Alice is British and has recently moved to Paris to follow her husband who works at La Défense. While waiting for her work visa, she came to spend two weeks in immersion to improve her French. She asked me to focus specifically on conjugations to improve her speaking ability, and as we progressed, we added other subjects to meet her needs.
Here is a description of her stay to give you an example of how immersion works. She decided to choose the intensive formula. I always make sure to take into account the expectations and desires of each student I welcome and tailor the course to their needs, so of course, each stay is different.
In the early evening, Adrien and I greeted Alice at the Pau railroad station. The discussion began immediately in French as she was very comfortable and not afraid to express herself. We took the funicular to get up to Boulevard des Pyrénées which offers a stunning view of the mountains. We then enjoyed an aperitif on the terrace as it was sunny. After returning home, she moved into her own studio apartment and we went back to my place to share dinner.
The first day of class ! I welcome Alice with pastries and fresh bread for a traditional French breakfast before class. And off we go !
Today is sunny so I suggest that we go for a picnic at the Gave de Pau. Afterwards we take a walk along the banks and I accompany her to the supermarket to buy what she needs for the breakfasts of the week (which we’ll have individually). Alice also does some shopping for her own dinners in the coming days. I join her in the city center of Pau where she decides to walk alone for a while. After that, she returns home to rest so that she will be in good shape on the next day’s adventures.
After classes in the morning, we have lunch together at a restaurant in downtown Pau. Next, we stroll along the city’s shopping streets and into the castle district. After quite a long walk in the castle’s park, we return to the apartment.
Today’s the day we spend in Cauterets with my mother joining us. This gives Alice an opportunity to speak and test her French with another person. Success !
The weather is perfect for hiking : a radiant sun without too much heat. We go up to Lake Gaube and picnic by the water where the panorama is magnificent. The recent rains have made the rivers swell and the waterfalls are impressive ! After the hike, we stroll through the village streets and share a drink on the terrace.
We join all of France in celebrating the D-day landings. We work a little on the topic during the morning, including listening to a podcast and follow the event on TV during lunch. Alice wants to spend a free afternoon exploring and takes the opportunity to also do some downtown shopping.
Friday is market day in Jurançon, a small village near Pau. Alice is amazed by the varied stalls and wants to buy everything ! Talking with the traders is an excellent way for her to boost her growing French skills and we buy a roasted farm chicken for lunch. Back at home, it’s nearly noon since we spent the entire morning at the market and drank a coffee on the terrace. We decide to have classes until 1 :30 pm and eat on « Spanish time ».
In the middle of the afternoon, she got to relax at Calicéo, a water centre with baths, waterfalls, saunas, hammams and she relishes all they have to offer.
The weather allows us to keep our planned excursion by the sea. We spend the day in Capbreton and Hossegor, on the Landes coast, which is just over an hour’s drive from Pau. Adrien isn’t working so we all leave together.
For lunch, we go to a restaurant specializing in mussels and as always, it’s a real treat ! We then
spend some time on the beach of Capbreton, but there’s too much wind and the water is still too cold for us, so no swimming this time. We walk to the port, then go on in the direction of Hossegor continuing around the lake. Our day concludes with a cup of tea in the city and some window shopping.
Today is the day of the European elections. This enables Alice to enhance her vocabulary related to elections. After lunch, she accompanies me to the polling station where she can see in person what we talked about in the morning as she discovers an authentic moment of civic life in France.
Next, we have a pastry workshop with my mother-in-law. I have asked her to teach us to make Basque cake. I’m not a fan of this cake, but hers is truly delicious ! Alice has the opportunity to converse with more new people and to follow cooking instructions in a real-life situation, which she really enjoys. The cake is prepared for the next day, so the tasting will take place on Monday on Adrien’s birthday.
After the morning class, we have lunch at the apartment.
As the weather is much better than expected, we cancel our planned trip to the cinema and Alice decides to go for another walk on her own. I go shopping and start the preparations in the kitchen for Adrien’s birthday party. We have invited the family, along with Alice, to the celebration, and really look forward to tasting our culinary creation from the day before !
The rain is back. I had listed several activities to do in case of bad weather and Alice wants to discover the huge flea market of Emmaus. You can find everything : books, clothes, dishes, furniture, accessories, trinkets, appliances. It’s a huge area and you could easily spend hours there … as we did !
After class, I take Alice to a small restaurant nearby for lunch. They have a « plat du jour » or original suggestions for eating « à la carte ».
We carry on by visitiing the beautiful museum of fine arts in Pau, then spend some time walking around the center before heading home at the end of the day.
Today is the last day of Alice’s stay. Since her husband is coming to join her in Pau, she decides to take the schoool day off on Friday so that she can enjoy the city with him before heading to the Basque coast for the weekend. During the morning, we go over the topics she still needs to improve, and then we take a moment to review these two weeks.
The weather is really nice,so I take her to a picnic in a new place. We choose a table in the shade to eat and then we enjoy the sun with a digestive walk by the water.
We then have to return to the apartment so she can finish packing.
Although the time passed by quickly, these two weeks allowed her to really make progress in French and to discover this beautiful corner of France.
Why not try it yourself ?