FrenchInterest

Thanks everyone for all your input....its muchly appreciated!!:) Im looking forward to also doing some sight seeing...really want to check out Provence and round that area.  It all looks so beautiful and very worthy of discovery!!  Anyone have any stories on that area.....how they liked it???

woohoo......[:)]

ya see......im an Aussie.....the question is not 'Am I ready for France?"..............the question is "Is France ready for me".........either way, I'm coming hehe Tough blood we are and its the Aussie spirit to get your hands dirty........we like challenges LOL. Thankyou for all your advice.  Rose colured glasses.....haha...i think not!  However, I can see how the average person would think that:) Mr Coeur de Lion - I absolutely love your pro's and cons...you had me giggling haha classic (ps:  i agree with all your points, especially in relation to Australians experiencing 'the outside world') Im very much looking forward to experiencing a different culture, history and language and I think it will benefit my daughter tremendously - she is 7 and will be attending private school. I would take you up on the offer of the small dog and the car except I already have a little dog and will have a car when I get there (convertible does sound cool though lol).  Your not taking it back to Aus with you? (the dog that is).  I'm in the process of researching road rules, etc, very interesting.

[quote user="Sprogster"]To be honest FrenchInterest, I think you are a bit bonkers! As you are moving from one of the few countries to escape recession, to a country or language you don't know, which has very serious economic problems, social unrest, high unemployment and surprisingly long dark and cold winters! Australia, I would have thought holds a much brighter future for your children than France, where unemployment for those under 25 averages 25%. As I am sure you are aware, there are quite a lot of French moving to Australia, so maybe you should speak to one first. If you are moving to France on a European passport you need to know there is one potential major problem and that is rule changes introduced in 2007 prevent those moving to France who are 'inactif', from joining the French health system. Instead you are required to take out private health insurance, which is very expensive and difficult to obtain if you have any form of ongoing medical condition. If I can make just one suggestion and that is please visit France with your family before you commit, as the reality is France is very different, and the person who told you they speak English there was misinformed as generally they don't and more often than not even if they can they won't! Also unless you have a job lined up, finding meaningful employment will be very difficult in the current ecnomic climate and dare I say next to impossible if you do not speak fluent French.[/quote] Wow.....now there's a negative approach for ya!!...I take what you say on board and thankyou for your response, however, I dont think I mentioned that I was POOR or would be looking to go to work for your average Jo!!!!  As for the health system....again......you assume im poor. Question..........have you ever lived in Australia?  are you French? I dont believe im bonkers at all........im quite excited about a new opportunity.....but thank you for your concern. Thankyou again for you input, however, I was hoping for some positivity, that's not saying I don't adhere to reality, I just dont buy into negativity...............so if you have anything positive to ad by all means go ahead.

[quote user="Sprogster"]To be honest FrenchInterest, I think you are a bit bonkers! As you are moving from one of the few countries to escape recession, to a country or language you don't know, which has very serious economic problems, social unrest, high unemployment and surprisingly long dark and cold winters! Australia, I would have thought holds a much brighter future for your children than France, where unemployment for those under 25 averages 25%. As I am sure you are aware, there are quite a lot of French moving to Australia, so maybe you should speak to one first. If you are moving to France on a European passport you need to know there is one potential major problem and that is rule changes introduced in 2007 prevent those moving to France who are 'inactif', from joining the French health system. Instead you are required to take out private health insurance, which is very expensive and difficult to obtain if you have any form of ongoing medical condition. If I can make just one suggestion and that is please visit France with your family before you commit, as the reality is France is very different, and the person who told you they speak English there was misinformed as generally they don't and more often than not even if they can they won't! Also unless you have a job lined up, finding meaningful employment will be very difficult in the current ecnomic climate and dare I say next to impossible if you do not speak fluent French.[/quote] Wow.....now there's a negative approach for ya!!...I take what you say on board and thankyou for your response, however, I dont think I mentioned that I was POOR or would be looking to go to work for your average Jo!!!!  As for the health system....again......you assume im poor. Question..........have you ever lived in Australia?  are you French? I dont believe im bonkers at all........im quite excited about a new opportunity.....but thank you for your concern. Thankyou again for you input, however, I was hoping for some positivity, that's not saying I don't adhere to reality, I just dont buy into negativity...............so if you have anything positive to ad by all means go ahead.

Im moving near Ruielle Maison .Hauts-de-seine (92).

Hi there, Thankyou for your reply, I found it very helpful. Hmm the Qld weather - I grew up in the Whitsundays but have spent the past 6 years in Sydney......I wonder if it will help me acclimatise LOL.  I can feel your pain moving directly from QLD to France...brrrr. No vegemite in France........thats a crime!!!.....Looks like I will be taking a very large jar with me LOL. I have done some reasearch and discovered the the roads are quite expensive with all the tolls in France, but these days they are practically tolling all the motorways in Sydney aswell, which cost a fortune. Where abouts in France did you settle?  I will be living with family in a chateau, so I dont have to worry about buying or any of that jazz - until I decided I want to ofcourse.  Aus has become quite expensive. Groceries, petrol, real estate.........the land of the 'great ripoff'.  Im looking forward to something fresh. Thanks again for your reply.

Hi everyone, I'm an Aussie mum making the move to France before the end of the year with family.  I have lived in Aus since I was a young child and have never been to France - however, ALWAYS wanted to go.  Im so very excited about it, yet daunted at the same time.  I've learnt a tini tiny bit of french....the very very basics.  But im told that alot of people actually speak english over there????  The challenge will be understanding their english with a french accent LOL Im wondering if anyone else is making the move or anyone from Australia aswell?  Any tips on what I can expect? How different it is to Australia?  Really, any information will be useful and very much appreciated. I also Sew..........so if there are any fellow sewers out there, id love to chat:) Anything................. thanks in advance, http://akraftycatch.blogspot.com