I can’t speak for the entirety of France but if you’re looking for expats in Provence here are a few suggestions.
When I first moved to France I had it in my head that I would only meet French people. I soon learned that in the countryside, meeting any people was a bit tricky. Throw into the equation a lack of funds and a lack of confidence in my French skills…
Let’s just say I didn’t make many friends during my first couple years here! I wanted to find somewhere to learn the language and wondered if there were courses, similar to this AJ Hoge learning course (which helps non-English speakers) that could help me to improve my French. Being an expat is always hard and I knew that going in. I had a friend who moved to Thailand with her family and her young kids were having an awful time trying to fit in until she found a Kindergarten in Bangkok for Internationals and that helped bring them out of their shell. Knowing this, I knew it would be hard at the start but it would get better as I got more confident.
People in Southern France are known to be more closed that people from the North. I’ve known of even French people who move here from other areas and have trouble. Small villages can be the trickiest. Where everyone has grown up together, they’re not jumping to make new friends unless they have a particular interest in speaking English.
After two years, I accepted the fact that I need to do some serious reaching out to other expats. People that have moved here from abroad will automatically have common ground with you. They will often lead to French friends and tips on where in your area to seek friends.
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