Time Out Volunteering

Time out Volunteering in France by Caroline Grace O’Brien is a new article just published on the website at “lagiraudiere.com ” you can read the article by visiting the link at TIME OUT VOLUNTEERING.

Caroline a Volunteer from the UK spent 6 weeks at La Giraudiere volunteering. Arriving in April and leaving in May 2013, Carrie writes about her stay and reflects on what she has achieved for both herself and the project at La Giraudiere in south-west France.

She goes on to say that time out volunteering is an ideal way to learn about you, to take time to hear yourself think and see where your life is heading. The article mentions the benfits to health not just soul Caroline goes on to say that she benefited in ways she had never exspected to do so. If you are thinking of volunteering then this will make a good read for you.

Article writing, Blog posting, Gardening are just a few of the chores that you could help with at La Giraudiere If you are thinking of volunteering this year, or whenever,  then La Giraudiere accepts volunteers the whole year round simply visit the volunteers website at Volunteering Abroad for more information.

Time out Volunteering

La Giraudiere Twitter Page up dated

After hours of  work trying to select and place images in the correct postion selecting and placing the background image, we now have an up dated Twitter Page for La Giraudiere. Here are our stats as at the 30th April.

Working in France restoring La Giraudiere

Follow the story of La Giraudiere and how one of the most popular volunteers project came to be. At least once a week there will be a post related to the restoring of La Giraudiere and the work that was involved.

My name is Paul and11 Years ago I decided to come to France and try to bring some life into what was a distressed, abandoned, derelict ruin called La Giraudiere.

In 1997 myself together with two Brother and a Friend of the family purchased this old masters farm house with the idea of creating some kind of holiday hamlet. At that time not sure exactly where we were heading and for certain not sure how to get there.

From 1997 to 2002 we would travel back and forth from the UK and on each trip we would try to make a part of La Giraudiere liveable. The first week or two of any trip was spent clearing the jungle which would be there waiting for us. It seemed to start to arrive the moment we started to leave. It was a bit like a calling from nature asking that one of us should stay and look after this old lady called La Giraudiere.

So in 2002 our lady “La Giraudiere” convinced me to move to France and afford her the care and attention she deserved. By this time we had running water and an electric supply but that was the limit of the luxury items.

There was no working drainage system in place, mushrooms would grow on the ground floor, No telephone, each light I switched on would make the electrical wiring glow, The beautiful wisteria had pulled of the guttering, entered into the roof space forcing the roof tiles to be dislodged and forced many of the shutters off their hinges.

The first time I was there and a heavy rainfall arrived I saw why our Lady was so distressed that evening she cried from every crook and cranny as the rain entered into the hearth of this old stone built property.

Drainage soakaway instalation

The roof was covered with the old style roman tiles, which over the years had slipped down allowing water to enter via the roof.

The wisteria had also played a major part in damaging the roof as its tentacles spread around the building.

But another major problem came to light the morning after the major rainfall. In the morning there was water entering into the old house via the land which at the back of the property was too high and came up to the window ledges on the ground floor. This brought water into the property via the stone walls. Later that evening water started to enter the property via the floor yes like a spring there was a small fountain of water coming up from the floor yes our lady was situated upon a source.

Thinking of living and working in France – Read article from an expat who now lives and is working in France. Like to learn more about working in France then why not carry out an internship at La Giraudiere visit INTERNSHIP IN FRANCE for more info.

Maybe you would like to help out at La Giraudiere then take a look at the VOLUNTEERS WORKING HOLIDAY IN FRANCE to find out how you can mix working in France with a volunteers holiday.

Carrie Volunteer Abroad in France

Carrie is from Manchester in Northern England. After finishing her studies in Mathematics, Music and International politics she has decided to participate on the volunteers project at La Giraudiere in France.

Carrie is helping prepare La Giraudiere for the coming season of visiting volunteers. Over 50 have all ready reserved their places but it is expected that over 80 will be passing through the doors at La Giraudiere this year. So there is much to be done to the apartments, which will house the volunteers. Dinning rooms, shower rooms, 11 bedrooms, linen room, food prep rooms, TV room all have to be spring-cleaned in readiness.

Carrie choose the project at La Giraudiere in south west France because she hoped the immersion in French rural life would help her improve her knowledge of French plus her confidence in using the French Language. When asked today if she had found the project was as she hoped she replied

“The immersion into the village life at Brossac and the numerous opportunities that you have to meet and speak with the locals is superb and it is all down to the hard work that Paul, who runs the project, puts in making sure that all that stay here are offered the opportunity to be involved in the day to day life of the community”

 

“The standard of teaching offered at La Giraudiere is outstanding The French teachers that I have met so far would be at home teaching beginners and advanced students of the French language.”

 After Carrie’s 6 week stay at La Giraudiere she plans to visit Paris for a week which will both test and put into practice what she has learn’t at La Giraudiere after which she is taking a teachers position at a school  in Northern England

Apprendre la langue anglais en France pour les débutants

Maintenant il est possible d’apprendre la langue anglais en France oui sans quitter la France? 

Oui, dans le sud-ouest de la France avec un groupe international Grâce de La Giraudière.

Vous n’avez jamais etudié l’anglais, ou vous l’aviez etudié au collège mais vous voulez vous rafraîchir la mémoire, ou vous voulez tout simplement recommencer vos études de la langue, ce cours est fait pour vous.

Le programme est idéal pour ceux qui cherchent une introduction dans la langue anglaise à petit prix ou ceux qui cherchent avoir une meilleure connaissance d’anglais avant de partir en vacances dans un pays Anglophone.

En somme , La Giraudière vous offre une invitation passionnante dans un séjour linguistique à un prix compétitif.  Venez nous voir et inscrivez-vous sans hésitation!

Une semaine en pension complète, chez une famille anglaise, en France avec 10 heures de cours le prix est normalement de 810 € HT

Une semaine en pension complète et

apprendre la langue anglais en France

chez La Giraudière groupe international

vous économisez 45% si un prix de 450 € HT
pour plus de renseignements consultez la page Web

Apprendre la  langue anglais en France pour les débutants

TRAIL DU BROSSACAIS

The date as been set for the 8th Trail du Brossacaise. Sunday the 30th June 2013 with the starting point from the Lake in Brossac. The trial is open to all there will be two courses one of 25 kilometers and another for the hardy of 25 kilometers.  For the walkers there is a 13 kilometer randonée. The start is 9.00 in the morning and there will be showering facilities available plus food and drinks.

The trial previously came under the 3B and then later the arm of the LA COMMUNAUTE DE COMMUNES 4B SUD CHARENTE, recently a new association as been formed called Association Trail Du Brossacais who now take full responsibility for the setting up and running of the Trail.

An article from the blog of the Charente Libre announced

L’association “Trail du Brossacais” est née

You can read the article by visiting the Charente Libre at

Train Du Brossacais – Article

A further post will be made concerning the new association next week and also details of the new logo for the association will be published upon this blog. If you would like to help as a volunteer with the Trail or you would like further information you can email the association at traildubrossacais@laposte.net

Sam Grace an Australian who volunteered at La Giraudiere in October 2012 .

Sam who had been travelling around Europe during his gap year used the project at La Giraudiere so as to take some time out of his travels. His stay at La Giraudiere surprised him as you will read from his testimonial……,

“This has got to be one of the best French culture immersion programs in France.

Get involved! Staying in hotels and ticking off the tourist sites in the cities is good, but it does not compare whatsoever to living in a village in the middle of the French countryside, getting to know the locals and sharing the whole experience with a bunch of likeminded people. The highlight of my trip would definitely have to be playing petanque in the afternoons and early evenings with a group of beret-wearing, pipe-smoking, red wine-drinking Frenchmen and Madames. It was as French as you can get, an experience for locals, and during my stay at La Giraudiere I was definitely made to feel like a local. Whether it was harvesting the chestnuts, tasting the first jus de raisin of the season, or just enjoying a meal at the local bar come resto, I felt really involved in village life, and I think it’s great that I was a part of rural living because it isn’t a tourist trip, it’s a true French experience. And if you’re not looking for that, why did you come to France!?

I’d thoroughly recommend volunteering or interning at La Giraudiere. Help out with a bit of work and enjoy getting immersed in French culture – you’ll love it.

Sam Grace La Giraudiere volunteer 2012

This year the volunteers working holiday program at La Giraudiere starts on the 1st of March when the first volunteer arrives. This is the first year that the program as started this early normally the first volunteers arrive the 2nd week of April.

As a volunteer group we have again been invited by the comite de fetes de Brossac to help out with the May celebrations and the Bastille celebrations. This will be the forth year that the volunteers from La Giraudiere have given a hand with these fetes. This interaction presents an opportunity to become involved in the local community and improve ones French and confidence in using the language.

Once again we have received enquiries from around the globe from potential volunteers intresting in joining the program and helping out with the project. June and July are becoming booked up but there are plenty of places remaining for the periods March to May and from July to October.

The new section of the website is now at http://volunteer-france.lagiraudiere.com/  and the application form is now situated at http://volunteer-france.lagiraudiere.com/volunteer_application_form.html

Internship Abroad

La Giraudiere is keeping one place by this year for an internship. The intern would be helping Paul with the day to day running of the project and the programs.

Full details are on the website at Intern Abroad in France and you can also find a listing on go-abroad.com

The is a learning internship and  the intern is not paid. You cn intern from 6 -8 weeks prices stat from 455 euros per week and it includes accommodation and meals and a whole lot more.

The internship will center around the volunteers project and will also touch some aspects of the other programs. Apart from learning about the administration side of the project your competence in speaking French and knowledge of the language will be assessed and improved. Each week interns benefit from a half a day lesson in a group and two half a days each week on a one to one basis with our French teachers.

This is a unique opportunity to boost your CV / resume and gain valuable work experience that will give you and your career prospects that extra edge needed. To read more about whats offered read The Benefits of an Internship at the website http://www.lagiraudiere.com/internship-abroad/internships-benefits.html

Apply now as program starts in March 2013.

Places for the volunteers working holiday program for 2013 are going. The prices remain unchanged and are start from 18 euros per day and that is with full board and accommodation.

This year among other projects we need volunteers to come and update our websites. We also need volunteers to continue with our social media and promotion of the project.

The construction side continues and this year one of the projects will be the ground floor of the principle building where a professional Kitchen and group dinning rooms are planned. Lots more is planned for 2013 so keep in touch but do not forget to get your application in now as places are going. The program starts in March this year.

Visit the website  Volunteer Abroad for further information and links to the application form.

Look forward to seeing you at La Giraudiere