21st November 2008

True Stories from Provence

Welcome to our Real Lives in Provence section, where people that have already made the move share their stories. If you already live here and would like to share your story, please email us. We'd love to hear from you! For more information on family and daily life in Provence, visit our Life in Provence section.

Healthcare in France

A Guide for the Expat

Red Cross

An introduction to healthcare in France
The World Health Organisation placed France No. 1 in the world.

Complementary health insurers
How to make your choice for top-up provision.

The need for decent 'mutuelle' cover
A real life experience gives a snapshot of healthcare provision in France.

French Medical Terminology
An A-Z from English to French.

Finding your way around 'Le Secu'
Employment in France

Doctors and Dentists in Provence

How to find medical help

Stethoscope


Foot on Mont Ventoux

Making the Effort to Learn French

Ailsa Emmott: one wife's quest to find her way in France

The EmmottsFor an independent person like Ailsa, giving up her job, her own home and moving to a country with a different language, a language she didn't speak, was not easy but love won out and in 1994 she moved to Monaco to be with Steve and later that year they were married. Steve had basic A-level French when he moved to Monaco but he also had a facility with language and was a confident, outgoing person. For Ailsa, it wasn't so easy ...
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Jilly Bennett writes about Life in the South of France

Stories from her Pension Milou

Jilly with her guestsJilly Bennett has been writing for years - about her life in Wales, then life near Canterbury, then life in Australia and now about her life here in the south of France. Jilly's angle on what life is like in each place is unique though. As a judge at championship dog shows across the globe for years, Jilly has always written about her passion - caring for dogs. Jilly now runs a dog hotel on the Côte d'Azur, and she started her own blog ... more...

A true story about finding a place to live in Provence

About to become Avignonnaise

Rue des LicesIt's a former convent (with a reception for les femmes de mauvaise vie on the rez-de-chaussee), converted to the Ecole de Beaux Arts at the end of the 18th century, and then to a condominium in 2001. And I am going to live there, amidst exposed beam ceilings, open stone work ... more...

Kate's decision to retire to Provence

Asking the right questions

Question MarkI seriously considered making Avignon in Provence my retirement home for quite some time. When I first was considering France, I was looking at the southwest (the Lot, Cahors, Agen) where several or my Foreign Service friends have retired. They have bought fabulous old stone houses in bastides and restored and renovated them beautifully. But after my third visit there, I decided ... more...

One US Expat Explains How Best to Prepare for a Move Overseas

A moving check list

ClipboardMake a “move 2006” portfolio with various dividers. Believe me, it will be full and if you don't have it organized you will spend hours looking for papers. Make a note of the name of every person with whom you make arrangements. Note what was said, the date and time. Check on what insurance is included with your moving company. Health Insurance: try to get dental work done ... more...

Kate Schertz: from Illinois to a new home in Provence

And many stops in between!

Kate's PaintingsBorn on a farm in Illinois and determined from the age of 5 that she would see the world, Kate has lived in 10 states and fifteen different countries. After lives as an actress and costume designer, university professor ... more...
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