When American friends ask if I've seen a particular movie I can't answer until I check to see what it's called in Italian. Movies should have one title. They did it right with the Italian film La Vita e' Bella. In America it was called, Life is Beautiful. A nice, clear translation. It might not tell you what the movie is about, but Italian and American viewers alike entered the theater with the same information. Kramer contro Kramer and il Paziente Inglese are translatable, too. If only it were always that easy to pick out an old DVD in an Italian thrift shop. I scan the titles, but I'm sure I've passed right by a lot of old classics. L'attimo Fuggente (translation: The Fleeting Moment)--Dead Poets Society
Buon Compleanno Mr. Grape (translation: Happy Birthday Mr. Grape. Why not Signor Grape?)--What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
Quasi Amici (translation: Almost Friends)--The Intouchables (not to be mistaken for The Untouchables)
Quei Bravi Ragazzi (translation: Those Good Boys)--GoodFellas
a Spasso con Daisy (translation: Walk with Daisy)--Driving Miss Daisy
But it seems Chicago will always be Chicago. At least some things never change.
The Beginning of The Way Things Were
Call me what you will, but I call myself an emigrant....an emigrant who should stop talking about her homeland every day. (Expat has too many rich, white person connotations and immigrant is what my Italian friends call me.) Many years ago, my foreign (expat) friends in Chicago continually pointed out the differences between life in their countries and life in Chicago. I might be mistaken, but their use of the word 'different' often sounded a bit like 'better'.
Not long after moving to Italy (about three hours) I started doing the same thing. It has finally dawned on me that if my friends in Italy think like I used to think (if it's better in your country why don't you go home?) it might be wise to keep my American mouth shut in Italy and share my thoughts with the other side of the world. Hereafter, when I notice something different, be it better or just different, I'll (try to) hold my tongue and add it to my list of The Way Things Were.
My goal is to keep it simple with a few words and a photo, giving the readers the choice of better...or just different. With more reflection I'll probably realize that some of the "betters" are here and some of the "betters" are there. In the end maybe they really are just "differences."
