Mistral
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Posts posted by Mistral
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Tracey, I hope your move goes without hitch; I imagine in the Aveyron, you will find quite a lot of what you are looking for.
I did smile a bit while reading your post; computer games, TV and junk food are just as available in France as the UK. And as for yobbish behaviour, some towns have no go areas even for the police after nightfall. From what i've seen of children in the UK and France, the British ones do seem to grow up a bit quicker and I treasure my children's "youngness" (and sometimes it worries me)
Enjoy the nativity play: I envy you. It's something I really miss in France, the chance to see my kids dressed up as a shepherd with a tea towel on their heads. As Deby said, in France individual school photos are illegal so the schools try to get round it by asking for permission (we're not sure that we're legally covered but it means that parents are less likely to complain if they've signed a permission form)
My sister in law and husband live in Aix en Provence. he is a barman and works 6 days a week. She is a shop assistant and works 5. Not only do they hardly ever see each other but they have to bring their daughter up surrounded by that same, what are you wearing/driving ..... attitude you describe. It's soul destroying.
Good luck in your move, Averyon is going to be a big change from Bishops stortford (I'm from hertfordshire too)
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It might be a good idea to buy something like the "bescherelle conjugaison" It lists something like 12,000 verbs and putting them into groups
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I always buy mine in the UK when I'm on visit. You can buy frozen ginger at Picard, if that's any help
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On Saucisson sec (it can by either on the bread or on the saucisson itself)
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These are just my experences of the thing. Nothing official
1. Who would traditionally pay for the wedding - the bride's parents or would the couple's parents share the costs?
Traditionally it's the brides family (or at least that's the feeling i get) nowadays it's much more likely to share the costs (the 2 families and the couple)
2. Do couple usually choose to have several maids and men of honour, and also a little page boy who carries the ring or would they typically choose to have one maid of honour and one man of honour, who might walk in front of the bride on entering, and in front of the newly weds on leaving the ceremony?
No, bride's maids etc aren't traditional (at least in my husband's family and the other weddings I've seen in France) they are getting more popular with the influence of American films
I could make educated guesses on what I think is the normal service, but after hearing about Normandy's onion soup ritual, I thought it would be better to research the topic.
It's not just in Normandy that they do the onion soup thing, my husband's family is Breton and they do it too. I live in provence and the tradition here is to give the bride's flowers to the virgin marie during the church ceremony (now, brides plan 2 bouquets, so they still have one for the photos)
As Alexis said, the legally binding ceremony is the mairie one, they read you the relevant laws at top speed and ask you if you accept them, then you spend as much time signing the paperwork. Traditionally, the couple then walk through the town to the church where they show the priest their marriage certificate and he then does the religious bit. I have paraded behind people from one to the other but it's more and more common to leave a gap between the two (because booking the church has to be done way before boking the mairie) As Alexis said, there's quite often a gap between the religous and state ceremonies (mine was 6 months) They entrance into the church isn't the same as in the UK. Instead of everybody being in church and the bride arriving on her father's arm. Everybody arrives together and mills around then the "plebs" go in and the families process in. I can't remember the exact order but I know that the groom comes in with his mother (because my mother in law mad a fuss about it) The service seems to be "make it up as you go along" that you quite often get in French churches. I've been to 2 hour weddings and 20 minute ones.
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Joan, I just wanted to agree with Qunatum that a year in primary is probably a good idea for your daughter. French primary schools are smaller than collèges and even if your daughter's school doesn't provide FLE help, they will have more possiblitly of helping her adapt to a new country and a new school system.
Starting collège is difficult even for French children. The structures are bigger. They have a different teacher for every subjetc, loads of homework, the cantine, "les grands" and, although I hate having to say it, secondary teachers are less likely to give time and patience to "needy" children. (When the prof principal only sees them 1.5 hours a week during lesson times, it's not so easy to build up a relationship)
About CD roms: My son (in CM2) like ADI, it's a bit scolaire. But it gives a good grounding in French and maths
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I'm a bit confused. (doesn't take much) about what is meant by bottom burning cookers etc. My mum's cookers in the UK have always had the flames at the back of the base of the cooker. My gas ovens in France have always been the same. What am I missing?
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Down here, you don't just get the dark red, you get more unnatural blondes.
I had a look in the window of the lingerie shop this afternoon (the one next door has turned into a hairdresser's when I wasn't looking) and along with the supportive stuff and the floral pinnies, they stock Aubade, Now that goes better with the hairdressers (but not with the floral pinnies)
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Jane, no I didn't have to take the CAPES twice (thank goodness, all that wonderful knowledge about the industrial revolution that I've never been able to share with the 3eme Insertion
) But yes, I was an English assistant (twice, but that's another story) and my husband was a stagiaire in the same school. Just to be different, he's a hist-géo teacher, not English.
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My town has only got one lingerie shop (and it's the kind that sells "supportive" undies, along with floral pinnies-now there's an interesting vision
)I think there must be at leats four estate agences, maybe more, they seem to be spring up all over the place, but then, so are new houses.
What we've got loads of, are hairdressers, estheticiennes....
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The dates vary from year to year. Last year was the earliest I've ever known it, on the 24th/25th June if I remember right. This year I think it will be about the latest since the official end of term is 1st July. The brevet is usually on the Wednesday and Thursday so most schools give the 3emes Monday and Tuesday off (up to the head) and usually close the school Tuesday afternoon to set the tables up. Only the 3emes come in on the days of the brevet although all the pupils are supposed to come back after the brevet until the last day of term but most consider it to be the end. Most schools are very vague about this, they don't want them back.
Pupils can also take the brevet general which means an exam in every subject and no continous assessment. It's mainly taken by pupils who don't have grades for 4eme or 3eme for some reason or who have gone on to lycée without the brevet but want to have it. (a lot of parents seem to feel it is an important piece of paper-can't imagine why if you see how it's graded)
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Jane you are not alone;
I studied languages at university, spent a year working here as part of the course and met a Frenchman. He already had a job, spoke iffy English to my good French so the decision was easy. I finished my degree and came out here. This is now where I live, where I belong, where my children are growing up. It's not always easy and I sometimes miss the UK (the main things I miss are linguistic and cultural)
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It's not AWFUL, it's just not as good as it could be (like the educational system in most countries I imagine) The whole mentality is very different from the British one. Even after all these years I realise that I am looking at things through "British eyes" and trying to relate my own experience of school (which is out of date anyway) to the way things are done in another country and a couple of decades later.
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And why, in French, in the Rugrats (Razmoquettes) do the babies call Angelica "Kwet Kwet"?
I've only seen Rugrats in English a couple of times but I've got the feeling that they only have names and not nicknames (i.e Angelica is only ever called "Angelica" and never "bunches") Can someone tell me if that's right? I assumed that the nickname thing came from the original as they've all got them in French. It's a bit of a culture shock to realise that Charles-Edouard is really Chucky.
As for compliation shows etc. Well, that's one of the reasons I've had Canal + since 1991
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The problem with non-French teaching qualifications in France is that, in France teachers in the state system are also civil servants. They have taken a competitive civil service exam. Teaching qualifications from other Europeans countries would be recognised in the private sector and in the state sector for non civil service jobs (unfortunately, that means CDI's)
For information, a French teacher with the CAPES who leaves France to work in another European country (on the basis of having a French teaching qualification) looses civil servant status and would have to retakie the CAPES if he wanted to go back to teaching in France.
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Congratulations on being French (to Mistral)! How long did this procedure take please and was it expensive?
It took a year and wasn't f(righteningly) expensive. I applied through marriage to a French national so the paperwork I had to provide was specific to that.
I gave in all the paperwork in September last year (tribunal d'Instance) and had an appointment with the judge in november to sign the application. I had a meeting with the local police for the "are you integrated and is it a real marriage?" interview which was painless. Then nothing until a week ago, when I got a convocation to go and pick up my declaration at the Tribunal.
As for price, I had to pay for a UK birth certificate (they insisted on it being less than 3 months old regardless the fact that the UK doesn't change them) and for a translation by an official translator. I didn't need to pay for anything else.
If I can give any other info, don't hesitate to send me an e-mail or pm
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Just read your edit.
I see what you mean. Life is going to dfficult, collège is going to be difficult. Each year we start with the words "this is the hardest year in collège" (I said that this year and one parent pointed out that she'd been told the same thing the year before)just wait til you get to lycée, then you'll see what difficult means....
School isn't supposed to be fun it isn't supposed to produce well rounded little indidviduels. It's supposed to transmit knowledge. In a way, the fact that the principal adlitted that there was a life after school is very encouraging. A lot of teachers don't want what they are teaching to have any relation to real life (sorry if I'm being negative today, the knee-jerk reactions to the Thelot report annoyed me)
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I'm going to look at this another way. I'm surprised too that he was talking about going to lycée est in a 6eme speech (maybe he has just the one and trots it out every time) or maybe it's a school with a "reputation" and it what the parents expect. My principal doesnt mention lycées in her 'welcome to 6eme' speech. I did go on a bit about them with my 3emes, but I think that's understandable.
But, from what I've seen from teaching in France, French teenagers are babied quite a lot. Parents expect you to understand that a 13 year old couldn't do his homework because he was 'tired'. My son is the same age as SB's (10) and I expect him to note down what homework he's got and for when correctly. Not the case with some of my pupils' parents. I once punished a pupils because a test wasn't signed (she knew that all tests had to be signed, I had told the class to note it in their cahier de textes, it was in January so it wasn't the first time, I had already checked and given her another day to do it in) Her mother came to the school, demanded that the CPE fetch me from a lesson (she refused) and told me that it was all totally her fault and that I should punish her instead of her daughter.
Maybe, I've turned into a French teacher without realising it. But I don't think that kind of attitude does anybody any favours
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What I am not sure on is whether she has to choose a nationality when she reaches 18 or whatever. Anyone out there any ideas?
From what I've understood, a child born with French and Britsh nationality doesn't have to chose and can continue to have the two as an adult.
I'm not too sure about what happens for national service. All French children are supposed to register at 16/17 and then do their journée du citoyen at 18, but since they are supposed to register in the commune de résidance, I don't know what happens for people who don't live in France. They probably have to register at the consulat. I can't really see the french state forcing someone back to france for one day. Of course, by the time your daughter is 18, all that will probably have changed.
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As from today, I am French.
I applied for French nationality last year and have just signed for the déclaration de nationalité at the Tribunal d'Instance. It was handed to me with a smile and "vous êtes maintenant française".
The little information sheet I was given says "if you have kept the nationality of your pays d'origin, you may use that nationality there, but in doing so you may not be able to ask for help from the french diplomatic corps" (rough translation)
I know that some countries in Europe signed a treaty (I think it's the treaty of Luxembourg) that meant that you couldn't have nationality of two countries in the group (France and Germany for example) The UK didn't sign. I haven't had to "renounce" my British nationality. (I wouldn't have done it in that case)
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The best thing to do is call the British embassy, they are very clear and explain well.
My husband is French and I'm British so our children have the right to both nationalities. We didn't do anything about registering them for either nationality. Since they were born in France, they have French birth certificates. All three have French ID cards (they're free) and the youngest has a French passport too.
Not long after the eldest was born, we realised we didn't have enough time to get him a French ID card before travelling so we called the British embassy and had him added to my passport (warning; you can't do this any more) All we needed were his and my birth certificates.
That passport has since expired so none of them have any form of British passport at the moment. A couple of years ago, I rang the consulate in Marseilles to see if it would be necessary to register their births with the embassy before getting passports and I was told that it was both unnecessary and expensive. Since I was Britsih and born in the UK, then they had British nationality (although not being born in the UK, they can't pass it on) Apparently when (if) I get round to getting them UK passports, they will just need their French birth certs and my UK one.
As for tips on parenthood; Just enjoy it
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I'm sorry to hear your story, unfortunately I'm not all that surprised.
I am a collège teacher and over the last few weeks a lot of my 3emes from last year have popped back in to visit. Most of them are in a state of shock from what they are going through at the moment in lycée. These are bright French kids who have been through the French system from the start. This happens every year so I spent quite a lot of last year warning them that their first year in lycée would be tough, but they are still having trouble adapting. I know from experience that by christmas most of them will have managed it, but at least 25% won't be going on to 1ere next year.
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Question: Are you happy in France?
Answer: Sometimes.
I've been here for 13 years. This is the place I live. My hapiness or unhappiness aren't reliant on being in France. I didn't choose to come here for a "better life". I happened to fall in love with someone who was French (and who already had a job here) I didn't move away from the Uk but to France (eyes wide open, I had already lived here for short bursts) I don't live in idyllic rural France but in a town, like the majority of French people.
The bad days are when I'd love to be able to speak English to somebody who doesn't have to prepare the sentence in their head before saying it, to be able to quote the Goon show and be understood, when I feel I have to explain and apologise for not being French and not doing things the French way.
The good days are when the sun is shining and I can go out and run on the hills with my kids.
Speaking English in France
in French Language
Posted
Our French electrician told us in French that in our part of France (Manche) young apprentices have to study a second language as part of their college training to be a mechanic, plumber etc. And guess what 2nd language they all chose, English.
In lycée professionel, there is just one foreign language (as opposed to 2 in most lycées generals) but it is part of the obligatory 'tronc commun'. Most LEP's only offer English, so there is no choice. Unfortunately the curriculum is more likely to get them to be able to discuss Tony Blair, the Titanic or life in the future (all subjetcs I've had to listen to as BEP examiner) than technical terms. The technical and professional bacs teach more specialised vocabulary (or at least, they used to)