Rita, USA, January 2013 In January, 2013, I experienced an eight-day immersion program with Myriam. Previous to that, I had read all the reviews available on her site, fantasized doing it one day, procrastinated and hesitated, wondering whether the program was really as good as the reviewers described. Having taken the plunge, I am here to tell you that yes, the program is fantastic and the positive reviews are no exaggeration. Having been a former professor, I tend to be quite observant about the teaching and learning process. Myriam is an excellent language teacher who quickly surmises your level, identifies your strengths and weaknesses, and motivates you to achieve your goals. If you have ever wanted a safe and pleasant environment in which you are forced to speak French while gradually becoming better and more confident in the process, this is it! Of course not everything that comes out of your mouth will sound great, but there will be enough times when you form perfectly good sentences that hold up a conversation, and you start to believe that you can do it! Aside from being an excellent language teacher, Myriam is also a keen observer of cultural contexts and influences. Her own multi-cultural experiences include living abroad in a number of countries, and interacting with students from various cultures. She can interact comfortably and work effectively with students from different cultures and backgrounds.. In addition, she is well-versed in both the French and the Basque cultures where her roots are, and makes an ideal guide for the interesting sights of the region as well as the artifacts of the Basque Museum in Bayonne. Myriam is an exceptionally gracious host; this is in part because she is a great cook who likes to share good food and in part because she is a genuinely kind and caring person. She is energetic and hard-working, often going the extra mile to make things better. She is happy to share her family and friends; in getting to know them one realizes that Myriam comes from a close-knit network of good folks. One can feel safe with her. When I went with her to the Thalasso Spa, even with my terrible sense of direction, and blind as a bat in the mist and the salty sting of the seawater, I knew she would find me. It rained quite a bit while I was there, though this is not always true of January weather in Bayonne. Given such a situation one sees Myriam’s flexibility and efforts to make the most of any student’s immersion experience. One morning we happened to come across a short reading in which the death penalty was mentioned, and we discussed its abolition in France. That rainy afternoon, Myriam offered me the chance to watch a French film entitled Abolition, based on the book about about Robert Badinter’s decade-long struggle to abolish the death penalty after a client of his was unjustly guillotined in 1972. During that decade, his articulate defense saved several other clients from the guillotine. In the end President Mitterand named Badinter Minister of Justice, a position that enabled him to champion the legislation that abolished the death penalty in France. The film was so engrossing I did not mind the weather! We also talked about Robert’s wife Elizabeth Badinter, an ardent feminist philosopher and writer, and later watched an interview that featured her. From Myriam I learned about French TV and French cinema, and came home with titles of several classic films I hope to watch! If these things do not interest you, rest assured every experience will be somewhat different, because Myriam will tailor it to suit you and your interests.

Helen - 3 weeks - 2012 "Spending time 'chez Myriam' is an exceptional way to learn French" I spent three weeks at Myriam's house in the beautiful Basque Region of Southern France. From the moment Myriam picked me up from the airport I felt immediately welcome. I would describe Myriam as 'a wearer of many hats'. Firstly, ( the Tutor's hat ) she is a wonderful and patient tutor who is able to hone in on your level of French and tailor a program to suit. The lessons were of two hours duration, Monday to Friday, but in reality you were listening to and speaking French 24/7. Secondly,( the Hostess' hat) Myriam made you feel right at home in her lovely house. My room had a view of the garden and was extremely comfortable and private. Thirdly, (the Chef's hat ) Myriam is such a talented cook that every meal was delicious. Myriam even went to the effort of cooking quite a few dishes that were typical of the region. Fourthly, (the Tour Guides' hat) Myriam took me to some of the most beautiful towns, museums and chateaux. It is quite apparent that she knows the history of the Basque Region and is very proud to share it. Every outing was a wonderful experience. Myriam made such an effort of introducing the culture of her everyday life into my French experience that I was even invited to dine with her family and friends. On my free afternoons it was so easy to catch the local bus to do my own leisurely exploring of the exquisite towns of Biarritz and Bayonne. Learning French with Myriam was such a great alternative to sitting in a classroom all day. My knowledge of the French language and French history has greatly improved. I would not hesitate to recommend this French course to anyone. I only hope it doesn't get too popular because I definitely want to go back again! Merci beaucoup Myriam!

Eva Suède

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!

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.

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.

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。

French immersion program in France De Boston à Bayonne

Myriam and me

It 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