A Change of Plan for the Volunteers

Posted on May 16, 2018 by La Giraudiere

A Last Minute Plan Change for the Volunteers

A panoramic view of the coast at Talmont.

A beautiful view of Talmont.

Friday the 11th of May, a working day… Right? WRONG! The 4 remaining volunteers and Paul took a day off to enjoy the sunny weather while it lasted (not very long) and went to the seaside!

A very fast turnaround was in order after breakfast on Friday as everyone received a 15 minute warning before we were due to leave to start our day out. We started off by driving 45 minutes to the local town of Pons. Paul acted as our tour guide during the day, providing us with lots of information about the Donjon de Pons whilst we sat drinking hot drinks and eating croissants at a café that overlooked the donjon.

After our 30 minute break, we set off on the road again to our second destination of Talmont – One of the most beautiful towns in France. On arrival at Talmont, we were greeted by a mass of kites in the air and as we soon found out, it was the day of the fête du vent! After exploring the beautiful little town for an hour (and also doing some shopping), it was time for well deserved stop for lunch. Whilst some volunteers had salads or sweet crepes, John tried his first ever savoury crepe and loved it!

It was then time to drive to our final destination of the day, Saint-Palais-sur-Mer. During the drive from Talmont, the weather took a change for the worse as the clouds started to cover the sun and the temperature dropped to 18°C compared to 23°C when we set off. However, this drop in temperature didn’t stop Lily and John taking a dip in the freezing Atlantic sea!

Two of our volunteers swimming in the Atlantic sea.

Lily and John taking a dip in the Atlantic.

After a very long day, the car journey back to La Giraudière was a quiet one as most of the volunteers took a nap the whole way back. We’re excited for our next trip out!

There is a very simple process to be part of the team at LG so check out The process of volunteering in France

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A Successful Weekend at La Giraudière

Posted on May 15, 2018 by La Giraudiere
Flyer

A Tahitian Night Flyer

This past weekend the Volunteers enjoyed a vibrant Tahitian dinner that the local activities committee put together here in Brossac. Between the three course meal there was dancing by local citizens who had taken time to train with a Tahitian woman. They wore a grand variety of costumes and danced with traditional props. The sense of community was strong that night as people danced of all ages in celebration of Tahitian culture. The audience clapped along and danced in their seats as the dancers filled up three hours with traditional music and moves, meanwhile the audience ate. The first course was a delightful dish that included rice, meat and vegetables mixed together, it was followed by a salad and banana dessert that filled us all up.

Emily and Lily Eliza

Volunteers at Bingo Night in Brossac

Bingo night was another fun taste of the Brossac Community that our volunteers had. None of our volunteers won, but they enjoyed every moment of the close calls and learning more french numbers. The Volunteers also attended a Flea Market held in the middle of town where over 50 stands of locals stood selling new and used goods. Some volunteers purchased new clothes, other bought books to practice their French, and even some vinyl records! It was a successful weekend here for the volunteers of La Giraudière.

bingo card

bingo card

You can more find photos and videos of the activities on our Facebook page- http://www.facebook.com/LaGiraudierePage/

written by: Lily Eliza

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An Emotional Goodbye to Angel!

Posted on May 10, 2018 by La Giraudiere

Our 5th Volunteer of the Season Flies the Nest.

Angel, one of our volunteers, leaves La Giraudière to return to Paris.

Angel, our very first Puerto Rican volunteer, sadly leaves us this evening.

During his three week stay at La Giraudière, Angel has been a great help with decorating our lobby, removing and revamping our window shutters and doing LOTS of work around the garden. He also cooked two meals for all of the volunteers for two consecutive weeks, the first meal being a Sunday roast with a Puerto Rican twist to it and the second being a creamy chicken pasta. He showed initiative every day and always kept himself busy (even working on our days off!)

We want to thank Angel not only for his physical help around La Giraudière but also for his constant positive attitude and unique way of looking at life that really rubbed off on the other volunteers. It was a pleasure for all of us to see his guaranteed smile every morning and his sense of humour continuously had all of us in stitches.

As one of his main aims for coming here was to learn French, after weekly French lessons and lots of homework, we hope he now feels a bit more confident in speaking French to his current neighbours and new friends in Paris where he currently lives.

La Giraudière appreciates everything you have done over the past 3 weeks. You will be missed, Angel!

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Sporting activities for volunteers in France – Tennis Club Brossac

Posted on May 5, 2018 by La Giraudiere

Sporting activities for volunteers in France

On Tuesday of this week, two of the volunteers, Colin from Australia and Rhona from Scotland joined some of the villagers at the local tennis club in Brossac village. We cycled from La Giraudière and arrived at the tennis Club where there are two tennis courts with good surfaces and flood lights.

Tennis club brossac

Marc, the President of the tennis Club who is also a member of the nearby Chalais club was very welcoming. First of all, Colin and Rhona knocked up together and then Marc came to join us. He then sent two of the young people to play a game of doubles against the volunteers. The La G team which consisted of a joint age of over a century did not let the side down winning by 6-3. Some of the other volunteers came down to watch and enjoy the sunshine and we took varying routes back to our home base at La Giraudiere.

There are a variety of sports and activities in Brossac and tennis is just a part of what is available to the volunteers when they become part of the LG team.

Interested in volunteering in France this year then visit Volunteer in France for further information how you can be part of this unique experience in France.

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Volunteers at La Giraudière for the 2018 season (part 2)

Posted on May 3, 2018 by La Giraudiere

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Emily – Nottingham, England

Emily is a university student in Birmingham and is currently on her year abroad. Studying French as her degree, she hopes to practice the language as well as helping others to learn. Throughout her time at La Giraudière, she will be doing marketing for the social media accounts, blogging and also learning accountancy.

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Lily – Virginia, USA

Lily is a gap year student currently travelling as much as she can before she starts college in September. She has been learning French since she was 6 years old and is always looking for opportunities to practice which is one of the reasons she is at La Giraudière. During her stay, she will be the first content creator for our Youtube as well as helping out with the blog.

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Janet and Colin – Australaisians living in Tasmania

Colin and Janet are on an extended holiday in Europe at present and came here keen to experience living as locals in France. Janet has been learning French for the last few years and is enjoying the opportunity to practice. Colin’s family heritage in France goes back 400 years and living here gives him an opportunity to discover more about it. Back home, Janet works in the information management section of the Tasmania Police and Colin is an Engineering Geologist. During their stay, Janet is involved with the landscaping program which involves planting new trees around La Giraudière and Colin is getting stuck into the decorating and “yard” maintenance.

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