Last week was a formidable immersion experience with Pascale at La Noria near to Béziers. We even had great autumn weather! The immersive experience itself was just as I had expected: local foods and wine experiences, together with interesting excursions and conversations with other French native speakers. Agnès was delightful to meet – the owner of the gite. Every morning, she provided us with amazing choices for the petit déjeuner including the spécialité pain of Béziers on our last morning. Geraldine cooked lunch for us every day, and entertained us with conversations in French about her daily life and her family. We were lucky with the autumnal weather and so, we enjoyed our meal each day. My partner, who does not speak French but has a basic understanding of the language, was most comfortable during these meals because he was always included in conversations, which would switch between English and French.
After my substantial breakfast each day, Pascale and I would settle in for 3 hours of wide-ranging conversations in French – it was the time of the USA elections – so quite a few discussions were had
on that topic! Pascale would then make notes about points of grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary for me each day, and set homework around these areas of weakness. I appreciated being
able to follow up our daily lessons with homework based on these specific areas of need, to refine my B1 level. Each day, we would work through grammar exercises and corrections, as well as discuss
French idiomatic phrases. Pascale is a very engaging teacher with a broad knowledge of teaching Anglophone students both in USA and in her native France.
On our free afternoons, my partner and I walked along la voie verte in both directions. In one direction, we walked through vineyards displaying gorgeous autumn colours towards the little village of Maureilhan, birthplace of several noted Frenchmen. In the other direction, we passed through similar landscapes to Cazouls-les-Béziers, the closest village for shopping. Pascale took us to visit the magnificent Cistercian Abbaye de Fontfroide near Narbonne, founded in 1093 which is privately owned and has been beautifully restored by the Fayet family. We enjoyed a wine tasting here, and purchased a bottle to share with Pascale and Geraldine at lunch. On our last day, we had a tour of Pascale’s home town of Béziers, the oldest city in France! The cathedral is a wonderful piece of Gothic and Roman architecture and we had a guided tour in French with the local cathedral volunteer guide. We visited the engineering feat known as Les 9 Écluses de Fonseranes – November is a little late in the canal boating season so we could not see the locks in action, but it is still an amazing sight.
My partner and I thoroughly enjoyed our time with Pascale. All in all, we experienced an authentic immersive experience in everyday conversations and French life, and my French knowledge and practice continues to improve.