Family Immersion | Oui-Connect

OUI-CONNECT focuses on the full immersion in a host family.

DIVING INTO THE HEART OF AMERICAN CULTURE

Une plongée au coeur de la culture américaine

I really liked everything. I thought it was very balanced. I enjoyed family life, and it was true that the excursions in the end were great: we saw the region … we saw whales! I loved the baseball game: we did not understand the rules but it was really fun, especially watching the spectators, and the atmosphere of the stadium. Santa Monica was amazing; such a great day discovering the famous Los Angeles. Louis | «Homestay & Excursions»

Thanks to their host families, the young participants are fully integrated into the California culture.
Because family is so important in American culture, being integrated into an American family advances the discovery of the country, the region and the environment.

By sharing the daily life of a family – even if it is for a short time – we understand and embrace the rhythms of life in that country and its habits and customs. We have breakfast, we play, we walk, we shop, we go to the movies, we watch tv shows together, we do sports, we meet the neighbors, we go to the bank, we visit a museum … From morning to evening, we engage: we are immersed in a natural daily life.

The family is a unit that gives color and character to the country you visit. By participating in an immersion stay, you become a full member of your host family.

Instead of acting as a tourist, you become an American for the time of the stay and act as such.

GIVING HUMAN DIMENSION TO YOUR STAY

Donner toute sa dimension humaine au séjour

It was our daughter who chose the ‘À la carte’ formula. She wanted to totally immerse herself in the family. She was so well received and she was so excited and eager. Since her return, she tells us about her American family: her American ‘Father’, her American ‘Mother’: we are very happy for her. Mother of Marine | «A la carte»

The participant will discover so much through this family adventure.

For the foreign teenager, this new lifestyle is :

Classic American (an ordinary, yet unique, American family)
Very exotic (instead of living in his natural family, the participant will discover a “new family” – a new way of seeing things)
Safe and reassuring. The host family always takes care of “their children” including them as their new international child

The California host family allows the adolescent to live in the heart of this beautiful region of the USA- the West Coast, and enjoy some of its treasures: beaches, “Malls” (shopping), cities, museums, landscapes, climate, atmosphere, food and culture…

OUI-CONNECT program is also a human experience, connecting with a new culture, which is particularly educational. Growing language skills and personal independence. The teenager has to adapt to a new family and get out of his comfort zone. He must make an effort to integrate into this new life: he comes out more mature from this experience.

CONCRETE LANGUAGE LEARNING

L'apprentissage concret de la langue

I especially progressed on the comprehension side. Now I can watch a tv series by putting subtitles in English and honestly, I understand everything. Now I want to improve my expressions and jargons even more…I will have to go back! It was so good. Fanny | «Homestay & Excursions»

Practicing English in the heart of a family is a great opportunity to make real linguistic progress.
What one learns in the family structure is perfectly complementary to what one has been able to (or can learn from) at school. The 24-hour contact with the English language helps to refine the ear and understanding. At the end of the stay, you will be able to express your self and be understood in English. Participants are put to the test daily from morning to night: comprehension, expression, accent, grammar, vocabulary, sayings, jargon, and slang…

Experience shows that living in a family environment is very educational: after three weeks, the participant will have a drastic improvement in English skills, advancing faster than throughout schooling. At the end of the stay, participants will feel comfortable to start a conversation, to jump into a discussion, to get by in the street, at a store or at the airport; he will have overcome a major obstacle.

I had the best trip of my life. It was exotic and rewarding: I learned a lot of things … not just English. I met lots of new people. The grandpa of the family was too funny. He told me a lot about US history. He absolutely wants me to become an American. I feel like I have set foot in another country forever. Pierrick | «A la carte»

AInstead of being a burden or insecurity, English will become an asset, an advantage which he will use and enjoy in his school life as in his professional life … and of course, in his everyday life: exchanges and interviews, cinema, television, Netflix, reading, music, etc. ….

In addition to language learning, living in a family has many other benefits: In a family, we meet people of all ages (parents, children, grandparents…), from all professional backgrounds, from different environments (Church, parties, barbecues, walks, races, ordinary and extraordinary events…). Being confronted with this wide variety of situations is excellent for language education.

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