Yan Wen’s story

Yan Wen is a young woman who comes from HuaiAn. She is 28 and has arrived in Italy in 2006. Since then, she is really fond in theatre and…football.

Which are the memories which link you to Italy?

Football, for sure. I started to watch some matches when I was already grown up, during the World Cup in Korea in 2002 and I saw Inzaghi, by chance. Maybe for the Italians he is not that good-looking, but for Asian people, such as Chineses and Japaneses, he’s gorgeous, because he has a feminine kind of beauty, he’s tiny and thin….in Asia they like this type. So that, I discovered Italy and I started to look for information…then, when the moment to move abroad came, I chose to go to Italy. This my very reason, even if I usually say that is because of art and culture.

I chose Italy even because everyody was choosing the US, but I didn’t like mainstream decisions and I wanted something different, original….special.

Did you have a dream when you came to Italy?

No, I went away from China because I had no dreams, i didn’t know what to do, I hated my psycological situation and so on. I just wanted to have a different life. Here in Italy, through the Multi-cultura project, of Teatro dell’Argine, I discovered the theatre and its word and now I have a dream: I want to be a director, but I know it’s difficult. Even if I love it, there are some aspects I don’t like, it gives you thousand dreams but to create something you have to be really talented, to be determined, to have a lot of money and to be aware that is not easy to find a job….maybe I’ll go back to China, to have a nomal life and to get a job.

What are you doing here?

I attended the DAMS faculty and I finished it. Now I work as a Chinese teacher, both in schools and privately for students. Sometimes I work as an interpreter in some fairs, but honestly I don’t like Chinese people who come here…they are rich but not polite, they spend a ridiculous amount of money in shopping and then pretend to buy even you. They lie and, when I have to translate lies, I feel violated in my integrity.

I came here alone, I didn’t know anyone, for real…I changed a lot of houses, I’ve lived with Chineses, with migrants families and with Italians, and now I live wih some English students.

Which are the images that link you to the everyday-life?

The theatre, the football, “The Castle” of Kafka, which actually is the play we are working on this year. I felt like Kafka when I first came here! The people are so kind and sweet, they talk a lot, but then nobody does something to help you. The people here don’t do anything, they give advices and suggestions….it’s kafkian, but nice.