかったため、私のフランス語力はあまり高くありませんでした。初日は先生の言われていることがほとんど理解できず、自信を持って言える言葉といえば、「Qui」や「Non」くらいでした。しかし、頑張って話しかけて来て下さるため、日本へ帰る頃には日常会話レベルであったら受け答えができるようになっていました。授業時間以外でも分からないこと、フランスにおいて私が知らないことを親身になって教えて下さり、とても勉強になりました。語学学校へ行って、外国人の生徒たちと一緒にフランス語のレッスンを受けるより、多少高額ではありますが、教師宅のプライベートレッスンの方が私に向いていたと思います。値段分の価値は十分にある滞在だったと心から思います。ミリアム先生に小学校の教師の友人がいらっしゃり、現地の小学生たちと触れ合う機会がありました。生徒たちの日本に関する質問に、先生の手を借りながら片言のフランス語で答えました。小学校へ着く前はかなり緊張しましたが、自分の自信向上につながりました。
エヴリン先生宅には私と同年代の娘さんがいらっしゃり、学校の生徒たちが企画した仮装パーティーにも連れていってもらえました。この時も上手く生徒たちとコミュニケーションが取れるのかと緊張しましたが、すごく楽しむことができました。
今回の滞在は、一か月という短い期間でしたが、私にプラスの影響を与えました。日本の女性は若いうちは自分が主人公でも、結婚を通して自分の物語の主人公が自分から夫へ、夫から子供へ、と移り変わっていくように感じます。しかし私がフランスで出会った女性の多くは、自分の物語なのだからと主人公であり続けるような方達ばかりでした。私は楽しいのは30歳までで、それからはあまり望めないのではないか、と心のどこかで考えていたのですが、年を取るごとにまた違った楽しさがあるのだということを学びました。だから、「もう若くはないのだから」と楽しみを探す権利を何歳になっても放棄すべきではないと強く思いました。
バイヨンヌの人たちは親切な方ばかりで、心穏やかに毎日を過ごすことができました。このフランス留学は一生、私の宝物の一つであることは間違いありません。
2010年1月12日火曜日
French immersion program in France De Boston à Bayonne
Myriam and meIt is with great pleasure that I write this recommendation for Myriam. She is an excellent teacher. She has taught in many schools in the past and now focuses on teaching French as an immersion experience. She is sensitive and understands the learning process including culture shock. She is flexible, basing her lessons on the goals and abilities of the individual student. She also changes her lessons as the student changes during the immersion process.
Her home is warm and inviting, just like she is. The bedroom was comfortable and included a desk and chair. There was good WiFi reception for computer usage. The meals were fresh and delicious. I believe she is a former professional chef and purchases her ingredients at the local street market. Going with her to the street market as well as the supermarket was a fascinating experience.
There were many opportunities to experience the local culture as well as the day long excursions into the Pays Basque. Myriam is very knowledgeable about her country and the Pays Basque. She is able to discuss the culture and history in words that are understandable. She has also lived in America, so when all else fails, which is very rare, she can add a word or two in English. The student pays for these day long excursions, but I always thought they were very inexpensive.
As a single woman, I was very concerned about my safety both in getting to Bayonne and while I was living there. In Paris everyone spoke English so my trip going there was easier than I expected, when I had a question I could ask in English. There was no problem with security in the airport, the train station or on the train. I was amazed at how quiet it is in France. The only noisy area was while I was waiting for my flight home in Paris and I was surrounded by other Americans! Myriam lives in the city of Bayonne and the neighborhood was extremely quiet. I felt quite safe at her home.
Although the formal lessons are two hours, five days a week, the lessons truly are all day. During breakfast we watched the news and discussed the events. If I had a question while doing my homework, she would take the time during the day to help me better understand the lesson. She would correct me as needed, but I never felt any undue stress. She involved me in family activities and with her friends, all of whom were supportive and very helpful. It was wonderful to hear her friend Christine speak with amazing fricatives that I could only dream of reproducing.
I highly recommend Myriam to anyone who wishes to improve their French.
Myriam, her sister and two friends
2008年10月14日火曜日
Homestay with a private French teacher
The teacher taught me French after making an accurate assessment of my level and listening to my wishes. Being a private lesson, it was possible to cover a lot of ground in a short time. The teacher also lent me teaching materials.
First of all, we worked on my poor pronunciation with the teacher asking me to practise the correct pronunciation over and over. The lessons were well-balanced, covering listening, grammar and pronunciation. The amount covered each day was just right and any grammar learned during the lesson was soon put into practise in the diary I kept for homework and presentations I made in French. This made learning French easy.
In my case, since I stayed at my teacher’s home, she was also able to correct any pronunciation mistakes or any strange expressions that I used outside of lesson time.
The teacher was very warm and welcoming, encouraging me to help with cooking the meals and taking me shopping with her.
My teacher had a computer with Japanese capability. I could use the computer freely whenever the teacher did not need it, so that was really convenient for me. Also, the teacher made a concerted effort to help me learn French using other means – for example, by helping me find movies that I wanted to watch on You Tube, etc.
The neighbours were also very kind and I was invited to the homes of my teacher’s friends and relatives on a number of occasions, giving me an opportunity to meet many people. Everyone was very kind. The local towns were also very safe and I never had a problem when I was out.
Female university student Age: 22 yrs Private lesson
First of all, we worked on my poor pronunciation with the teacher asking me to practise the correct pronunciation over and over. The lessons were well-balanced, covering listening, grammar and pronunciation. The amount covered each day was just right and any grammar learned during the lesson was soon put into practise in the diary I kept for homework and presentations I made in French. This made learning French easy.
In my case, since I stayed at my teacher’s home, she was also able to correct any pronunciation mistakes or any strange expressions that I used outside of lesson time.
The teacher was very warm and welcoming, encouraging me to help with cooking the meals and taking me shopping with her.
My teacher had a computer with Japanese capability. I could use the computer freely whenever the teacher did not need it, so that was really convenient for me. Also, the teacher made a concerted effort to help me learn French using other means – for example, by helping me find movies that I wanted to watch on You Tube, etc.
The neighbours were also very kind and I was invited to the homes of my teacher’s friends and relatives on a number of occasions, giving me an opportunity to meet many people. Everyone was very kind. The local towns were also very safe and I never had a problem when I was out.
Female university student Age: 22 yrs Private lesson
2008年7月1日火曜日
homestay
Before the French lessons began, the teacher talked to me about my job at a French company to establish what my needs were and developed her lesson plans with these in mind.
The teacher started by explaining in detail things that would be useful to me at work. For example, how to answer a telephone and how to write a report. The teacher has a very wide range of teaching materials – as well as having materials for teaching business French, she also has materials geared to grammar and vocabulary. If I kept making a particular grammatical mistake during the lesson, she would give me homework which focused on this aspect of grammar so I would not make the same mistake again. This was good because there would have been no other opportunities to revise grammar. The teacher tried her best to devise lessons that were best suited to my needs, and I was able to progress from a vague wish of wanting to make rapid progress in a short time to being able to ask questions about things I didn’t understand.
Since Myriam (teacher) has a good understanding of the Japanese personality (in general, Japanese people are shy and don’t actively volunteer information unless asked) and, if you stay with Myriam, you will certainly discover the joy of speaking French, even if you have never studied French before or have no understanding of the French personality. I would also highly recommend Myriam to anyone who, like me, works at a Japanese company and would like to study business French.
Myriam’s house is very likeable and displays good taste. The student is provided with his or her own room and it was so nice staying with Myriam, that I wanted to stay longer. The teacher lives with her son and we often had an enjoyable dinner in the garden with her relatives, many of whom live locally. I could feel the good character of the teacher and the warmth of her relatives. Myriam is also a wonderful cook and turned out better meals than what one could eat at a restaurant.
Myriam lives halfway between Bayonne and Biarritz, both of which are about a 20-minute bus ride from her home. Both towns are very safe and I never felt insecure when I explored them on foot after the morning French lesson. I was blessed with good weather and often went to the beach at Biarritz and the teacher also took me to the seaside at Anglet.
Female company employee Age: 27 Private lesson
The teacher started by explaining in detail things that would be useful to me at work. For example, how to answer a telephone and how to write a report. The teacher has a very wide range of teaching materials – as well as having materials for teaching business French, she also has materials geared to grammar and vocabulary. If I kept making a particular grammatical mistake during the lesson, she would give me homework which focused on this aspect of grammar so I would not make the same mistake again. This was good because there would have been no other opportunities to revise grammar. The teacher tried her best to devise lessons that were best suited to my needs, and I was able to progress from a vague wish of wanting to make rapid progress in a short time to being able to ask questions about things I didn’t understand.
Since Myriam (teacher) has a good understanding of the Japanese personality (in general, Japanese people are shy and don’t actively volunteer information unless asked) and, if you stay with Myriam, you will certainly discover the joy of speaking French, even if you have never studied French before or have no understanding of the French personality. I would also highly recommend Myriam to anyone who, like me, works at a Japanese company and would like to study business French.
Myriam’s house is very likeable and displays good taste. The student is provided with his or her own room and it was so nice staying with Myriam, that I wanted to stay longer. The teacher lives with her son and we often had an enjoyable dinner in the garden with her relatives, many of whom live locally. I could feel the good character of the teacher and the warmth of her relatives. Myriam is also a wonderful cook and turned out better meals than what one could eat at a restaurant.
Myriam lives halfway between Bayonne and Biarritz, both of which are about a 20-minute bus ride from her home. Both towns are very safe and I never felt insecure when I explored them on foot after the morning French lesson. I was blessed with good weather and often went to the beach at Biarritz and the teacher also took me to the seaside at Anglet.
Female company employee Age: 27 Private lesson
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