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France-How to avoid the Brits


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And I thought the age of the 'what can we fill this space with? - I know, somebody rehash that article about the number of British people escaping Tony Blair by moving to France' style of journalism was long gone.

The only thing that mystifies me is the title. As far as I can see, few of those who come here actually want to avoid their fellow countrymen - quite the opposite.

If the Guardian would like an article on what nasty surprises await the British when they get here, and why Britain is actually good value for money, then please get in touch...[;)]

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I must be part of the few then,thing is when they come knocking on your door and say Hi I`m english and live just down the road,we are here for 2 weeks(in english)what do you say?????????oh then there is the other english who speaks no french work on the black brit reg`d car for over two years,ok I just ignore them.
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For once I agree with Le Bouffon.   I am one of the few too - I don't see why it should be assumed that you are going to be friends with someone just because they share your nationality.

I also agree with Will.   What sloppy journalism!  It would be hard to stand up a single fact in that piece.......  

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[quote user="Opalienne"]Meant to say - just back from two day's in Nice (work).   It seemed to be totally overrun by Americans.......  [/quote]

Is it just Europe becoming more cosmopolitan?

Last time I was in Paris, I was askwed for directions no fewer than five times over two days, four by Americans and one by a Brit. All in poor French!

And here in Bliar's UK, in sunny Scunny, you can't hear English being spoken on the High Street, or in Sainsburys, (the most central of our supermarkets). It's all either Eastern European, or Urdu, or whatever other languages Asians speak, (not being racist here, I just don''t know WHAT they speak)

Alcazar

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[quote user="zeb"]Funny that Agnes forgot to mention the number of French in the UK![/quote]

But do they have their own aisles in the supermarkets, or 'artisans' who mainly cater for the French ? Is there a forum for the French living in England ?? there's a thought.--Just off to register some domains (smile) 

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[quote user="Owens88"]

[quote user="zeb"]Funny that Agnes forgot to mention the number of French in the UK![/quote]

But do they have their own aisles in the supermarkets, or 'artisans'

who mainly cater for the French ? Is there a forum for the French

living in England ?? there's a thought.--Just off to register some

domains (smile) 

[/quote]

Yep, they sure do have their own forums in England and they have no

need have their own aisles, the UK is so world orientated, that anyone

from anywhere can get what they like, unlike in France where many non

French items are objets non gratis. And as we all know, the British workmen are the best in the world, so no room for the French artisan to muscle in.....[;)]

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In London there are several shops which stock French goods. There is also a website with forum - can't remember what it's called, someone posted it on TF the other day.

However, it's pretty obvious that those moving to Britain are younger and, dare I say looking for/are more adaptable to a more cosmopolitan lifestyle, than many of the Brits moving to France. They go, mainly to the cities, because they want to embrace the language, the culture, the food etc and earn money, rather than retire to France profund and moan about where the next jar of marmite is coming from. Or so says my neighbour's son who spent a year in Ealing working in Pizza Hut to learn English and so get a better career when he returned to France.

Perhaps, to the author of the article, they are not so obvious as the 600,000 who have moved to the villages of France.
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[quote user="Christine Animal"][quote user="Owens88"]

 Is there a forum for the French living in England ?? there's a thought.--[/quote]

Here's one (I wonder if they have a Mr. Le Bouffant or a Culotte à Poils) :

http://www.canalexpat.com/index.asp

 

 [/quote]

How interesting. Bit of a strange layout, but I am heartened to see

that some correspondants are as clueless as some of us (alright, me).

Like that young lady asking how she gets her perscription charges

refunded...

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I can't remember the last time I spoke to a brit. Apparently there's heaps in my village, but fortunately haven't met any of them. But then I've only been here since October and I guess with summertime coming there'll be a big invasion.

Spend most of my social time with my good French friends and the lovely shallow relationships (because of the language barrier). Haven't seen England in nearly 8 years and wouldn't worry me if I never saw it again (not even sure what nationality I consider myself to be in fact). France is beautiful.

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[quote user="Opalienne"]

For once I agree with Le Bouffon.   I am one of the few too - I don't see why it should be assumed that you are going to be friends with someone just because they share your nationality.

I also agree with Will.   What sloppy journalism!  It would be hard to stand up a single fact in that piece.......  

[/quote]

 

[8-)] Me too!!!!! there are quite a few Brits in our area and they seem to congregate in a Brit bar/restaurant so we tend to avoid the place like the plague esp. when I found that some of the Brits had lived there for years but never used the French bars or restaurants.Seems strange to me to go and live in France and then avoid anything French [8-)]

Also overhearing some of  their conversations when they did use the French bar( only cos' the Brit one was closed at the time) made me more determined to avoid them, I wasn't eavesdropping by the way it was just a natural consequence of being within 100metres of them[:(]

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As someone who is looking forward to my move to France I find it quite worrying that  I will not be made welcome by some of those who have gone before me.  During my many visits all over France I have never met any coldness from the French people and will enjoy sharing their culture and, hopefully, their friendship.  I will, however, not turn my back on people because they are British.  I speak as I find  -  good in all.  Until they, personally,  prove me wrong.
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Why are people so keen to avoid “the Brits”. Myself I don’t avoid nor do I seek out people of any particular nationality. People are people. Some you get on with, some you don’t. Seems very strange to avoid people just because they have the same nationality as you.

Of course some “Brits” are awful (as are some French, some Dutch, some Belgians, some Germans, etc.). When I meet awful people I just tend not to make friends with them (irrespective of their nationality).

Ian

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I don't that it's an 'avoid the Brits' per se-  it's the impact that large numbers of Brits living in a small area have.

We enjoy the French culture, food, language etc. and so it would seem

pointless to be in an area where there are so many Brits (or people of

other nationalities for that matter) that the place has lost its

quintessentially French feel.  For example, in some parts of the

department where we are, there are so many Brits that many shops now

sell English produce, the bars sell English style food, the signs are

in English and English is spoken more often than French.  Those

areas simply have no appeal to us.  So however nice the Brits are

who live in that area we, of choice, would prefer to be elsewhere.

Hastobe

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Woah!!! don't get me wrong I may have put that badly [:$] we have met and are friends with some very nice ,very helpful Brits  but there does seem to be an element of the "ex-Pat" brigade that are very loud and brash and seem to want to live in a Brit ghetto not mixing with anyone else and spend their time being super critical of all things French [8-)]  I would avoid these whether I was in France, UK or anywhere for that matter and they seem to stand out in a crowd wherever.

 A recent example

 

 Last week we went to the Brico Depot in Morlaix, we came to leave the shop with a trolley with a couple of large boxes on, the exit doors had been blocked outside by a French mans car and trailer who in turn had been blocked in by a couple of Brits with their car and trailer, when the French man saw us trying to get past he tried to move his car and couldn't because of the Brit car, they could see the situation and deliberatley spent an eternity tying stuff down onto their trailer and messing about, they seemed to think this was funny  I didn't! when I remonstrated with them they just sneered and carried on their arrogant selfish behavior when all they had to do was move their car a few feet[:(]

To me it is this sort of behaviour that is going to get resentment built up against the Brits in France as nobody notices the nice , quiet, polite majority [:(]

 

I agree people of any nationality can be awful just I suppose there is a tendancy to notice those of your own when abroad LOL

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I agree people of any nationality can be awful

Especially when they are yelling their heads off in your native tongue!  I was laughing (or rather crying) with you on that point Paul.

... I suppose there is a tendancy to notice those of your own when abroad LOL

Yes, because we automatically understand everything they say and perhaps even their body language.

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