#XrisLogbook 161 - Citizenship , Commitment , Cues 🇫🇷

👍🏻 The week I wrote about millionaires leaving the UK (link in comments), I passed the Life in the UK test. I now know when the Magna Carta was signed, can name an impressive number of monarchs, and have strong opinions on parliamentary history. More importantly, I’ve mastered the essentials: queueing without complaint, apologising on instinct, and confidently calling rain “a bit of drizzle.” A flawless score with Winston Churchill doing some heavy lifting in the background. 🇬🇧

👎🏻 Starting the British citizenship process really clarifies the word commitment. Yes, it’s “online”… meaning hours glued to a screen, hundreds of questions, a small forest of documents and the privilege of paying ~£2,000 for the full experience. Commitment confirmed. 💷

✍🏻 I’m French 🇫🇷 by birth, currently digging into my Italian 🇮🇹 roots, halfway through the British 🇬🇧 citizenship maze, and eyeing Mauritius 🇲🇺 as a future chapter by conviction. One thing this journey clarifies fast: passports aren’t about flags or fast lanes … they’re about belonging. Time logged, value delivered, rules followed, patience stretched. Each country asks its own question: the UK tests your stamina (and attention span), Italy checks your family tree (several generations deep), Mauritius looks for real substance and long-term intent. Different paths, same rule: citizenship isn’t a click … it’s earned, slowly and seriously.

🙏🏻 Special thanks this week to Lucie , Karim , Vivek , Mark , Raphaël , Vicky and my 81-year-old British neighbour Peter for kindly acting as one referee for my citizenship application.


#CitizenshipJourney #LifeInTheUK #Belonging #GlobalCitizen #ExpatLife #Commitment #LongGame #CulturalCodes