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 9th February 2010
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Life in CorrèzeKathleen Fourches shares her experiences of Corrèze
I could speak the language very well, having done a degree in French before I came, first as an English assistant in Lot, when I met my future husband. I even mastered the imperfect subjunctive better than many of my new compatriots, so I never had the difficulties so many 'expats' discover when imprudently selling up at home and settling in what they think must be a paradise. On the other hand, I was quite a novelty, as there were very few other foreigners in the region - and very little work I could hope to do. But I had a French family and brought up my two sons (bilingual of course) and looked after my teacher husband most of the time. We lived in Tulle, the 'chef-lieu' of Corrèze, the southernmost department of the region Limousin, which was little known and rarely visited. Yet, what a beautiful region it was – and still is! Our part of Corrèze is mainly agricultural, with little industry apart from the "Manufacture d'Armes" in Tulle (steadily losing employment after its heyday) and the one accordion factory in the country, and remains unspoilt by the lucrative kind of tourist industry met in other parts of France. There are miles of winding lanes to wander along in peace, by car, on bicycles or – as so many of us do today – on foot, there are lakes galore for summer bathing, quiet villages of graceful stone, honey-coloured or grey granite, small towns that have kept their markets and the timeless beauty of their ancient houses. The countryside is open to all, and you can pick mushrooms, blackberries, wild raspberries, chestnuts and even walnuts unheeded in each season. We first lived in Tulle, the chief town which has become over the years a very picturesque and pleasant place. There are now only about fifteen hundred inhabitants and its status as "capital" of Corrèze is much questioned by bigger Brive la Gaillarde, but it remains the administrative centre for the department, where the new inhabitants will find the information they need for their new life. It is small, but has many facilities: cinema, theatre, large sports centre, new aqua-recreational centre, - and for the expats, let me add a good general hospital and maternity home, not to mention education, several excellent primary schools, lycées classique (sixth form college) and professionnel (to learn a manual job). There is even higher education in the shape of special classes in the lycee classique which train students for different entrance exams after the baccalauréat (A-levels) and a University college of technology.
The ancient centre of Tulle is fascinating, and we never miss taking the English visitors on the twinning trips round the narrow, mediaeval streets, some just steps leading up some of the seven hills Tulle is reputed to be built upon. It is certainly a town to be savoured slowly, its often hidden beauty discovered round a corner, or when you raise your eyes to the rooftops of the narrow, stone houses. Most of our new inhabitants buy property in the country, where land is cheap and gardens therefore enormous by English standards, but never miss a chance of visiting Tulle! The people are charming, friendly and very talkative; go to one of the twice weekly markets (Wednesday and Saturday) and you will be able to chat with the vendors, often in English, for even the farmers selling their home-made cheese or their delicious home-grown produce like to try out the foreign language nearly every French child learns for at least four years. Those who stay here only during our usually short but hot summer will know about the exhibitions, concerts, dances, fêtes and so on, that all the villages organize during that season. Those who brave our often harsh, snowy winters, (especially in High Corrèze, where the altitude varies from 500 to over 900 metres) can also enjoy the "belote" playing evenings (a kind of whist drive) bingo sessions, and numerous more intellectual occasions when even the smallest hamlet will offer lectures and interesting talks. However, for all that, one must master the French language! I can only encourage any prospective homeowners here to go to lessons before they take the plunge – or brush up the French they learned in school. It is no use saying to oneself that everybody speaks English: up to a point, it is usually possible to make oneself understood, but that does not means getting accepted in the community and making friends. Not to mention the red tape that I can assure you really does exist in this country! I have so often been asked for help by the numerous British visitors to my present home lost in the wilds of high Corrèze, that I am stunned by the lack of foresight of some of my old compatriots. On the other hand, come to Corrèze in Limousin, but help us to keep it as it is – my frequent British visitors always say that they don't want any more Brits here, that they want it to stay the best-kept secret in France. And who knows, you may do as I have certainly done – go native. Kathleen Fourches (Rathbone) Limousin Lives Home Page |
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