La Mia Dolce Vita

I was a movie star. Well, it felt like it anyway. Now, many people (as in my parents) used to tell me I was a drama queen or "such an actress" when I wanted to get something, but this was a different kind of acting, one in which I was like an extra on set but believed I was a lead character. It was last Friday. I usually don't have classes on Fridays, but I made my casual walk to school for my cinema class movie viewing.

Every morning when I take my usual route, I see the same three characters: the portiera of my apartment building, the portiera of the building next door and the old man opening his restaurant on the corner. It's as if my day wouldn't be complete if I didn't receive a smile and "buongiorno" from each. However, we haven't always greeted each other. It took them some time before they were used to seeing this new face in the neighborhood. I never knew how to get around their natural Italian skepticism, so I would flash a meek smile at first, and with time, they accepted me. But Friday, for some reason, they and some other regular characters who I often see on my routine walks all seemed to be in sight and recognizing me, saying 'goodmorning'.

This particular day I dressed in some dark pants and my favorite color: red. I looked only slightly glamourous, but my mood was certainly glamourous. If only I had the fashion eye like these vixen Italian women. But I was ready, as the lead character of this day unfolding before me. Nothing imparticular was planned except for an afternoon flight to Germany for the weekend.

I arrived at school to view a screening for my cinema class (a class I am more than happy to dedicate a free Friday to). It would only be two hours of my day and I still had the rest of the afternoon to think about before my flight. I had been preparing for this trip to Germany for over a month, so excited to see a different scenery.

But movies often contain some sort of dramatic event. Naturally, on this day Rome had other plans for my character. Outside the classroom I heard the music, the loud voices projecting from megaphones, and the change in atmosphere.

It was really beautiful day out. It was extra sunny and the city seemed to be moving at a very slow, relaxed pace for a Friday. I glanced out the window after the screening for class to see only a few cars in the usually busy street of central Rome. And there it was: a strike. I saw the parade of people headed down via Vittorio Emanuele II. 'This is serious!' I thought. When being warned by the staff at school of possible strikes, I took the matter lightly. But it is real. People really do go on strike here and before I knew it, I received a phone call confirming that my flight was canceled. While I was a little upset to know I wouldn't be headed to Germany after all, my ticket would be refunded, and I could watch this change in scenery from the window of my school as though a scene in a movie was at a climax. I looked in the other direction to see about 20 policeman lined up, shoulder-to-shoulder, facing the direction of the street of parading people. I realized they were guarding the Senate building (a block down from school) because they were voting inside.

In this case, all of public transportation was on strike! If I was to go anywhere, I must walk. No buses, trams, metro OR AIRPLANES! Certainly I could not walk to Germany. I had never seen anything like this which probably led to my main feeling of being in a movie. Leaning out of the window for ten minutes to absorb the action, I was trying to understand the situation. My life really wasn't affected other than having to move my trip. But for these people, their lives are affected by something beyond me. Whether their fight was important or not in the whole scheme of things, I witnessed their passion take a form, something that could teach me a thing or two of politics, of life, in general.

With the exception of losing transportation access if I needed it, I realized I have anything I need at my disposal. Isn't that how it is for actresses? When at home, I have a host mom who cooks for me whenever I want. At school, I enjoy going to classes (actors enjoy their work) along with the staff handling any of my necessary business. For instance, they are looking at my options for housing next semester, they have scheduled/organizzed events for my friends and I, and, well, should I keep going? Walking down the street, the occasional glance or recognition from the Italian men is sometimes enough to make someone from Ohio feel semi-quasi famous. And of course, Germany ... that can be done another weekend.


I left school to eat lunch at a nearby ristorante. As a regular part of my diet now, I ate my favorite salads and foccacia. I embraced my change of plans by having a relaxing lunch and good company - oh, with serenade included by a local and his guitar. In the piazza one street over is where the people on strike had gathered. Realizing it was too nice of a day to head home, I walked down the narrow cobblestone streets to come across a gorgeous old building. It has been standing for countless years, something obvious to any fortunate passerby. I wonder who lives there ... After admiring the frescoed ceiling from the outside looking in, I saw a poster on the building to my right. Ah, Nicole Kidman! It was a brief summary of the film she had been in at that spot. Not only did I feel like a movie was being filmed all around that day, but I was actually at a movie set from years before.


The poster, along with numerous others I've seen, belonged to the Cinema Festival which is an annual event in Rome. The festival only began a few years ago and my teacher informed me how they are getting their organization together as it is so new. It occurred several weeks ago in late October. There were scheduled premieres playing at the auditorium and other venues in which new films, along with old ones, were playing for almost two weeks. One venue was playing classic films, mostly with Sophia Loren. Ms. Loren was even scheduled for a press conference one day after a screening while many other stars walked the red carpet for the premiers. The one night I decided to check out the scene I saw Mira Sorvino being photographed incessantly as the rain had kept most others stars away.

I had realized during the cinema fest that maybe we are not all as star struck as we think we are. Perhaps in Ohio if I ran into someone famous I would be throwing a party over it ... but here, I am almost convinced I am making my own movie. Sounds silly, I know. But there are far other things to find interesting as everyday you pretty much walk a backdrop for some film. Other stars have become much less interesting as I live amongst them ... and well I, too, have become a star. ha.

Whatever I am while here, these characters that are frequenting the scenes are helping to familiarize my role. The portiera in his everyday green sweater and squinty-eyed smile that has managed to make me feel welcome after the first month of strange looks. They portiera next door who gives me the same half smirked smile as though he remembers the first time we saw each other; It was my first day in Rome and I accidentally walked in the doors of his building which must be a private residence (How could I have told them apart when they look the exact same and 30 feet apart?!). He pretty much told me I was lost before I could even realize it. Then there is the chef who works in the corner restaurant. His usual white apron and burning cigarette as the other workers clank around inside, preparing for the day. I wonder, are they labeling my character ... perhaps I will remain a mysterious movie star as I will soon move to another area of the city and lose them from my routine walk. My lifestyle(s) is/are forever going to be unknown to them.

The last blog was borderline starving-artist, like I was an actor without a job. So sad. Remembering how I felt the day I wrote such sappiness - knowing at the time I would eventually read what I wrote and call myself pathetic - has helped make me aware of this capability of making most events more dramatic than they sometimes are. Perhaps the people who know you are right when they label you as "a drama queen", etc., etc. I don't believe I was really miserable that day - only being dramatic because I was seeing Rome in a light I was not quite prepared for. My relationship with this city has only become stronger and stronger. Perhaps the honeymoon has ended, but I have made it to the next level in our relationship. No matter the situation, I win. Life is beautiful. I have la dolce vita.

Matter of fact, I have had some realizations in the past month about this temporary, sweet life. One of those was that I spend everyday believing that I cannot speak a language. I spend so much time trying to think of what I want to say in Italian that when I stop and remind myself that I am actually fluent in one language, I feel a little better. I suppose that is just another part of this role I'm playing, memorizing the lines I need to say before one day, when I know them so well I will forget the days of learning the script. I speak English everyday with other students and in three of my classes, but I had convinced myself that I didn't know a language. Apart from my American friends and classes at school, I spend a lot of time trying to do things on my own. I was hired to do conversational English with two Italian kids and when asked, I instinctively said 'yes' only to later doubt my capabilities of actually knowing the language. Haley, you are fluent in English. Oh yeah, phew!

My day on the movie set continued when my chauffeur took me to - in my eyes - the 'Manhattan' part of Rome. I was going to check out a possible apartment for the approaching semester. The scooter ride took about fifteen minutes as opposed to an hour car trip this day because of the increased traffic from no transportation. The area was charming and clean. A piazza full of trees was nearby with any necessities in a likeable distance. I seeked out the nearby coffee bars, grocery store, and bus stop.

The scene changed as I took a wrong turn up a hill/mountain. Within three minutes I was overlooking the entire city of Rome - St. Peter's dome seeming incredibly close. I remember smelling a campfire, which is something I haven't been around since the summertime in Ohio. I was taken aback by this city that tends to be as big or small as I want it. This 'movie star' lifestyle is unavoidable as Rome's charms are unavoidable at every turn (yes, strikes included). Pursuing the lifestyle - my own vision of what I want it to be, my own character - is simply up to me.