Lisa B., who is 16, lives in a tiny village a few kilometers from a town
famous for its bottled water. Here, she writes about where she lives and says how things could be improved there...
"I have always lived in Malet. We used to live
in a flat next to my grandparents’ house. Then, my dad renovated his
grandparents’ old farm and it became our home.
I know my village by heart, every street, every
house, and who lives where. It’s a typical village of the Auvergne region. Some
of the roads just disappear and become pathways.
It’s nice to go for a walk as it’s really
beautiful and unpolluted. You can stop worrying about your problems, school
lessons, etc. and just breathe the fresh air. But, when you know every nook and
cranny as I do, it can sometimes be a bit boring... In fact, the only thing you
can do around here is go for a walk! Actually, that’s not entirely true: you
can also play “pétanque” with the older people…
In the village, there are no shops, not even a
bakery.
We are lucky because we have a village hall,
and a big communal bread oven, plus a very old basketball court, and, the most
important thing: a school (a rare asset nowadays)!
The majority of the inhabitants of Malet are
old, but there are young people too. The problem is nobody really speaks to anybody
else. Everyone is behind their computer or stuck to their cell phone talking
with people who are just like themselves…
Even when we were kids, we stayed mostly at
home, playing with dolls or cars by ourselves. My parents are always saying to
us: “When we were 15, we went out, sat and talked with our friends, we didn’t
stay at home like you do, your brother and you!” I think my parents think that
teenagers are anti-social. They are not completely wrong but when there isn’t
anyone in the street, you just don’t stay alone outside… But now I am at school
in Clermont and my friends are there.
A good point in my village is that everyone
knows everyone. When you need something (eggs, milk, coffee, whatever) you can go
to your neighbor’s house and ask for it, which is cool.
A negative point is that all my family live in
Malet. That’s a pain because we see each other all the time and we sometimes
argue. We have the same activities (badminton, riding bikes, etc.) so we are
always together. So, sometimes, I can’t stand my cousins! I think we would
enjoy each other’s company more if they lived far away…
I love animals and my grandparents have a farm,
so I have a horse that I love dearly. Every day, I see cows and calves, sheep, and
the hens that wander about in the middle of the road because there are so few
cars. I’ve never seen a sky-scraper for real, but I know what a cow is!
We have a wonderful view from my village of the
most famous volcano in the Auvergne: the Puy de Dôme. When I look at this
landscape, I feel lucky to live in my village with its beautiful nature.
One of my favorite places is a pond in my
father’s field. My little brother and I often went there when we were younger,
but we stopped going when we buried our dog Chippie there. Our old green den is
next to the pond.
I think there should be more activities for the
teenagers around here, so that we could get together more. We could also have a
few village banquets, which would be fun. There should be a few shops too. And
people could make more effort to smile, the world would be a better place that
way!"
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