Mon voisin est Anglais - France 3 - 0h10

[andrew44]

Bonsoir,

France 3 Monday at 0h10  i.e.10 minutes after midnight...

Programme about folk in Morbihan (56).

You know who you are !

@+

Andrew 44

[Clair]

http://guidetv.france3.fr/jsp/prog/fiche.jspx?idProg=31886873

[andrew44]

Thank you, Clair !

[mint]

Should be good and I have spent quite a few weeks in different parts of 56............

[tizzylizzy]

Did anyone see that documentery last night on France3 called 'Mon voisin est anglais' ? It followed three or four English families who had sold up and moved to Brittany. It was very interesting to see the French take on it and I don't think the Brits came out of it too badly.

[Maricopa]

See here for a clip.

And the program was briefly discussed here.

(worth merging mods?)

[Clair]

Threads now merged [:)]

[mint]

Wish they hadn't put it on quite so late but I did find it interesting and was glad they had people of working age with young families instead of us "economically inactive" retirees who spend all their time eating out in restaurants and sipping the odd apero or five!  LOL (if only!)

I thought that, in the manner of all good documentaries, the subjects were allowed plenty of time to speak about the things that mattered to them.  It was interesting how the husbands (pay attention, men!) appeared to be the ones struggling most with the language and how the children were unfazed by this new way of communication and the sets of new friends.

BTW, there was a trailer for Le Village Français which returns on 13 Oct.  Goody-good, another fix of those wonderful wartime fashions and hairstyles............chic or what?[:)] 

[Maricopa]

[quote user="sweet 17"]It was interesting how the husbands (pay attention, men!) appeared to be the ones struggling most with the language [/quote]

Sorry S17, I arrived here with slightly worst French than my wife, but am now streets ahead of her, though she can do very well at times[:D] A bit of a generalisation there me thinks[;-)]

Thank you Clair.

[NormanH]

Still more of the same old rubbish!

The publicity makes much of the usual anti-British French prejudices

:"ils viennent en France à la recherche d’une meilleure qualité de vie,

loin des violences et du rythme excessif des villes. Pour eux,

l’Angleterre a perdu ses repères sociaux et humains au profit des

seules valeurs du travail et de la rentabilité'

The implied binary opposition is evidently very flattering to France, which is why the media pump it out:

' A better quality of life' without any explanation of what is being

measured.

 In most cases this equals 'a mortgage-free life' but that is

not specifically French!

If it is so wonderful why do I read:

"Le suicide des jeunes est en passe de devenir la première cause de mortalité chez les moins de 20 ans"?

'Far from towns' making the tired assumption that this is what all

British people do and completely ignoring those of us who live in urban

environments, and so completely skewing the sample.

'Violence and excessively busy towns' as if  Marseille,  Paris, 

Toulouse, Lyon didn't exist and ignoring the fact that  even small 

French towns have  problems, particularly with rural vandalism and

boredom .( Did any one see "Cités vivre avec les trafficants' on France

2 last night? There were even dealers in the depth of the countryside!)

Then the smug superiority of the 'French way'... "England has lost its

human and social standards and only work and profit count"

(Did any one see 'un Nouveau suicide chez France Télécom"?). Anybody

tried to get full-time job in France as opposed to living off the

property or investments brought over from the UK?

[Chancer]

[quote user="NormanH"]Still more of the same old rubbish!

Anybody tried to get full-time job in France as opposed to living off the property or investments brought over from the UK?


[/quote]

I agree with you Norman and I saw both the programs, but as for your last sentence! - Wash your mouth out with soap young man! [:D][6]

[mint]

[quote user="Maricopa"]

[quote user="sweet 17"]It was interesting how the husbands (pay attention, men!) appeared to be the ones struggling most with the language [/quote]

Sorry S17, I arrived here with slightly worst French than my wife, but am now streets ahead of her, though she can do very well at times[:D] A bit of a generalisation there me thinks[;-)]

Thank you Clair.

[/quote]

Of course, I didn't mean ALL husbands or even ALL men, I just meant the husbands shown on the programme last night.[:P]

Before I came and met all these other Brit immigrants, I'd assumed that most people could, if they put their minds to it, learn enough of the language to conduct their day-to-day life and be able to exchange more than 10 words with the natives.  Alas, how wrong I was........but that's another story.

And Norman, I totally agree about people being able to "earn a living".  In fact, I have heated arguments with OH about it; he being of the school that it would "all work out", but then he doesn't read the posts on the Forum[:'(] and he's a natural dreamer.

Do you think that, at a later date, they will make a docu about people whose money has run out, who still barely understand French (never mind speak it) and who might have to console themselves with the immortal phrase "at least we tried it" even as they pack up to go back to the UK?

And, no, I'm not indulging in a dose of schadenfreude, I hate seeing people's hopes being dashed and I feel desperately sorry for them but I don't know what the answer is and whether warts-and-all documentaries could ever "tell it as it is."

There again, there MUST be somewhere out there people who have made it, got a job, earn their keep and that of their families.  It's just that they are probably too busy getting on with their lives to agree to appear in documentaries.

 

[Pickles]

[quote user="sweet 17"]Do you think that, at a later date, they will make a docu about people whose money has run out, who still barely understand French (never mind speak it) and who might have to console themselves with the immortal phrase "at least we tried it" even as they pack up to go back to the UK?[/quote]

Haven't they already done this a few months ago, reporting about an exodus from Dordogneshire? I seem to recall an episode of Capital/Zone Interdite or some such programme interviewing some people who were packing up and yes, some could not speak French.

Regards

Pickles

[mint]

Dordogneshire doesn't count, Pickles, cos' Dordogneshire is only Home Counties, innit?[:P]

Apologies to dwellers of Dordogneshire but there again, you've heard the jokes before, haven't you?[;-)]

[Pickles]

[quote user="sweet 17"]Dordogneshire doesn't count, Pickles, cos' Dordogneshire is only Home Counties, innit?[:P]

[/quote]

Ah, of course, silly me! I evidently missed that memo ...

Regards

Pickles

[Ladoix]

I've got a full time job on a CDI, have a young family and a mortgage. My husband is self employed as a carpenter now but that is our choice, as he has spent many years employed as a carpenter in France and now we share the childcare.

We have been here well over 10 years and would never ever go and live in the UK.

However, we both speak pretty good French, despite not having the language when we started out.

[Judith]

[quote user="Maricopa"]

Sorry S17, I arrived here with slightly worst French than my wife, but am now streets ahead of her, though she can do very well at times[:D] A bit of a generalisation there me thinks[;-)]

[/quote]

It is acknowledged that in many cases, men do have more problems with language learning than women.  Another generalisation I know, but in my experience some men will not speak until they have get it right, thus they don't speak and thus don't learn.  It is also generally thought that the facility to jabber in any language is more a feminine trait than a man's (but I'm not sure I agree with that one!!).

What I do think is relevant is the age at which you learn a foreign language - it is certainly easier the younger you are.

However, speaking another language (or not) does not preclude communication failure - one of our English neighbours (male) speaks little French, his neighbour no English, but they chatter away and understand each other somehow.  Another English friend (female) speaks little French but I have heard her communicate in French to other French in a mixture of French and English and be totally understood.  And very funny too  - so it can be done without a huge command of language.

[Scooby]

 [quote user="sweet 17"]

Dordogneshire doesn't count, Pickles, cos' Dordogneshire is only Home Counties, innit?[:P]

Apologies to dwellers of Dordogneshire but there again, you've heard the jokes before, haven't you?[;-)]

[/quote]

We picked 24 because 17 was full of Brits Sweet...oh and we preferred the scenery [;-)]

[Judith]

[quote user="NormanH"]

 

Anybody

tried to get full-time job in France as opposed to living off the

property or investments brought over from the UK?

[/quote]

Yes, one of the slightly younger (than us) English couples here in the village are here because he was recruited to his job as marketing manager for a wine domaine - he travels extensively (hence presumably the need for an English speaker) but his French is fluent enough to be idiomatic, and the three kids are (of course) bilingual.  He started off with only 'O' level English - so it can be done chaps!

[Frenchie]

[quote user="NormanH"]Still more of the same old rubbish!

The publicity makes much of the usual anti-British French prejudices
:"ils viennent en France à la recherche d’une meilleure qualité de vie, loin des violences et du rythme excessif des villes. Pour eux, l’Angleterre a perdu ses repères sociaux et humains au profit des seules valeurs du travail et de la rentabilité'


[/quote]

Still; this is very often the answer you get from British people when asked why they came here to France.

( Not saying this is true in all cases! )

[Celine]

If that is the answer given, then the interviewer must be asking the question of all the disillusioned and embittered British ex pats, many of whom might have experienced problems or difficulties in their lives in the UK. There are many who want escapism and who can't cope with the fast progress and changing psychology of their homeland. Their strategy is to attack the UK and then think a change of country will solve all their worries. There is no reason to suggest the UK has lost its values, its just an evolving place and who's to say that a better quality of life is to be found far from big towns where actually most of this rhythmical progress is taking place. Maybe your French voisin is secretly a bit envious of life in London or Manchester, so why try to colour his views in a negative way by labouring the bad points?

[Jenk]

:"ils viennent en France à la recherche d’une meilleure qualité de vie, loin des violences et du rythme excessif des villes. Pour eux, l’Angleterre a perdu ses repères sociaux et humains au profit des seules valeurs du travail et de la rentabilité'

Well, whats's so wrong with this, anyway?

I'm moving to France next year and am certainly not an embittered ex pat, but I'd agree with some of these statements, otherwise why would I be moving?  I'll always be English and proud of that, and there are aspects of England that I love. I don't constantly criticise the country that I come from because it's been good to me.  However, I've got the chance to move abroad now - have chosen France because I speak the language, am familiar with the culture and the people and their general attitudes to what's important in life and yes, I think I am seeking a better quality of life ....   France has just as many problems as any country and if I was 20 years younger with a young family and no money and no prospects, I would not be contemplating a move as I would not be naieve enough to think that everything would be idyllic in France.  I agree that England isn't such a bad place to be but still, I don't think (generally) the values are the same now as they were when I was a child and the change is not for the better.

[Celine]

Sorry, Jenk, I didn't mean to tar you with the same brush, as you are moving to France for the right reasons and yet still hold the UK dear. It's just there has been a lot of UK bashing by ex pats recently, mainly to justify their own situation, and some of them now regard their homeland as an alien planet, not just a different country.

I do agree with you that things have changed from when we were children, but my point was that today's children/youngsters are living a pretty OK life in the UK and will sort themselves out regardless. The quote suggests some kind of lawless society which doesn't give a true picture to our neighbours, but that's probably journalism for you.

[Jenk]

No apology necessary Celine.  I agree that some folk need to take a reality check and it really is a shame if Britain is portrayed abroad in such a way.

[NormanH]

What the UK is like is not important here.

People who are running away are likely to find that the problem is themselves.

My point was that to imagine that  moving to France is a way of avoiding these things is to be  an ostrich.

I regularly post references to news stories which show just the sort of things that people moan about in the UK, but which are happening in  France.