Silvia

I had an amazing time staying with Raymonde and her partner Michel for ten days. I was nervous before arriving, but they are both very warm, friendly people who made me feel welcome right away. I’m a bit shy, but I quickly felt comfortable conversing with Raymonde. We discussed a wide variety of subjects and the conversations flowed quite naturally. Although it was a bit of an adjustment coming into an immersion environment, I greatly appreciated all the opportunities to practice speaking throughout the day. It really helped me feel more comfortable and build confidence in my speaking abilities.

The structured lessons were also excellent. Focusing for long periods of time can be difficult for me, but I was amazed at how quickly time passed and how much I learned each morning. She was patient and positive and I felt challenged but never overwhelmed. Her teaching style is flexible and she always had several options. Some of the lesson activities included listening to/reading and discussing short articles, grammar exercises, listening to songs/studying the lyrics and taking walks in the countryside while practicing conversation. She was perceptive and easily adapted her teaching to my needs.

One of the best parts about my stay was being able to explore many of the stunning places in  the area, both through excursions with Raymonde and independently during my freetime.  My activities with Raymonde included hiking, biking, swimming, and exploring the terraced vineyards of « Le Lavaux » and some of the towns nearby. There were even a couple bonus outings to explore the nearby town of Nyon and go to a cute fondue restaurant in the Jura mountains. During my free time, I was able to explore the surrounding countryside and several nearby cities/towns (Lausanne, Geneva, Yvoire, Gruyères). Raymonde was really great at helping me look up transit schedules and make plans for my free time. Getting around using public transit was super easy and allowed me to explore independently without a car. It was nice to be based in a small village while also having easy access to the entire region. The weather during my stay was a bit rainer than is typical for July, but it was mostly good and I was able to visit all of the places I had planned to go.

My overall experience vastly exceeded my expectations and Raymonde went above and beyond to make sure I had the best experience possible. I highly recommend this immersion stay to anyone looking to improve their French while exploring a beautiful part of the world.