My Most Mortifying Moment in Rome (so far)

Residing in Rome has its advantages: centuries of architecture, art and history at my feet as I turn each corner, amazing food, gelato, and wonderful shoe stores...But this city does give me the fregatura or incavolatura every now and then: the crammed public buses during rush hour; shops closing by 8pm; absurd condominium rules and regulations, etc. (topics for future posting- stay tuned!) But the most mortifying memory I have of Rome is failing the driving test part of the EU drivers license exam.
Four years ago I decided to get my EU/Italian patente di guida (driver's license). I thought to myself: how hard can it be? Well, let me tell you it was no walk in the park: I had to enroll in an autoscuola (driving school) for 4 months to learn the teoria- driving theory! Yes, as well as all of these road signs
Well, I mastered the theory in Italian (I actually had the choice of taking the theory part as an oral exam since I am an extra-communtaria non-EU resident...but I thought why not take the 30 multiple choice test in Italian..I like pain...) I not only passed the written exam, I got 100% not one error! I walked out of the classroom that warm June afternoon pretty happy with myself. Then I realized I had one more test: the actual driving test with the state examiner. So I scheduled it a few months later in August. In the meantime, I took 4-5 driving lessons with an Italian instructor. I didn't think I needed anymore - I mean, I have been driving for more than 15 years in the US, right?

Flash forward to August: the day of the test finally arrived. Of course, I was one of the last people to be tested that day. The wait alone kills you. Then our driving instructor gave us the line up. I was second to last. No problem, I thought to myself..I can do this. How hard can it be? Meanwhile, there were just 4 people before me who all passed (2 adolescents, an older French woman, and an African priest). Well, it was finally my turn. Ok I thought: calma e sangue freddo. I got inside the Fiat and greeted the examiner "buona sera"- a seemingly harmless middle-aged man. I started the car and slowly started to pull out of the parking space along the curb. Mistake number one: I put the gear in reverse and took a quick glance in the rearview mirror (WITHOUT TURNING MY HEAD)...My teacher, sitting in the front passenger's seat, gives me a look...I of course have no idea what I did wrong. He exchanges a quick comment with the examiner asking me to start again. I start to panic because I just didn't understand yet what I did wrong....How many people actually turn their head to check backward when pulling out of a parking space along a curb...there were no parked cars behind us....SO I'm trying to remain calm at this point, trying to figure out what the heck I did wrong. It starts to drizzle. I fidget to turn on the windshield wipers. They have me circle the parking lot once and have me pull over. The examiner bluntly asks me: so you are from the US, sei Americana? Si, I replied but my parents are Italian and I repeated that I had driven in the US for many years. He really didn't seem to care. Without ever looking up from his papers, he told me that driving in Rome is not the same as driving in Chicago and that I need some more lessons. I smiled nervously and realized that this man was failing me! How dare he...I shot a desperate look at my driving instructor who told me to come to the school after the August holiday and schedule some more lessons. Ok, at this point my blood is boiling but I am trying to keep my cool. What just happened here?? Doesn't this man realize that I am an experienced driver..an American driver...without one moving violation in the last 10 years?? Let me tell you, I was convinced this man hated me because I was from Chicago.
But with my tail between my legs I went back to the driving school in late August and took 4 more lessons. On the day of my second driving test in late September I went last, as my instructor told me. The lady examiner seemed nice and as I entered the car she was very enthralled in a conversation with my instructor...after starting the car, adjusting the mirrors, and turning my head almost 360 degrees before pulling out of the parked space, I realized I didn't exist. They just kept right on talking about Latin-American dancing. After about a 5 minute circle around the lot, she scribbled on her papers and started exchanging phone numbers with my instructor. I looked at him and he winked. I passed!!! Yes, I actually passed!!!
Now, I'm all set with an EU driver's license until 2013. Stay off the streets!!!

My most Memorable Moment in Rome

Living in Rome for almost nine years now, it's quite difficult to single out the most memorable moment I have had in the Eternal City. I'd have to say that getting married in this meravigliosa città will always stand out as the number one memorable and magical moment in my life.








I know there will be more to come..stay tuned.
(Many thanks to Shelley from At Home in Rome for inspiring me with this topic to kick off my blog.)