What’s it like where I live?

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!"