91Èȱ¬

Life in France no holiday

I moved permanently to France about 18 months ago.This followed nearly two years of very hard commuting weekly between London and our home 20 kms from Paris. My wife is French and we have a young daughter. For me moving to France was a necessity to be with my family. I love France much more than my native Berkshire. However, living here in the Banlieue, Ile de France, is no holiday.I am far from fluent in French and may never be completely. Dealing with day-to-day issues can be very difficult and frustrating. The French are generally very nice people but they don't suffer fools and they don't care whether you are English or not when it comes to servicing the central heating system! This is not the Provence or the Gironde and we have here many of the same problems that suburban London has. Crime, graffiti and vandalism etc. although perhaps not quite on the same level. Many things are cheap here but jobs are not so well paid and employment can be much more difficult to find than in England. Socially we have marvellous neighbours and friends but speaking English is quite rare. If anyone is thinking about moving to suburban France then think carefully. House prices here are increasing at an alarming rate too. The rail system and the roads are good but not perfect. You can equate the ±Êé°ù¾±±è³óé°ù¾±±ç³Ü±ð with the North/South circular a bit and the M25 with the Francilienne and all their massive congestions. Plumbing, electricity and even computers are all different and need to be understood before you can make them work.I try not get too involved too much with ex-pats. Most that I know prefer to live discretly as the French do. My best English contact is the 91Èȱ¬ on the internet.

Sent by: Carl

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