How about this then?
If anyone is in need of this kind of assistance what do you suggest I tell them to do? Because apparently they don't want me to send them to their group.
That's a good point Tony!
Debra, if it had been unequivocally answered I would not have raised that question, indeed your contribution to the 20 odd pages is only a proportion of it and I was specifically asking what makes the FB closed group work and the SFN would (probably, possibly, perhaps, maybe...) not work. Furthermore, you have only expressed what I was questioning in the last hour or so and not so specifically elsewhere. Thus said, the questions I raised on the last page remain open if you have an answer that is comprehensively detailing reasons. Simply that.
'I'm really not sure it would work on an open site like this.' Explain please. You go off to describe the pitfalls but not the 'site like this' bit. What, in your opinion, is that?
Why wouldn't an open group work? To return to an unanswered question. All the notions of pinching, copying and so on are absurdity. If one followed that reasoning then human creativity would never have developed very far. There is something very healthy about more than one (could be 100) something going about achieving similar or the same ends by a variety of means and methods. Or do people disagree with that? Without appearing to favour SFN and accepting the premise ' the group on FB did it first' does not mean that people who wish to seek advice should not have a choice or, indeed the freedom to use both or however many there are in fact. So, quite simply, there is a closed group. Some people may not want to join a closed group so does that mean they should be left without? An open group gives them the opportunity to pop in, have a look and say "Nah, all rubbish" then not bother again or throw their hat in the ring.
So, logically, I am wondering what is going on. There is a choice of two words, more than that rambles. So, to be clear about it, the two words are yes or no.
Only when I am editing it :)
@ Valerie - quite!
Yes I suppose if that's how you see it. Theft was not my intention, I was just trying to find a way to help people who may need it. I would have been quite happy to promote the group too, indeed I did initially before I was asked to remove the link.
If anyone is in need of this kind of assistance what do you suggest I tell them to do? Because apparently you don't want me to send them to you and you don't want me to 'pinch' the idea?
I think the question James raised, re-reading his post, was is there a general reluctance to speak about 'going home' as the group on FB is closed and he wondered if people would be interested in speaking about it more openly.
ps - I didn't interpret Catharine's comment as sarcastic, more gobsmacked at the suggestion.
Ha ha ha! Love it - "pinch the idea" indeed!
As someone who, unfortunately, had to leave France -- I certainly appreciated the good advice and kind wishes of the people in this forum. It did help ease some of the pain.
I think it would be perfectly splendid to have a specific area to assist people who are going through that!
Many years ago as a youth worker during one of many courses i attended the group were told we weren't qualified to give advice and the only thing we could do was to point out the pit falls of traveling down a certain path as appose to taking another and not give, I would do this advice,
I was able to put this into practice unfortunately when the husband of a long standing friend suddenly past away about 6 years ago she was understandingly devastated and was for jumping on a plane that instant and going back to the UK after living in France for over 30 years she wanted someone to tell her what to do. We sat down one afternoon and i pointed out all that she had in France her circle of friends her house help at hand day and night, then what she would possibly have in the UK moving back there would not remove the pain of loosing her partner. I suggested she let the dust settle for 18 months friends were at hand , she did that she later went back to the UK i suspect on a fact finding visit, on her return she said there is nothing for me there her friends had gone family moved on and the UK she knew and grew up in had changed forever, she is still in France
Since you put it that way, yes there is a place for it to be given its own space. Plenty of people have asked for advice already and shared experiences for good or bad potentially help.
. What are you doing on here? Shouldn't you be lazing in bed being served breakfast by your wife? ;-)
Regardless of what some people reading this thread may think my intentions were regarding this post, I can assure you they were entirely genuine.
If there is a need for a place, private or otherwise, for those who are trying to return to their country of origin to discuss the various issues they are facing or may face then it is entirely within the remit of SFN to assist that group.
The questions I posed were;
Is there a solution? Can you offer some advice? Could the SFN community do something to assist this group?
I will rephrase that. Does anyone want, or think we should have, a specific area on SFN geared towards assisting those wanting to return home?
Thanks
James
Yeah but "Nostalgia ain't what it used to be"
In my case, trifle makes me very queasy, sick indeed. My mother made it so badly I still feel ill when I see even the smallest one! ;-)
I came across this the other day:
"Nostalgia strikes when you least expect it.
A food, a song, a smell. The smallest trifle can overwhelm you with homesickness. You miss those little things you never thought you’d miss, and you’d give anything to go back to that place, even if it were just for an instant. Or to share that feeling with someone who’d understand you…"
I like the colour one a lot Norman, it has a real punch to it.
Sometimes journalists will ask for a fee from a PROVIDER OF A STORY
if they want to get their story in print to enhance their business or case.
It is tough trying to make money.