"Once upon a time I thought that going abroad meant getting on a plane and going to school, but then I realized that it meant learning to grow up all by myself." --This is the first sentence of 14-year-old international student Yuan Yuan's letter to her mother. In recent years, studying abroad at an early age has been heating up, with more and moreStudy Abroad for Junior High School StudentsThe first step is to set foot in a foreign country. However, behind the glamorous label of "international education", what do they really experience? Today, we bring you closer to the daily life of a 14 year old studying abroad through a few true stories, presenting the most realistic growth and cost.

I. Arrival in a foreign country: the first "mornings without mom" of my life

  Yuanyuan grew up with excellent grades, and with her parents' expectations, she traveled to Canada at the age of 14 to study alone. In her first week abroad, she experienced "culture shock": unfamiliar breakfasts, classes in English that she didn't understand, and polite courtesies from her host family. ......
  "It was at that moment that I realized that every single thing I used to take for granted at home had to be relearned on my own when I got here."
  Different children have different rhythms of adaptation, some enter the country in three days, others remain out of place for three months, and the younger and more dependent the child, the more naked and direct are all the challenges he or she faces.

II. Learning mode "brain change": no longer brushing up on problems, but "expressing oneself"

  Children who are good at taking tests at home are often not used to "classroom speaking" when they go abroad. In her first class, Yuan Yuan did not raise her hand, which is a sign of "non-participation" in Canadian education.
  "My teacher told me that grades are not just paper scores, but also classroom performance and project work."
  In order to adapt, she forced herself to challenge every class to say a point of view, at first it is written in Chinese, translated into English and memorized, and then slowly to speak out, this process is "hard to exercise out of the self-confidence". Learning is no longer rote memorization, but an inspiring, interactive battle.

III. The "sweetness" and "bitterness" of boarding life

• The biggest benefit: The ability to take care of oneself in life has skyrocketed, washing and cooking, cleaning the room, arranging the study program ...... is not learned, but had to be learned;

• The biggest pain pointLoneliness. In the "no man's land" of the circle of friends, sometimes there is not even a Chinese friend to talk to;

• Hidden Concerns: Some introverted children tend to close themselves off and even develop anxiety.
    Yuan Yuan said, "Without mom and dad around, I realized that emotional stability is the hardest lesson." Mental toughness has become an invisible threshold for successful study abroad.

Fourth, growth is the process of "molting": pain, in order to be strong!

  Half a year later, when she saw Yuanyuan again, her mother found that she had changed from a "timid child" to a "stable and atmospheric little adult". She plans her own weekends, takes the initiative to participate in debate clubs and varsity activities, and volunteers at the library on holidays.
  She wrote, "Leaving my comfort zone allowed me to evolve faster."
  For kids who are truly suited to study abroad, the middle school years abroad are not a time to be crushed, but a time to become a feathered whetstone.

V. A bit of advice for parents

1. Not all children are suited to study abroad at 14: Children with poor self-control and low stress tolerance are prone to adjustment disorders;

   

2. Parental accompaniment is very important in the first two years: Whether it is emotional support, academic counseling or life guidance, it is not possible to "just send them there and leave them there";

3. Studying abroad is an "experiential education", not a "speculative shortcut".: Growing up comes with a price, and families need to be patient and prepared;

4. It is more scientific to experience in advance than to set out blindly: You can first determine if your child is a good candidate for long-term study abroad life through short-term summer school and study abroad programs.

Conclusion: Studying abroad at the age of 14 is a rite of passage for "teenagers".

  Studying abroad at an early age is not a scenic trip, but a journey of self reinvention. Whether it's the confusion of arriving in a foreign country, the training of self-expression in the classroom, or the loneliness and strength of living alone, every step of the way makes them more mature and stronger than their peers. When we discuss whether it is worth it or not, perhaps we should ask: Is your child ready for this baptism of growth? Only those who are willing to straighten their backs in the storm are fit to set off into the world at the age of 14.