A volunteers weekend in France

Although the volunteer work is pleasant; it doesn’t compare to the volunteers weekend at La Giraurdière.  Technically, though the volunteers weekend at La Giraudiere may start on Friday, there really is no reason to wait that long.

 

On Thursday evening, the local village or Brossac features a music concert alongside the picturesque etang valliere or Brossac Lake.

This week, the song stylings of Alice Francis, are featured.  A somewhat mysterious singer, rumored to be anything from Romanian to German to American, she got the crowd up on their feet and she didn’t let them go. 

Think Beyonce with a European flair and you’ll have a good idea to what the audience was treated.  Marlene and Colin were so enamored with her that they walked away from the concert wearing tee shirts with the image of Alice Francis emblazoned on their chests.

In the small neighboring village of Bardenac, only 5 km or so from La Giraurdière, there is a small restaurant devoted to serving lunches to the area workers.  The ambiance may be simple but the food is anything but.  There is no menu as the daily course of food is pre-set.  It’s anyone’s guess what the offerings will be for the day but that is irrelevant, as no matter what is served, it is sure to please.  And did I mention it is a seven course meal?!  

Vegetable soup with bread is followed by a vegetable platter of locally grown produce.  Crab wrapped in salmon is next up and feels like it could be the central plat.  The pork that follows gets that honor and it is a melt in your mouth affair.  A small salad follows to clear the palate before the cheeses arrive.  Brie, Gouda and Blue Cheese from local dairies are a feast in themselves.  Somehow we all find room for the pudding topped with blueberries that rounds out the men

 

Of course, wine is plentiful throughout the entire meal and only adds to the high spirits of the lunch.  a meal like this, if it could be found at all, in Paris might set you back a weeks wages; But in the little village of Bardenac our wallets leave only 12 euros lighter.

 

After necessary naps, the evening is spent relaxing to a game of petanque. Hoping to show off new found skills learned earlier in the week, the La Guardiere volunteers are disappointed by the more seasoned villagers who prove they are not to be trifled with.

They prove La Giraurdière proud by placing  first in the tire roll.  A marvelous video of this is posted on Facebook and Youtube visit Volunteers weekend Intervillage

 

Warning – it is as dizzying to watch it as it must have been to 

After the long weekend, Monday is relatively quiet, but an outing to The Monday Market in Chalais is a must for anyone who wants to capture the true flavor of the region.  A sleepy village during the week, like a real life Brigadoon, it comes alive when vendors from all over the region set up tents in the winding street of the village. Everything from pigs and chickens to leather goods and artisan crafts can be found while the crowds are entertained by the strains of  “La Vie En Rose”  wafting through the air provided by street musicians.  

A peaceful communal meal will end the volunteers weekend as everyone gathers together to share stories of their adventures for the past four days.  Tomorrow will be a workday, but for now everyone just basks in the memories of a magical weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

Post Volunteers weekend in France Written by Terrence Cremin USA whilst on his working holiday volunteering in France 

 

 

 

 

For information on volunteering in France  or A working holiday in France

Don’t forget to join us on Twitter and Facebook!

 

 

 

Choosing La Giraudière

In the depths of a brutal  winter, volunteering in France may be the furthest thing from your mind.

However, the appeal of a holiday in Europe can’t be overestimated. Images of the mild temperatures of the south of France or perhaps the warm waters of The Mediterranean swirl through your head. Along with the bite of permafrost, financial realities sink in and you feel an adventure abroad is out of reach. Cast that notion aside. A trip to France need not break your bank account.

If you are willing to trade some of your skills and knowledge for room and board, the volunteer opportunities of La Guardiere may be just for you.  Therein lies the rub, you think.  Perhaps you feel you don’t have any particular talents that would be useful.  That is the beauty of La Guardiere.  There are so many interesting facets to be found here that it is a sure bet that program director Paul will be able to match  whatever your skills and interests are to a useful chore.  Rehabbing the main part of the house is a long term project requiring building, constructing, painting and drywallers (among other things.)  Notice I used the “ing” form of the word,  With a little direction anyone can be a builder or a painter.   If that still feels out of your realm, housekeeping and cooking may be more to your liking.  There are also plenty of opportunities in the garden: planting, seeding, clearing brush, or pruning.  Clerical and computer skills also come in handy when it comes to assuring the smooth operation of La Guardiere.  Someone has to write these blogs after all but, of course, it takes talent to do that well!   Traveling across the world to a strange place may also feel a bit daunting.  There’s no way to convince you that this need not be the case other than to invite you to pore over La Giraudiere’s website and look at all the friendly faces enjoying the camaraderie of fellow volunteers.  Besides working, dining and playing alongside folks from all over the world, there are plenty of opportunities to mix with local people from nearby villages. Whether you are joining in  the weekly petanque game in Brossac, teaming with villagers and volunteers alike or helping set up tables for a nearby fête, It will give you that chance to brush up on your French skills.  There it is, perhaps the most unsettling aspect of all, the language barrier.  You can put any worries about that away as well.  Volunteers come from mainly English speaking countries with a wide range of abilities to speak French. There are volunteers with no French background to the fluent and everything in between. Weekly French lessons are provided and geared to whatever level the volunteer is at.  No matter what your skill level, it’s practically impossible not to improve your ability to speak and understand French.  So what are you waiting for?  Take the first step to your French adventure by filling out an application to volunteer at La Giraudière.

 

Post Written by Terrence Cremin USA whilst on his working holiday volunteering in France 

 

 For information on volunteering in France  or A working holiday in France

 

Don’t forget to join us on Twitter and Facebook!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bastille Day at La Giraudière

 

Program Director Paul, in his infinite wisdom, advised me not to make travel plans from America to La Giraudière over the long Bastille Day holiday weekend. Even so, the trains were stuffed to capacity from Paris with holiday merrymakers  in the days leading up to the fete.  Regardless, I arrived at La Giruardière as preparations for the local festivities were coming into full swing.  But not before a marvelous meal of fois gras at a local “resto” in the nearby rustic village of Brossac. And not before being introduced to the endearing custom of introducing yourself to everyone in the establishment over a glass of vin rouge. “Bonjours” and “Ca vas” fill the air with each new person who joins in the revelry of a

night out in the town.  The meals served were the real deal with sides of frites and salade verte. And of course, the sound of “Santè” as bottomless glasses of wine clinked to everyone’s well being. A walk home under the stars, Ursa Major prominent in the French sky, topped off the evening as we were serenaded by a chorus from the local grenouilles (little frogs.)  The weather on Sunday, July 13 may have been gloomy and overcast but the volunteers of La Guardiere were greeted with warm and sunny “saluts” by the members of the Commission pour La Fete nationale française. This scene is repeated all across France as proud Frenchman gather together to commemorate one of the greatest moments in French history. On July 14, 1789 , the citizens of Paris stormed the Bastille, a prison holding political prisoners.  This event touched off the French Revolution.  We joined in to help with set up for the evening’s festivities at a nearby park.  First, however we eat!  As if out of thin air, loaves of bread, links of salami, tubs of patè and the ever present bottles of wine appear.  Once again, greetings and introductions come first, then we feast before we work.  Chatting with the local committee members is a marvelous way to practice your French or just develop your ear for the language.  They are friendly and laid back and speak with a slower cadence which points to their relaxed approach to life;such a switch after experiencing the hustle and bustle of Paris.  The rest of the morning is spent sweeping out the park shelter and setting up tables and benches where the revelers will dance and celebrate later in the evening.  It’s all done efficiently and leisurely leaving the afternoon free to explore the area before we return for the night’s events. Siesta may be a Spanish word and tradition but, wonderfully so, it is not foreign to the people of Southwest France.  Refreshed we return to the park and first we eat!  Monsieur Maire de Brossac (Mayor of Brossac) serves up fresh local melons as an appetizer, to all the members of the commission and the volunteers of La Giruardière.  Heaping bowls of frites, plates of roast pork and savory breads soon follow as everyone again toasts with fresh wines from nearby vineyards to everyone’s health and well being . Normally Le Feu d’artifice (fireworks) display would follow but tonight, besides being  the eve of Bastille Day, is a very special night that only comes around once every four years, The Finals of The World Cup!  Argentina is set to square off against Germany so the crowd leaves to go to a nearby clubhouse to watch the game.

Evenly split, the sentiment runs from “Anyone but Germany” to” Keep The Cup in Europe.”

The game itself turns out to be a bit of a disappointment as there is no score after ninety minutes, requiring overtime.  A beautifully played goal by the German team

makes up a bit for the dullness of the game but mostly everyone seems relieved.  Now they can go down to the lake for the evening’s main event, The fireworks. These do not disappoint.  Stars of reds and greens and blues light up the skies over Brossac to choruses of oohs and aahs from all the spectators.  Brossac may be a small village but the display is a BIG SHOW.  Set to the music of Queen, Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli, among others, the fireworks dazzled the crowd, setting the stage for the happy celebration to follow.  Back in the shelter dancing and singing went on until the wee hours of the morning until Bastille Day was suitably ushered in.   Appropriately, Monday, Bastille Day itself, is a day of rest with La Giruadière slowly joining the world by the time the sun is prominent in the sky.

Some volunteers head into nearby Chalais for Market Day while others attend to the more mundane tasks of laundry and answering emails (Does anyone send postcards anymore?)  The long and wonderful weekend of La Fete nationale quietly comes to a close with a pétanque game in the village. Americans and Italians may call it Boci Ball and the British simply Balls but whatever the name, it’s clearly an international game as the La Guardiere Volunteers join players from Belgium and the local villagers.  The more veteran volunteers are hungry to show off their skills developed in last week’s games while the rookies focus on learning the rules. It’s all good-natured fun washed down with a sparkling rosé supplied by our new Belgian friends. Au Revoirs punctuate the crisp night as all participate in what is seemingly becoming a ritual, the walk home under a full moon to the croaking of the grenouilles.

 

 

 

 

Post Written by Terrence Cremin USA whilst on his working holiday volunteering in France 

 

 For information on volunteering in France  or A working holiday in France

 

Don’t forget to join us on Twitter and Facebook!

 

 

Choosing the right volunteer opportunity

The Volunteer opportunity , such as the ones offered at La Giraudiere in the beautiful region of the Charente in France provide a perfect option for really getting to know French culture and the local people of this charming region.

The volunteer opportunities at La Giraudiere abound with chances to mix with the locals and become familiar with the local customs and language. It’s economical as well.

Located about an hour’s drive from the bustling metropolis of Bordeaux in Southwest France,  La Guardiere offers a glimpse into a more relaxed, peaceful world. The building itself is an old stone maison undergoing rehabbing.  Volunteers can choose from construction, gardening, maintenance or clerical to aide in restoring the splendor of this proud villa.

Traveling author, Terrence Cremin, writes about his volunteer opportunity at La Giraudiere in Southwestern France.To read more visit Volunteer-Opportunity-France

 

You can read more about the project at La Giraudiere by visiting the website Volunteer In France

Don’t forget to join us on Twitter and Facebook!