Bonjour from sunny St. Barth! I have been hopping around the island, dining in the fab restaurants, touching base with the staff in my St. Barth Properties Sotheby’s International Realty offices, inspecting villas for your next stay, and I even had a sneak peek of the soon to Reopen Carl Gustaf.
We had to wear hard hats for our mini site inspection of the hotel Carl Gustaf that is scheduled to reopen March 14, 2020.
I also discovered a fun thing to do for all of you Francophiles. A new private language school opened in St. Barth, so I contacted the owner to see if we could meet. It turned out that founder Pierre Geraud already knew me when he was affiliated with the 5 star Le Sereno hotel several years ago. He explained how the private Réussite Language School teaches the children of St. Barth English. Only native-speaking teachers give the lessons and, in their mother tongue, which is so important to learn the correct accent. I often wondered how an American could teach spoken French because the kids would learn to speak it with that very same American accent.
The English classes for the St. Barth children take place after school. All the better for you because we can make appointments for you to participate in the themed activities, or take private lessons in the mornings and still have time to practice your French while enjoying a fabulous lunch at a sidewalk café or other yummy spot, then enjoy the rest of the day at the beach or shopping in the designer boutiques.
Here are the Fun & French activities for adults:
Bienvenue à St. Barth!
Where is the beach? Where is the grocery store? Where are the cheeses? The bottled water? Do you have wine? Where is this road? To the left or to the right?
Au Restaurant.
Learn the meats and the fishes (viandes et des poissons), the salads and vegetables, starters, desserts, the wines (les vins blancs et rouges). How to order and…l’addition s’il vous plaît!
Parlez-vous Fromage ?
Everything you ever wanted to know about cheese but were afraid to ask.
Learn all about French cheeses
Lux Shopping Like A Pro.
Find your way around the luxury boutiques and learn the vocabulary to ask about size, color, and style in French.
Shopping at the Grocery Store.
Learn how to navigate the aisles of the grocery store and purchase your groceries with the cashier.
Culture, Culture!
La Bise Learn about “the kiss” when greeting or saying goodbye; Say Oui to Life! Learn expressions to make you sound French.
La Pâtisserie.
Learn the names and indulge in some of the mouthwatering pastries at the boulangerie.
Attention All Wine Lovers!
An introduction to French wines. Which French wines are the best? Come find out!
Take a French lesson learning all about wine and what to say when you order it.
Here is a sample of the Fun & French activities for children and teens:
Ooh La La! French Mini Pocket Book!
Discover language, food and famous places in Saint Barth. Create a French mini pocket book.
Build the Eiffel Tower with Legos.
Be a French architect and build the most famous monument in Paris!
Vive La France! Vive St. Barth!
Make the flag(s) and listen to music, serve croissants, learn about some traditions of French children.
French Café Party!
Create a party scene using party props of French style.
Exotic Tropical Island Fruits!
Learn the names of island fruits and enjoy a tropical smoothie or fruit salad.
French Pastries!
They’re delicious and a great way to dive into French culture!
Postcards from Paradise.
Create and send your favorite pictures of St. Barth to your friends back home. Learn how to write a message in French on your postcard!
Collage of St. Barth.
Create a beautiful collage of the tropical sights around the island.
Animals of the island.
Turtles, turtles everywhere! Learn the names of animals on the island and their habitats. Create “Underwater Fantasy” by drawing animals of the island and then gluing tissue paper over the drawing, adding water and allowing the tissue paper color to “bleed” into the drawing.
Your children can learn French in a fun way (and you can have an hour to yourself).
The lessons are customized depending on your level of French.
The cost?
Up to 14 hours of teaching/learning activities.
Rates for a one hour class taking place at Réussite in Gustavia: Monday through Friday: 150 Euros/hour for 1 to 2 persons. Each additional person: 75 Euros/hour.
Weekends and public holidays: 180 Euros/hour for 1 to 2 persons; Each additional person: 90 Euros/hour.
If the class takes place at your villa or hotel, they charge an additional fee of 40 Euros per class.
FRENCH A LA CARTE is for those who want to become fluent in French: Up to 90 hours of teaching/learning activities, supplemented by assessment tasks. Price upon request.
Interested? We will be pleased to set up classes and activities during your stay. It will surely be one of the most enjoyable—and valuable—hours you’ll spend all day.
Your French teacher, Pierre Geraud
