🇫🇷 Bonne Fête Nationale! 🇫🇷 And happy 14 Juillet. 🥳 Back when I called it “Bastille Day” (please don’t say this, it is not correct!), I attended my first 14 Juillet party about seven years ago. I was invited to a party at a private American embassy residence in the 7th eme, just blocks from the Tour Eiffel. She stood dark and strong in the near distance. Perched from our top floor view, I watched as the sun set on the rooftops of Paris, waiting for the show to start. At the base of the tower, a live orchestra began playing. And the music was perfectly timed with each firework display.
Fast forward to the 14 Juillet fireworks show in today’s post; about two months earlier, I had just finished the immigration process. The obligations of a French immigrant include an induction interview with an OFII auditor, French language tests, chest X-rays, blood sample tests, four-day-long formation civique classes, and a contract that, among many things, promises to respect the essential values of French society and the république.
A legacy of the Age of Enlightenment, the motto “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” first appeared during the French Revolution. It was written into the 1958 Constitution and is nowadays part of the French national heritage. You likely know this motto, but are you familiar with “laïcité”?
Laïcité is described as a belief that government and political issues should be kept separate from religious organizations and religious issues. This is meant to protect the government from any possible interference from religious organizations and protect organizations from political controversies.
This concept is talked about extensively during the immigration classes & is also part of a citizenship interview. Each 14 Juillet marks one year closer to starting my French nationality process. For my category, it usually takes about 2-3 years to achieve citizenship from the time of application, after you have met all previous requirements.
Bisous & Bonne fête!