Hello there and welcome to my last newsletter of 2007. Over this year I have talked about many aspects of French life and living. Now, as the year draws to a close and I reflect on what I have done – or not done – and plan to do in 2008, I am going to offer you a somewhat light-hearted but very relevant miniature guide to communicating and integrating in your new French home (or future French home!).

Our French friends are just across a small stretch of water, they are fellow Europeans and are blessed with living in a most beautiful country. As with most nationalities however, there are certain little generalisations in their culture and language which set them apart and make them fundamentally different from us Brits. We would do well to at least try to understand a few of these, and in this month’s newsletter you will find a few hints on how best to get on in France, how to embrace the French way and perpetuate our love affair with France.

The great French writer, Claude Gagniere, is quoted as saying:

“A man who speaks three languages is trilingual.
A man who speaks two languages is bilingual.
A man who speaks only one language is English”

Yes, on this little island of ours, we are a bit lazy at learning other languages. We somehow assume most people will understand us when we speak English – and indeed many do. But your efforts at speaking French will be richly rewarded, no matter if peppered with small errors. It is never too late to learn and once you have a few sentences up your sleeve and receive a warm response from your new neighbours for example, you will be inspired to carry on and learn some more!

To help you on your way to finding a property France, do feel free to send me your details on our property form and I will have you saying “bonjour” sooner than you think:

http://www.francebuyingguide.com/property.htm

Kind regards,

Alexis
France Buying Guide
The Overseas Guides Company

10 EASY STEPS TO GREAT COMMUNICATION IN FRANCE

Having lived in France, travelled extensively and owning property there, I can assure you that the French are human too and will welcome you with open arms if you make an effort to communicate with them! I cannot stress enough how important it is to at least make an attempt to learn French. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes and do remember that the more you speak, the more you will learn as you go along.

Did you know that the French find their language spoken with an English accent as attractive as we do when we hear a French accent? Hard to believe I know, but true, I am assured by my many French friends! Go on: give it a go!

So here are my top 10 tips for easy integration: try some of them when you next go off to France and see how you get on – and let me know, I am always interested to hear your stories!

• Take the bull by the horns and introduce yourself to your neighbours, your local maire and chat to local shopkeepers. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and listen to the answer: you may not catch it all but even if you get the gist of it, you are on your way to better understanding.

• Accept all invitations! As with most things in life, it is attitude which counts. Smile and say “bonjour” to everyone you meet. You will find people are interested in you: you are ‘different’, they will want to know your story, why you are in France, what made you choose their area.

• Choose a good tool to help you along - books, on-line courses, DVDs, CDs - or you may decide to go on a French course: there are many both in France and the UK. Rosetta Stone is worth checking out, a GREAT way to learn.

• Have a French radio station on everywhere, at home, in the car, listen out in shops, cafes and bars when in France

• Play yourself some French songs whilst you are mooching about the house. Check out Jacques Brel singing “Ne me quitte pas” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJIZu37Hfr0) OK, he is Belgian but his French songs are both romantic and nostalgic – plus he has a wonderful voice! Also Georges Brassens (http://georgesbrassens.artistes.universalmusic.fr/) wrote some really quaint folk songs.

• Watch French TV – watch anything: films, news, documentaries, the weather, it really doesn’t matter as long as you get regular exposure to the language. (NB the news is always a good one: news readers tend to speak more slowly and clearly, and don’t forget children’s TV! The language will be simpler to understand.)

• Become aware of body language and use it to your advantage. As a general rule of thumb, each time you meet someone new, offer your hand as handshaking is BIG in France, even between friends. You will have broken the ice!

• Take note of the classic Gallic shrug: the shoulders rise, there is an air of insouciance, an “I don’t give a damn” look in their eyes…This has, no doubt, come about to deal - in the most charming way - with the sometimes overbearing red tape in France. You will soon feel more at ease, the French are not really as uptight as we sometimes think.

• Take heart from the fact that the French language has far fewer words than English (600-700,000 as opposed to close to 1,000,000 in English) and anyway, many of them are “English”! Britain’s increasing dominance in industry, sports, textiles, fashion has meant that several English words have crept their way into the French language – not to mention the dominance of the USA in areas such as business, computer technology, finance and media over the last century.

• It works the other way too: some studies say that as much as 40% of English comes from French sources and for this we have to thank the Normans. After the Vikings raided Northern France in the 11th century, they settled in Normandy and quickly adopted French culture and the language, so that by the middle of the century they were completely immersed in the French language.

Okay...That wraps up my ten top tips for easy integration. Please feel free to ring me any time to discuss your plans to purchase and/or move to France. You can reach me on 0207 898 0549. And please check out our resources page that offers links to various services that may be of help to you with your plans to purchase in France: http://www.francebuyingguide.com/links.htm

Thinking Ahead & Currency Rates

by Smart Currency’s Charles Purdy.

People often ask me why thinking ahead with currency exchange is so important. I think this is best answered by looking at the extreme values of just two currencies, the Euro and the US$, over the last year and what £100,000 would have bought:

	Best Rate	Received	Worst Rate	Received	Difference between Best and Worst Rate
Euro	1.527	€ 152,700	1.394	€ 139,400	€ 13,700
US Dollar	2.113	$ 211,300	1.932	$ 193,200	$ 18,100

What causes such large differences in the course of a year?

Some are obvious such as the surprise increase in UK interest rates we had in January 2007 or the first run on a UK bank [i.e. Northern Rock] for over a hundred years. These tend to lead to large and very rapid movements.

Others are less obvious. Subtle changes in interest rate expectations or economic performance can lead to smaller changes, but can still result in you getting less than you expected when you come to purchase your currency. If you are on a tight budget this could be very painful.

You cannot defy gravity with exchange rates and if you need to do something quickly then you need to work in a narrow range of possible exchange rates. Smart Currency Exchange can still save you money by watching the market for you - there are always better times to buy or sell, even when time is short.

If you open a currency account with Smart Currency Exchange early, it immediately increases your options significantly through their expertise and their ability to secure an exchange rate that works for your budget. So, if you haven't already dones so, make a New Year's resolution to open a currency account with Smart Currency Exchange as soon as possible.

Euro Update and Comments

Sterling has made small but steady gains against most currencies apart from the US$. UK economic news has been mixed with pressure on house prices and sales volume countered by a surge in production price inflation. The latter means that the market has become unsure on future cuts in UK interest rates. The central banks of the UK, US and Euro land agreed a loan package in an attempt to add liquidity to a credit market that was/is in danger of grinding to a halt. Still uncertain times and an uncertain future for sterling.

The € is still the preferred currency when compared to the US$ or sterling and sits at €1.399/£1 inter bank. Inflation is also of concern to the European Central Bank. Any cuts in € interest rates are very unlikely short to medium term. But clearly the credit crunch is having an affect on Euro land as the ECB were part of the consortium noted above. Euro land cannot be immune to the slowing down elsewhere. They may not have the overhang of highly priced properties throughout Euro land but businesses need to export and if elsewhere is contracting and the strong € makes these exports less competitive then the € will suffer.

To get a Better-than-Bank go to: http://www.smartCurrencyExchange.com/smartsquotation.htm
or call Carl on 08081 630 102 freephone.

Burning Question - Is it feasible to live in France and work in the UK?

Question: My new husband and I have just come back from Paris, where we spent our honeymoon, and were so impressed with the beautiful new international station at St. Pancras. A blink of the eye and you are saying “bonjour” to Paris! I hear talk of a new breed of workers: the “eurocommuter” – is it really feasible to live in France and work in the UK?

Answer: It most certainly is! It is estimated that 20% of people moving to France plan to commute back to Britain. Lille is just 80 minutes away now (closer to London than Manchester) and many people are spending 2 or 3 days a week working in the UK and the rest of the time living in their homes in France. France has weathered the global credit crunch better than other parts of the world and is a stable market. The fact that it is now so much quicker to travel to will certainly help to bolster property prices although they are still around 30% lower than those in the UK.

So what are you waiting for? Just go and hop on that lovely new train!

www.eurostar.com

Do you plan to commute between England and France? I would love to hear your story. Please take a look at my France Forum: all contributions are most gratefully received:

www.fbg-forum.com

Before I sign off...

Christmas fast approaches and “Pere Noel” will be climbing down every French child’s chimney very soon. Most French towns have a Christmas market in the run-up to Christmas. They sell all sorts of speciality goods and gifts and every village will have its Christmas concert and nativity play. This is a time when the feeling of community in France is at its strongest.

If you have time, I urge you to take a little trip across the water on that wonderfully quiet, fast train – even if you just go for a day! Take a little case with you and stock up on some lovely French goodies in time for your Christmas celebrations. Yes I know the shops are full of French fare here but there is nothing like actually buying your camembert in France and bringing it home: I swear it tastes better….

Until next time, I wish you “Joyeuses Fetes” and “Bonne Annee”. Let’s look forward to a wonderful and peaceful 2008 and for those who have not quite found “the” property yet, just imagine: a year from now you may be reading this by your fireside in your lovely home in France!

If you want to buy a property, have a story to tell me or simply have a general query on anything French, just email me on:

Mailto:Alexis@overseasguidescompany.com

or phone me on:

020 7898 0549, Ext. 6067

With very best wishes to you,

Alexis (and Kim)
France Buying Guide/ Overseas Guides Company