Programme Azalées
Our immersion programs range from one to three weeks, with many optional excursions or sports available to customize your stay.
Our home is very comfortable, with a big and beautiful garden. Your room has a large bed, a dresser, a desk with WIFI, and a big window with a garden view. You are welcome to use the kitchen and store food in the fridge. You'll find my house warm and welcoming, nicely decorated in a typical French way.
The standard week stay includes:
- 2h x 5 days of private lessons
- 2 or 3 hours twice a week of cultural/touristic tours with me or some professional, or activities such as cooking lessons, movie watching with teacher... customizable according to your own interests
- One day out for a longer excursion in our region
- Morning breakfasts with comments on current events or some topics necessary for better understanding
- One meal taken with me and maybe other family members, or my friends :-) You'll get free use of the kitchen and may help yourself to the grocery to prepare your other meal, and you are welcome to dig in the leftovers. There is always lots of food in my kitchen :-)
You will spend a minimum of 5 hours in guided French communication per day
All expenses are included except gasoline, entries in museum, lunch outside for excursions or unplanned activities you wish to add to the program.
For that basic program normal cost is 970€ for one week , 1900€ for 2 weeks, 2700€ for 3 weeks and 3550 for 4 weeks.
More detail on Myriam's site - Email Myriam directly or call +33 5 59 52 15 16
Mention "French Today" and Myriam will offer one entry to the thalassotherapie center to try the Lagoon experience, or one additional afternoon tour.
Review from student's of FrenchToday
Diane - 2 weeks - 2012
"She works very hard with you until you grasp the concept"
I just got back from spending 2 weeks with Myriam Rolando in her home in Bayonne from Jan 29 - Feb 10th. It was wonderful!
She has great attention to detail for the french language and she works very hard with you until you grasp the concept. Her patience, hard work and dedication to what she does is amazing and she shares her friends and family with you.
It was an amazing experience.
Eva - 1 week - 2011
"I was surrounded by the French language all the time"
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 - 1 week - 2011
"I spoke French from breakfast time at 8:15 in the morning until I went to bed at night!"
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 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.
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 - 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.
Linda - 3 weeks - 2009
"Myriam is an excellent teacher, and her home is warm and inviting, just like she is. As a single woman, I felt safe at her home."
"Dear Camille, 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 w
oman, 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."
