Thank you Ivan. Do you still live in Australia? I lived in Sydney and in Brisbane. Loved it. Funnily enough I did not miss England but did miss France! best wishes Pamela
Hello Andrew. Thank you for taking the time to reply to my cri de coeur. As you can see I didn't reply because I threw in the towel and went back to the UK. Will have another go. I have found someone in Amboise who gives 1 to 1 tuition so will give that a go too. Best wishes
Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources: get your tissue box ready!
Try the tourist information office for a list of associations.
Hello Pamela. I am John's wife Shamim. John unfortunately passed away on 4 May 2016. He was suffering from lung cancer, and we were lucky to have been graced with 9 good years before it finally and suddenly took him away. We lived in many countries and John was fluent in several languages. He passionately believed in connecting with the local people in their own language. Please keep up with the French TV and you'd be surprised how fast you'll begin to reap the benefits and get to know French culture. Good luck.
Pamela, I am so sorry that John has lost his battle. He sounds to have been a world citizen who encouraged others to be the same. You must be very proud of him.
with regard to watching French tv, I think you need to be a bit careful in your choice of programmes. I have heard people advocating watching the French 'soaps', but you might end up speaking like the actors in East Enders or Coronation Street without realising it.
There are good documentaries and, of course, the news. I found that the radio is also helpful as you really need to listen.
This network can be a very helpful place for you when you feel you might need it. I am sure that we will do all we can to help.
Hello Pamela,
I have a house in Amboise and feel rather isolated as well. I am originally from US and live very close to the center. I would like to make your acquaintance if you are interested. We are a family of four. I have two girls and a husband. Iâll be happy to provide more information about us and would like to learn more about you.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Diana
I half live in Tours and half Paris.
I was led to believe there was quite a large community of Americans living in Amboise ???
You might want to try here to meet people if the OP does not respond : http://avf.asso.fr/fr/amboise
Hello Mark Alsop,
Thank you for the response. When we just moved here I joined the AVF and start going to some French classes for a short time. There was one American couple, some British people and some Russian people in the class. Unfortunately all of them were 30 to 40 years older than me. I did try to make their acquaintance anyway but they were not interested in befriending someone so much younger than them. All the members of AVF that Iâve seen including the French are in their 60âs and 70âs. I have nothing against befriending people older than me, but itâs not only my opinion that matters.
There are many young âEnglishâ speaking families of all nationalities around the areaâŚwell certainly in Tours.
There is a school in Tours that has an âEnglish sectionâ for kids both English speaking and French kids looking to progress their English.
http://www.ndlr.fr/presentation-19.html
There is also an English speaking creche.
Are your children the only ones in Amboise who are native English speakers ?
Anyway, make sure this summer to take them to the âhiddenâ beaches on the Loire between Amboise and Tours. Plenty of safe places to swim and mess about in the water. You donât need to go to the Med when you live in the Loire.
Good luck. It is difficult when you first arrive but it will get better.
Hello again, and thank you for the response.
We lived in Tours before moving to Amboise and I found it much nicer and I could take the tram to go places as well. There was an English speaking group that met up regularly and I went to the meetings several times and made an acquaintance there. Then I had a baby and we moved to Amboise. There lots of English speaking tourists in Amboise and I hear English on the street everyday but none of them live here. I am currently waiting for the French bureaucracy to hopefully give me a driverâs license. For the moment I donât have one here, so I am stuck here or dependent on my husband to drive me. I think you get the picture. )
Thank you for your wishes. It has to get better or otherwise it would be really bad.
Have a good day
This is great food for thought. Thank you for your articulation.
Hello Pamela, I know you wrote this blog in 2016, Just wondered whether you are still living in Amboise? Iâm moving there next month. My partner will be managing a watermill.
I would really like to meet up with some local people,
Saw your post and thought itâs worth reaching out in case you are still in Amboise.
My email is info@smwalker.co.uk
Hope to speak soon!
Hello there. 2016! At last someone else has the good sense to move to this wonderful town! 
Mind you meeting a designer label fashion designer will be a bit daunting. In the UK my designer labels were Primark and Matalan! You may know my old - 94 - role model, friend and fashion model Daphne Selfe? Sheâs more parsimonious than I am. She gets her stuff from charity shops! Let me know when youve settled in - we can coffee somewhere in town.
