Do you live in France?

[ggglimpopo]

Where do you live?
Why did you choose that region?
Why did you come here in the first place?
Do you work?
Do you regret it/love it?

Tell us all!

I live in Bordeaux.

I initially chose Montpellier and had everything (sort of!) set up there, but found it too hectic - and my original holiday accomodation was vile - so came to Bordeaux on holiday and stayed.

I came here post divorce!

I have had an epic time here - a very very rough ride, but life events rather than simply french ones, and am here to stay.

I love the region and will stay put in the south west. I would LOVE a house by the sea - dream on!

I don't regret it and have married a Frenchman to prove the point.....

Et vous?

Sun out here - we had lunch on a terrasse followed by a long shop in the pre-sales (three lovely summer day dresses for my daughter in Bonpoint ) followed by an apéritif on another terrasse.

Gosh Castille, Paris in August is a bit of an unknown quantity. Just go to Bon Marché - they'll have all the winter stuff in and you'll be able to try it on in their very efficient air conditioning. What are you after - clothes or other things?

I think museums are all open in August - there are tourists around, after all.

What do you like? Musée Rodin is lovely on a hot sunny day. I love walking around the Jardin du Luxembourg almost anytime, and the Jardins du Palais Royal - and there is a fantastic restaurant (restaurant du Palais Royal) there, but at the moment the terrasse is closed due to restoration works

Sun here too - boiling now and we have just had dinner in the garden

Anna I don't think I'll be allowed much actual clothes shopping, the H has a very low tolerance threshold but a bit of browsing around interesting objets should be ok. Bon Marché has nice household type things doesn't it? We need loads of bits for the house.

As for visits, the Jardin du Luxembourg was already on my list, and the Musée Rodin is not too far from where we're staying The Panthéon is on our list too.

We bought practically all our household stuff in Bon Marché - it's great (but expensive ). But not as horribly overpriced as Conran Shop next door.

Hello Scoucerabroard - thanks for joining us!!!

I am near Paris but my sister lives in your hometown. I love living in France but I also love visiting my sister in Liverpool. How could you stay away so long? A tear drops in your honour. Liverpool is such a very cool and human place. Fun and the capital of culture too!!!! However, Brittany isn't bad either - my MIL lives on the coast - it is a wild heaven and the people are so lovely! Does your little one speak English with a scoucer accent? I hope so!!!

Castille, when you are in Paris I recommend, if the weather lets you, just wonder through Paris on foot. We have so many brilliant weekends just walking around, stopping to eat and walking again, stopping for a drink and walking again. And just breathing Paris and living!!! Enjoy!

Oh I just had a quick thought though... For a sexy sophisticated evening out Procope is a not too dear but a nice treat yourself kinda restaurant. www.procope.com/page.php?id=photos

Oh - I just had another thought Castille - whenever I need a holiday but am too poor or busy to go I find the Mosque near Jardin de Plante just perfect. They serve cous-sous or simply cakes and tea and the atmosphere is very nice. Quite a special place! A few of my friends have been to the baths too - they say it is very good if you are into that kinda thing! Happy holidays bfn.

We took the children into town for the fete de la musique last night and for dinner. Ds2 slept through a huge marching Basque brass band! We got home at half midnight and it was still 28° outside.

Went to the puce marché this morning with just the baby and dh and listened to jazz and ate oysters and drunk white wine.

My life currently seems to revolve around food and music - with a baby and assorted offspring in tow.

Anna, Bon Marche is gorgeous but is anything but Bon marché! at you shopping to your heart's content there.

Bliss to be back in Burgundy. Left London yesterday in a steady, penetrating drizzle and arrived home at 22.00 to temperature still at 23 degrees - God I love living here!

What a lovely evening ggg and lovely day tmd!

We spent today at the market, then made Greek Salad and then late afternoon headed down to our town's big outdoor swimming pool - so we had a good one too!

and P.S... I am ipressed that this thread is on p8!!!!

impressed!!! whoops - typo!!!

There are loads of us! Been in UK for past week and just catching up. Doozie, who are you seeing the AHP? Now... are most of us here because married to frenchman? Because I am trying to work out why we have arrived.

farfaraway - I came here because I wanted to - in fact, I left a boyfriend in the UK to come here to work.

But, almost inevitably, I ended up falling madly in love with a Frenchman - so am stuck here now

Good tips, TFT, thanks, it's all gone on my list. The mosque sounds lovely.

Sounds like we'd better avoid Bon Marche then, or the weekend might bankrupt us!

GGG - food and music is a good basis for a life, very bohemian!

farfaraway - yes, married to the student I met on my university year abroad. We tried living back in the UK for a bit but he was not happy professionally (though I was)so we came back in the end and I'm stuck here too

I'm married to a student I taught in my first and only year of teaching at uni in France.

When I was a student I worked over the holidays at a camp for children all over the World but basically lots of French, Germans and Italians. I became good friends with a French woman who was also working there... and we spent holidays we didn't work together at each others places... on one visit she introduced me to an ex-boyfriend a Brit who lives in France... she thought we would get on... she was right... now I am living with him and we have a 2yr old dd!!!! He he he!!!

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that Le Bon Marché is more expensive than other department stores (Printemps or Galeries Lafayette), because it isn't - the selection and service is a lot better at Bon Marché, the prices are the same as elsewhere (for the same goods)

Psst: anyone who knows a bit about freelance translating in France, can you please check out my other thread?
TIA

Ah OK, perhaps we'll have a look then

Now we just need to ask the inlaws very nicely if they will look after the children... they've never looked after DS (23m) for more than a few hours so they might run a mile.

Sorry AuldAlliance I don't know the answer to your question - I hope someone can help out!

I also have a couple of questions, maybe you know the answer to mine...

Question 1 - What happens inside an Halte Guardarie?

I was considering after September, a couple of mornings a week, going to the adult learning centre for French lessons and my dd going to the halte guardarie attached to her intake maternalle school. I thought it would prepare both of us for her starting school. We would be spending a bit of time apart, I would be able to converse with the teacher successfully, set a good example to dd by working more when she is at school and dd will have experience of socialising with French children and a school like environment.

I went to my local halte guardarie today to ask to book a meeting with the directrice so she could explain to me how an halte guardarie is organised. Did the (in French but I can't spell in French so I will translate my rough French into good English) "Hello Madame, excuse me could I ask a question. I am English but live very close to here. I don't understand the French system. Is it possible to have a meeting one day so you can explain to me how the Halte Guardarie works."

She found this quite offensive and got really huffy. She said it was not part of her job to do that and I must stay away until I have a place by applying to the town hall.

Mmmm... I obviously shouldn't have asked that... so...

Question 2 - How do I find out if I want dd to go to that Halte Guardarie or not without knowing how the place is run by the lady who runs it? (I am not ruling it out because of today instead taking her huffiness as being a misunderstanding between us because of culture. My experience said it was ok to ask that. Her experience said it was completely unreasonable - I believe in humanity.) There must be an established way of knowing as the other Mothers can't just drop their dc off without knowing what is happening in there and approving!

Any advice, opinions or comments are welcome on this as I am feeling confused and a little frustrated!

Btw - If you have got this far in reading my very very long message. Thanks a bunch for reading! It really means a lot.

In the one here, kids do activities in small groups, music/painting/pasta necklaces etc. They have a snack, I think, though not sure who provides it.
It is a drop-in centre for occasional, short periods of childcare, though can be used regularly. Maximum here is a half-day (except Weds), I think.
Probably very variable from one place to the next.
You need to find parents whose kids go to the Halte Garderie and ask for feedback. Easier said than done, I know...

Might be different out here in suburbs but when DD1 was at the HG I had to register first at the centre administrative to get a card with a banding on how much I had to pay. (means tested as had to take three months worth of DH's pay slips) and then they gave me list of HG I could contact. I then just dropped in one morning and asked if they had a place and we worked out the adaption period. (be prepared to go and stay for 20 mins and then leave for 10 mins etc and build up over a week or two).
Must admit I changed HG as wasn't happy with the first (staff just stood around gossiping and children largely ignored) and there was no problem.
Think it may depend on different areas as to how things work so best to ask someone who as a child there as AA said.

My experience of HG is of a rural one. It was a lovely place with fab staff. The directrice was so welcoming the first time I went with DS (18mo). We had a 'temps d'adaptation' where I stayed with him for an hour, then next time left him an hour, and then left him for a three hour session. There was a place for children to nap and they did two short activities in every session and finished with stories or songs in a group. They also organised a Christmas show, egg hunt, carnival, summer picnic so I got to meet other parents that way. I had complete faith in the staff and DD starting going there from age 6 months with a bottle of EBM.

The idea is to provide childcare for SAHM so they can have a little break rather than for working parents. You pay for the sessions you use and it is a first come first serve basis with a max number of hours you can leave the child per week so I don't think there is any harm in signing up and then not using your place if you don't like way things are run.

I think HG is a great idea, especially if your family is too far to call on for a hour or two of childcare.

Thanks so much! I was feeling a bit lost. Actually just knowing you read my message aa and ffa has cheered me up. I will go to the town hall and have a chat with someone there. Re-reading my novel I am laughing at myself for saying I will translate into 'good English' then immidiately put a full stop instead of a question mark!!! Ha ha ha - you have to laugh hey?

So knowing I read your message didn't cheer you up?

LOL - actually - I didn't know when I wrote that, that you - my trusty othersideofthechannel had read and responded too because we sent at about the same time! I take ages to type, read, re-read and send with all the errors carefully left in because, like you and all the other mners I am often doing aprox. three to forty-three things at once.

Othersideofthechannel - you once dedicated a thread to me and now you read my boring hg novel and responded to it - how can I ever repay you??? ( taps rather shyly on slammed door - Am I forgiven yet???)