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25 and bored in charante martime!!


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Hi,

Been living in Charente Maritime for 7 months (helping family renovate an old farmhouse) since completing my degree. The trouble is we are quite a drive (can't drive either!!) away from a bar or anything and getting quite bored with being isolated in the sticks. I love the area and life style but really would like to start doing things on an evening other than watching Tv or writing this message.

Anybody out there? or any sugestions for places to go (other than back to the UK you miserable f**ker!).

Thanks

Charley

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You've partly answered your own question. The first thing you've got to do is get mobile. Even if it's only a scooter.

I can't see the Charente Maritime being much different to the Vienne and around here people get involved by joining everything from pool teams to choirs. All depends what rings your bells.

We live in a tiny commune, but even they have a Maison de Jeaune, which among other things organised a weekend skiing trip recently.

For most things it doesn't matter how good or bad your French is as long as you try. They just love the Brit's getting involved.

So get mobile and visit your good old local Mairie or maybe tourist office. One things for sure. If you want action, you're going to have to go to it, 'cause it sure ain't gonna come to you.

Good Luck

Paul

http://www.unique-crafts-from-france.com/

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I agree with biereventre, see what is happening in the village and getting mobile would seem to be important.

Rural France, boring, yes I agree. My sons from the age of about 16 had this understanding maman who taxied them here there and everywhere to see friends, and who understood that they should not be limited to the insular world of our village which incidentally has at least 30 associations.

 

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Our little village also has loads and loads of associations, but it's also true that many of them are during the day and frequented by retired people, because they're the only ones who have the spare time to do many of these activities.

Trawl round all the Mairies in the area and see what they have to offer, then, ummmmm....... get on your bike?    

The more you get out and about, the more you'll see there is going on, but unfortunately it's not all advertised everywhere, and it's often a case of being in the right place at the right time.  We've had some lovely days out after seeing things advertised e.g. in a window on a chance visit to a different boulangerie or whatever.   Pick up every "What's on" type of paper or mag you see too, there are often odd little events and activities hidden in them.

Put Système D into action. 

Bonne chance!

 

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Welcome to rural France. An excellent area to wait for the "crim reaper" or play Lotto with the locals, or drink yourself into oblivion with the ex-pats.

Escape as quickly as possible to Paris/London/States before stagnation sets in or worse still, become a forum guru.

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Escape as quickly as possible to Paris/London/States before stagnation sets in or worse still, become a forum guru.

Sadly true, Boghound!  

But surely there's more than Loto in rural France?  What about the thrill of boules on a dusty piece of waste ground, or reminiscing about the best choucroute you ever had or debating the best way to get your home-made mayonnaise to monte?  That can pass at least an hour if you approach it in the right frame of mind.   La Poste do some pretty stamps too.

 

 

 

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"La Poste do some pretty stamps too."

Just got a few sheets of the latest one's. Spent a joyful 30 mins admiring them. Well, back to watching the wildlife either kill each other or breed.

Charley. You don't have to worry too much about which side of the road to curl up in here. The fosse are so deep, you can easily drown.

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[quote]Right I'm getting wheels!!! Which side of the road is it polite to curl up and die on in France?Thanks guys, feeling better for eight hours of chauxing and reading the above.Charley[/quote]

Charley. You deffo need wheels but also maybe you are just too young to hibernate?It's brill in summer with the lovely hot weather, as long as hot weather is your bag! Rural France is not so different from rural England in that if you don't know anyone it can be a bit boring!!Add the problem of language and it's worse! You probably need a city for the winter! Hey, summer's around the corner so maybe make different plans for next winter?

 

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Beware getting transport with deux roues. You are still in the age group at high risk of death on french roads. The mention of curling up and dying on the road side is not really a joke in France, the figures are dreadful.

Now my kids have gone, I too suffer from boring evenings, lack of fairly cheap and pleasant entertainment without a longish drive and I'm over twice your age. It always struck me that for all we moved to quite a dynamic village, it had great voids for older kids, young adults and now I find for older adults too.

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So Charley, I am wondering whether you plan to stay longterm with the parents in the Charente-Maritime. Is this house renovation a sort of "gap-year"  project? will there be something else to move on to i.e. university in U.K. or a job / career perhaps? 

I don't know where you are based but I would think you need to consider living close to la Rochelle or Bordeaux where there would be an active social life and possible friends of your own age.

Good luck and I hope you manage to find a life there.

Gill

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I got my music composition degree, got a job I did'nt like (IRS!), broke up with girlfriend of five years, quit job and then thought...what now? Fortunatley my parents had just bought a huge Charente farmhouse that needed completely renovating.

I'm really enjoying the renovation and we are thinking of doing some more places up (how original!!).

I think I just need to get a bit more involved locally and I'll be fine,

Charley
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".......and we are thinking of doing some more places up....."

Yippee! How about mine? If you could finish it off over the summer I'd be well pleased.

Not much yoof around here but could let you have a few beers and use of the telly in the evenings!

zeb........in sunny Charente!

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Charley, apologies from me, I did not mean to sound harsh with my last reply! (Put that down to brain not functioning having got up very early to catch flight home from Bordeaux.)

I don't know which part of 17 you live in but will send you a PM with some possible suggestions for things to do locally.

amicalement

Gill

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Coming in to this a bit late, but Charley my son is the same age as you. When he came down early last summer he was appalled at how  'in the sticks' we are here. On the phone to my mum in England, he described it as being 'like an open prison'. Not that he really knows, I feel I have to add

On the good days he took himself off on the mountain bike, he's pretty fit anyway and lives/cycles in hilly Sheffield so it was no problem for him to cycle long distances. He teamed up with a few guys in a bar and played pool with them, about 5k from us. He hardly speaks a word of French, but by the end of the 10 days he was getting by, and was pretty smug that he had widened our social circle.

tresco

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Hello Charley,

I actually thought you were a chick! Maybe you are and your 'girlfriend' is your partner!

Anyway there is a really good bar called Les Gabareillers (sp.) in the Charente - tis almost an English pub, I was quite shocked when I visited there - all those Anglos and they served Guiness.  They have live bands on Saturday night.  Le Val Charente has all the info on it. Certainly worth a look!

Deby

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Hi Charley,

Haven't read _all_ the replies, but here goes. I imagine that after a day's worth of renovation you're physically quite tired, but mentally still pretty agile.

How about trying to learn something? Seriously. Would it be too silly to suggest that you make an effort to learn French. Ask at the Marie if there are any courses available, or if they know someone who might like to take turn and turn about helping you with French while you help them with English.

Another possibility, see if you can get someone to teach you French cooking. It may be that _they_ have wheels. But I do think you're going to have to get your own wheels and learn to drive. Being mobile is essential in rural anywhere, especially France. Skooter or bike would do for starters. True that many get killed, but that's often because they're slapdash. Drive safely and you'll be fine. At least there's not too much traffic around!

HTH

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