Erasmus volunteer at FC-Sud-Charente

Posted on July 9, 2019 by La Giraudiere

On a sunny Sunday in May, two football fanatics of La Giraudière, went to Chalais to watch a match of the second men’s team of FC-Sud-Charente. Paul Rice, the head of the project and Hugo Müller, a Franco-German Erasmus volunteer. On this occasion, Paul asked the officials if Hugo could join in the weekly training sessions.

Football match at the FC Sud Charente in Chalais

The trainer accepted the Erasmus volunteer from Brossac without hesitation. The training sessions ran from mid-May until the end of the season (early June).

FC Sud-Charente, a merger of the football clubs of Brossac and Chalais, has a first and second team and many youth teams. But during the week the seniors train together.

FC-Sud-Charente logo

Hugo needed a lot of skill to keep up with the boys because it’s been four years since he played in a club or competitive environment. The training sessions were quite intense, but the team did not lack any sense of humour. Most of the players were about 25 years old, so Hugo (19) was more of a younger player.

Paul offered Hugo a lift to Chalais and the players offered him a lift back to Brossac. 

Such local activities are great opportunities for any foreign volunteer to meet new people and improve their French.

Hugo enjoyed it so much that he has already decided and arranged with the responsible persons that he will participate in the training sessions again after the summer break at the beginning of August.

Like to know more about FC-Sud-Charente then visit a previous match report at FC Sud Charente. Or maybe you are interested in volunteering in France then visit our website at Volunteer in France.

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Volunteers Explore Angoulême!

Posted on July 4, 2019 by La Giraudiere

After all the volunteers had completed their long journey to Brossac and had spent the first night in their new home at La Giraudière, the group of international volunteers decided to explore Angoulême the provincial capital of the Charente department.

The Charente River in Angouleme

The idea of taking a day off to visit this beautiful city was suggested by the project manager, Paul Rice and the volunteers just love it.

One of the many street murals of Angoulême
One of the “street murals” of Angoulême

Known as “La cité de la bande dessinée“, it is full of street art, paintings, culture and shops with different regional products made in Charente.

Our volunteers enjoyed a day visiting the monuments of the city, walking through the pedestrian street, checking out the street art and also having a nice picnic next to the river.

Erasmus volunteers from: Greece, Portugal and Spain visit Angouleme
Erasmus Volunteers from: Greece, Portugal and Spain

Discover the “must do” in Angoulême according to our volunteers:
– Visit the street murals (free maps available in the tourism office!)
– Picnic next to the Charente river
– Visit the Cathedral and it’s museum
– Visit the museum of “bande dessinée”
– Attend the Festival International de la Bande Dessinée
– Do a boat trip on Charente river



If you are interested in joining the international group of volunteers at La Giraudière, you can read more about the Erasmus project at Erasmus Project in France or you can visit the International volunteer’s website at Volunteering in France.


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International Volunteers arrive at Brossac City

Posted on July 1, 2019 by La Giraudiere

On May, Brossac village decided to hold a fête weekend full of western adventures.

This included country and western dancing, stagecoach rides, horseshoe making, mechanical bull, numerous stalls selling American themed products including cowboy hats, Texas steaks and other cuisine was prepared and of course just to add a French touch to the day a “boules” competition was held.

International volunteers in Brossac City fête
Brossac en Fête

Both international support volunteers and Erasmus Volunteers from La Giraudière who had travelled from all parts of the globe were amazed to find a western event in the small village of Brossac in the south-west countryside of France.

Volunteers in France take part in Brossac fete in the south west of France
Brossac en Fête

You can read more about Brossac upon it’s Facebook Page

If you are interested in joining the international group of volunteers at La Giraudiere in Brossac then you can read more about the project at Erasmus Project in France

or you can visit the volunteers website at Volunteering in France

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Volunteers & Spring arrives in France

Posted on April 8, 2019 by La Giraudiere

Volunteers and Spring arrives in France

Spring arrives at La Giraudiere, the wysteria is in bloom, the grass is growing, the cookoo have had their say and the birds are roosting. The village prepares for the spring fete for the weekend of the 4th, 5th and 6th of May and at La Giraudiere we prepare for hosting volunteers and interns.

Despite early concerns what with the troubles in Paris and Brexit it looks like it is going to be another Bumper year at La Giraudiere. It is on the 1st of May that LG opens it’s doors and  welcomes its first arrivals on this day also is the “fete du travail” et “Fête du Muguet”.

Spring volunteers arrive
Spring arrives in France

Fete du Travail

The French holiday “Fete du Travail” is unique due to a combination of global and historical French traditions.

Fete du Travail is a time for the French people to spend time with their friends and family members while enjoying a day off from work. Why ” Fete du muguet ” on May 1st?  Well offering les muguet, or lily of the valley in English, on the first of May is in fact an almost natural gesture as warmer weather returns.

The Celts celebrated the return of summer on May 1 and considered lily of the valley, present at this time of the year, as a lucky flower.

Volunteers in France
La Giraudiere prepares for its volunteers


Fete du Muguet

In the Renaissance, May 1st was the feast of love during which a wreath of flowers was made to offer to the loved one. The Muguet, blooming in May, often adorned these wreaths. At the same time, King Charles IX received, on May 1, a muguet as a lucky charm, he then decided to offer Muguet every first May to the ladies of the court.

The tradition of offering Mugueton May 1 persists until today and everyone can sell Muguet on the street, there are no formalities or taxes that day.

So as France and the French welcome the warm breezes of summer La Giraudiere welcomes its international bouquet of guests coming from all points of the globe.

This year La Giraudière encompass another Erasmus project this time funded by the European Solidarity Corps. The project “Recognizing Young Entrepreneurs and teaching Entrepreneurship” attracted hundreds of applicants from which five were selected one from each of the following countries Spain, Germany, Greece, Russia and Portugal. You can read more about the project on our website at http://www.lagiraudiere.com/

Apart from those participating in the  Erasmus project we continue to welcome our international volunteers coming from as far as New Zealand. For May alone our volunteers are American, British, French, Canadian and Australian together with our Erasmus volunteers we have a mix of 10 nationalities presenting a true culture exchange in France.

Much is planned for this year and next weeks blog post will give you fuller information on the other projects and the programs for 2019. So please keep returning and see you then.

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Chinese Australian volunteer chooses to Volunteer in France

Posted on January 11, 2019 by La Giraudiere

Born in Taiwan lives in Australia volunteers France

Shiao-Ping came from Brisbane in Australia to volunteer at La Giraudière after spending her working life in banking. She has been learning French at the Alliance Française in Brisbane and it was a dream for her to come to France to learn and improve her knowledge of the French language. Shia-Ping volunteered at La Giraudiere for a 5 weeks arriving in August 2018.

Chinese Australian Volunteer

Shiao-Ping was born in Taiwan but lives in Australia with her Aussie husband of 32 years. Her mother tongue is Mandarin. She has a bread blog which you can find at www.thefreshloaf.com/blog/shiaoping! She is also a keen photographer and she has used all her own photos on her bread blog and on her Instagram account (shiaopinghu)

Chinese Volunteers in France

Whilst volunteering at La Giraudière, she worked in the office for a few weeks dealing with reservations and the logistics of bookings she also helped with translation and website creation with the Chinese volunteers.

Volunteers certificate

Shiao-Ping is an excellent cook and the group profited with the superb curries and other spicy dishes she would turn out but her specialty as to be baking and she became known for her yummy cakes!

In Shiao-Ping’s exit evaluation she notes,

She found La Giraudiere a welcoming place in the French countryside. She also encourages you to get out there and use your time off to improve your French and immerse yourself. The best part for her was the interaction with the fellow volunteers, the group excursions and communicating with the local villagers. She rated the program 18/20 and feels the program is good value for money. She also wished the volunteers had spoken more French although she realized her own knowledge of French was only basic.

“Thank you Shiao-Ping for choosing La Giraudiere for your volunteering holiday you were a pleasure to live and work with and make a splendid group or team member and I hope some day you return”. – Paul

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