French-speaking areas in the Americas?

[HeyBA]

Does anyone have any experience visiting French-speaking places in the Americas? I mean principally besides Quebec. In South American and the Carribean.

My spoken French is getting buried under my Spanish, and I worked so damn hard for that French. I can go chat with French people that are around, but it's not the same as immersion. Thinking a few months speaking it might do me some good.

Pros, cons, suggestions much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Rich One]

MARTINIQUE for sure, in the Caribean and last choice Haiti...!!

Cheaper still La Petanque Brasserie in San Telmo, as a helper..!!

The Alliance Francaise, Cordoba 936, or a live in tutor for total immersion

 

[French jurist]

In North America, there's indeed Québec, but also the last French territory in North America : Saint Pierre et Miquelon.

Carribean :
- Guadeloupe
- Martinique (not too far away from Guadeloupe)
- Saint Barthelemy
- Saint Martin

South America :
- Guyane (just North of Brazil)


I only know Martinique among those. Nice place but as boring as an island can be.

Guyane can be an interesting place to visit, it's close to Brazil, not that far away from Argentina, huge forest. That's where the Ariane satelitte launchers are launched from, so it can be a nice show to see since many are launched every year.

 

[sergio]

WHY in the Americas? Why not FRANCE? There are regions of France where the COL is a lot lower than Paris and the euro is way down now against the dollar.

 

[scotttswan]

Guyane can be an interesting place to visit, it's close to Brazil, not that far away from Argentina, huge forest. That's where the Ariane satelitte launchers are launched from, so it can be a nice show to see since many are launched every year.

French Guiana is technically part of France and the EU? so anyone with an EU passport can go and live/work there if they wished?

 

[French jurist]

French Guiana is technically part of France and the EU? so anyone with an EU passport can go and live/work there if they wished?

I just checked about it to make sure:

Yes, anyone with an EU passport can go/live/work there, like if it was in continental France.

It's considered as an extention of the EU (same rules, etc.). There only are minor differences regarding the tax rules (no VAT, ...) but that's about it.

 

[Lulu-Kyoko]

Yes, anyone with an EU passport can go/live/work there, like if it was in continental France.

The same holds for Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, but of course it's off the coast of Newfoundland-- pretty desolate. They say that the French spoken there is more French than the French spoken in France, if that makes any sense.

 

[HeyBA]

Thanks Everyone.

@Sergio: I spent a lot of time in France, like years and years as a legal resident, and I always wanted to go see the DOM-TOM. Though you're right, everyone should see France if they can.

I didn't know about Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, learn something new every day. Looks cold, though, so no thanks.

How about French-speaking place that's warm and affordable? That's what I'm looking for. Are most DOM-TOM places the same prices as France or are they cheaper, particularly for a longer visit, like six weeks to three months?

I'm thinking French Guyane.

 

[sylvie]

I wouldn't call Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon more French; it's just frozen in time. I lived in Montreal for many years and heard the same thing about much of Quebec. Once you get out of the cosmopolitan areas, people use words that died out centuries ago. It's charming, but not the best place to practice French... unless you want to speak the equivalent of Old English.

 

[Matt84]

Language in St Pierre et Miquelon being more French than in France?, maybe it refers to the French spoken in the 18th century?
surely not Acadian?

Cheapest, peace corps in Port au Prince, (not sure if Haitian Patois qualifies as French),
then safer, Royal Caribbean Peninsula, Haiti

Guyane might be the most expensive Francophone area in the Americas. I'm not aware of flights from Brazil, nor of any road connecting Pará with the Guyanas. Probably would have to fly to France, and back to Cayenne.
You have ile du diable, the famous prison, the space base at kourou, and supposedly some indigenous reservations akin to the most virgin parts of the Amazon.

I'd chose Martinique