Author Archives: Carolevr Tidswellvr

Hospitals in France

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Hi Tony,
I have a house just south of Chinon where I and my wife live for about three months each year. Last June, I had a mini stroke and was taken to hospital in Poitiers. I have no doubt that the medical attention was excellent but the problem was communication! My French is ok for general living but does not cover medical things. I tried to get a interpreter but was told it was not possible. The food was very poor, not at all what I expected and the general friendliness non existent. Do you have any ideas about finding an interpreter in the hospital system?
Kind regards,
George

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Hi George,

Sorry to hear you were unwell and in hospital.

Here in Herault my personal experience of the hospitals is very good – local wine with the meals and I could not wish for kinder and more positive helpful people.

Language is a problem, if you do not speak French, you will have difficulty communicating. I am not aware of any translation service provided by any hospital – but there are usually professional translators in most towns, or you may find useful contacts who can assist you in local journals or from online local websites with classified adverts.You could also advertise yourself for someone to assist you.

Tony


Should I move to France with a Family

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Bonjour!

I live in North Carolina, US. But have always wanted to live in France. I have finally talked my family into moving also, but would love to know someone who has done this before and could give me some pointers. My thought was to run a bed and breakfast, we dont have the money to buy but are willing to work. Any suggestions and tips I would greatly appreciate. Thank you. You have a lovely place, I hope to see one day.

Elizabeth

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Hello Elizabeth,

I moved to France nearly 20 years ago with Carole and our two little girls and none of us regret one second. But, it is not the right decision for everyone;

We had a family from California staying with us this August, they booked for 5 weeks to see if this was the country where they wanted to make their home – after three weeks they had rented a villa for a year and plan to stay and make their life here.

The difficulty is earning a living – unless you have an income already, getting work is very difficult.

I know of other people from the USA, Australia and the UK who work on the Internet and live in France, so earning money is possible – getting employment in France, even if you speak perfect French, is hard (or near to impossible).

We run a successful BandB with some apartments, this works because I have been marketing vacation rentals on the Internet for 12 years and can generate business. But is is a lifestyle, a good B and B will cost a million euro at least to set up and it would never be possible to finance a loan on this and make a living – it is also getting harder as more people open more accommodation, for (optimistically) the same market.

However, the only way you can know if this is the challenge for you is to come here and stay awhile, many do and many find what they want.

I am happy to help and comment on any ideas, but each person has different skills, needs, and dreams.

Hope to see you also

Tony