Материал: voronina_ev_sotsialnokulturnaia_sfera_obshcheniia

available (employment, healthcare and education). 5)

_________________

The UN World habitat day (4th October) this year looks at this issue. It emphasises the need for strong links

between town and countryside, and their mutual dependence upon each other.

Are you a town mouse or a country mouse?

“Village life is wonderful for the kids,” says Maggie. “There is a great sense of 2) ____ here. Shanghai is all about money, money, money. Here it is more 3) ____ and you can't tell who has money and who hasn't.”

For Maggie, 4) ____ local people hasn’t been a problem. The post office has been the main place of contact and 5) ____ often greet her in the street. Through motherhood, attending post-natal classes and now as her children go to nursery she finds herself increasingly 6) _____

with the community, meeting new people and invited to children’s parties.

7) _____ of Maggie’s village are hardly multi-cultural, yet in her view seem easy going. Maggie hinted that even if local people are curious about her 8) _____ , so far no one has said anything.

“English people don't ask direct questions, unlike Chinese, English people ‘go around the moon to meet the sun.’"

Children, however, are much more 9) _____ and like any mother

her greatest worry is her children’s future and how they will 10) _____at school.

Five months ago, Claudia, a lawyer, and her British husband moved from Puerto Rico to a new housing 11) _____ within a village in Derbyshire to 12) ____ their daughter of two years.

13) _____ past experiences as an expatriate working in East Asia, the transition to England for Claudia has been made more difficult 14) ____

the isolation she feels through living in the country-side. “In a city it is easier to feel less like a 15) ____ than in rural areas.” she says, despite the 16) ____ of a rural village being “cheaper”.

For internationals 17) ____ city life, living in an English country village presents its own challenges. 18) ____, there aren’t so many facilities as in a city and transport links aren’t so well-developed. It can also be harder to find 19) ____

communities of internationals. For some expats it may be best to 20) ___

a village near a major city to

experience the best of both worlds. Country Life counsels people to take the advice of estate 21) ____ on choosing the right place to live and

identify the “five Ps: a pub, public transport, 22) ____ church, primary school and post office.”

•Encourage your children to make local friends.

•Try to explore different places at weekends.

•“Recharge your batteries” by going to London every now and then to experience what a city has to offer

over a country village.

• Learn about gardening! English village communities love their gardens, so having a nice garden is a matter of pride and a good talking point!